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Opened in 1937, after the buildings
were vacated by the Royal Naval Asylum, a school for sailors'
orphans.
The Museum is the
largest and most important museum of its kind in the world.
It houses 16 galleries
within a dramatic architectural space, which tell the story of
Britain and the
sea and the importance of the ocean in our lives today.
Royal Observatory Greenwich - The Observatory - home of Greenwich
Mean Time and the Prime
Meridian Line - is one of the most important historic scientific
sites in the world.
It was designed by Sir
Christopher Wren in 1675 and is, by international decree, the
official starting point for each new day, year and millennium (at
the stroke of midnight GMT as measured from the Prime Meridian).
Visitors to the
Observatory can stand in both the eastern and western hemispheres
simultaneously by placing their feet either side of the Prime
Meridian Line - the centre of world time and space.
The Observatory
galleries unravel the extraordinary phenomena of time, space and
astronomy, the Planetarium lets visitors explore the wonders of the
heavens and the Observatory also houses London's only public camera
obscura.
Queen's House - The 17th-century Queen's House, England's first
classical building, is a rare surviving example of the work of Inigo
Jones, the man who revolutionized English architecture of the
period.
It was completed in
1638 for Charles I's French queen, Henrietta Maria, as a private
'house of delights'.
The current
exhibition, A Sea of Faces, contains 150 of the Museum's most
impressive portraits, some not displayed for many years, including
works by Van Dyck, Lely, Kneller, Gainsborough, Hogarth, Reynolds
and Rigaud.
The exhibition also
includes a conservation studio where visitors can observe
conservators at
work and learn about the techniques used to restore paintings.
The wings connected to the Queen's House by colonnades were
commissioned in 1807 to commemorate the battle of Trafalgar.
visitors can examine
the uniform in which Nelson was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar
and the
timekeepers by John Harrison which inspired Longitude, stand astride
the Prime Meridian and see the treasures of the Museum's art
collection, as well as taking in the stories of exploration,
invention and heroism contained within the forty-five galleries of
the three sites at no cost.
Adults, children and
seniors free.
Opening Hours: 10.00am to 5.00pm, seven days a week
Contact Info:
National Maritime Museum
Romney Road, Greenwich London
SE10 9NF
tell:
(018) 1312 6565
Travel:
Docklands Light Railway from Bank Underground, Tower Gateway,
Stratford, Beckton & Lewisham to Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich
station.
Jubilee Line to Canary Wharf and change to DLR.
Connex - around 20 mins from Charing Cross, Waterloo East, Cannon
Street & London Bridge.
Boat to Greenwich from Westminster, Embankment, Tower & Millennium
Piers. Road - From M25 south use A2; from M25 north use M11/A12 &
Blackwall Tunnel
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