Greenwich

**Greenwich**  is a district of London. It is the main part of the Borough of Greenwich, about 8.9 km east south-east of Charing Cross.

The Royal Greenwich Observatory is in Greenwich. It was originally built for the Astronomer Royal. The Oservatory created the Greenwich Meridian (0° longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

Greenwich is a town with a long history. It became the site of a royal palace, the Palace of Placentia, from the 15th century. This was the birthplace of many members of the Tudor dynasty, including Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. The palace became ruined during the English Civil War. It was rebuilt as a hospital by Sir Christopher Wren. These buildings became a military college in 1873, which lasted until 1998. The town became a popular resort in the 17th century. Many rich houses were built there, such as Vanbrugh Castle (1717). Estates were built above the town centre.

Greenwich was part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created.

## World heritage site

Maritime Greenwich is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is on the River Thames. The site includes buildings along the riverfront, and surrounding the 17th century Queen's House. The group include the complex of the Royal Hospital for Seamen, the Royal Observatory and the Royal Park.

The Royal Hospital was laid out to a master plan created by Christopher Wren.  The hospital complex was built over many decades. Other architects who added to this long-term project included Nicholas Hawksmoor.

The core of this group of buildings is the Queen's House which was designed by Inigo Jones.  This was the first Palladian building in Britain.

The Royal Observatory is now the baseline for the world's time zone system and for the measurement of longitude around the globe.

The Royal Park is a symmetrical design in an irregular landscape around the buildings of the World Heritage Site.  The park was created by André Le Nôtre.

The park and grounds behind the buildings on the river held the competitions for the horse-related events of the 2012 Summer Olympics.

## Public transport

National Rail and Docklands Light Railway services call at Greenwich station.

## Other websites

- Your Online Guide to Greenwich
- Greenwich World Heritage Site — official website
- Greenwich Tourist Information Centre
- Greenwich Guide
- Map

## Infobox (uk place)

- **static image name**: 312SFEC LONDON-20070917.JPG
- **static image caption**: Royal Observatory, Greenwich
- **static image 2 name**: Greenwich_arms.png
- **static image 2 caption**: One-time Coat of arms of Greenwich
- **country**: England
- **region**: London
- **official name**: Greenwich
- **constituency westminster**: Greenwich and Woolwich (UK Parliament constituency), Greenwich and Woolwich
- **post town**: LONDON
- **postcode area**: SE
- **postcode district**: SE10
- **dial code**: 020
- **os grid reference**: TQ395775
- **london borough**: Greenwich
- **population**: 30,578
- **population ref**: (Peninsula and Greenwich West wards 2011)
- **charingx distance mi**: 5.5
- **charingx direction**: WNW


## Infobox (unesco world heritage site)

- **whs**: Maritime Greenwich
- **image**: Royal Naval College 2008.jpg
- **image size**: 280
- **caption**: Old Royal Naval College and University of Greenwich buildings on the bank of the River Thames
- **location**: United Kingdom
- **criteria**: Cultural: i, ii, iv, vi
- **id**: 795
- **year**: 1997
- **extension**: 2008