Old Royal Naval Coillege...

The next day I took Georgia to Greenwich to visit the Old Royal Naval College. Originally the site housed a palace from 1498 to 1696. Famed architect Christopher Wren was hired in 1696 to design the Royal Hospital for Seaman for elderly and injured veterans of the Royal Navy. At its peak, it served as a retirement home for 2,700 naval vets, eventually closing in 1869. 

From 1873 until 1998 it served as the Royal Naval College, providing courses for naval officers. After the school closed, it reopened as the Old Royal Naval College, later designated as an UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Most recently restored in 2019, the Painted Hall has 40,000 square feet (3,700 square meters) of Baroque walls and ceilings from 1726. 

Despite not remembering anything we learned from a very enthusiastic guide, I do know that we thoroughly enjoyed seeing this masterpiece. 

It was originally intended in the 18th century to be a dining room for the retirees, but became a tourist attraction and ended up only being used for dining on special occasions. 

The original Royal Hospital Chapel was built following Wren’s designs, but was gutted by fire in 1779. The remodeled chapel included nautical designs.