Formally, the Queen’s House and the Royal Greenwich Observatory are part of the National Maritime Museum. The whole are set in Greenwich Park, in the Greenwich World Heritage area.
Maritime Galleries: It’s difficult to explain what the NMM contains without simply referring you to the website, but besides artefacts ranging from buttons to 10-ton anchors there are themed galleries devoted to such topics as trade or exploration, slavery, warships, etc. There is an increasing amount of interactive stuff, including the facility to collect images on a smartcard and look them up later. For the serious researcher, the Museum has a library and archives. The fusty rows of ship models that I recollect from 2002 have largely been banished.
There is a great deal inside for the interested visitor to see.
Queen’s House: The building itself is of some architectural importance as England’s first Classical building, finished in 1638. It was designed by Inigo Jones. A notable feature is the 40ft x 40ft cubical Great Hall on the northern side. The house was originally built in two halves bridging over a main road, but the middle sections have been partially filled in. It houses the NMM’s painting collection, which has a wider scope than one might expect. Various galleries cover national art, the Royal Hospital School, historic Greenwich, the Tudors, and Dutch marine artists.
The Queens House is well worth a visit if you are interested in art.
Royal Observatory – see separate entry.
Most parts of the complex are free admission, but there is a significant charge for admission to the Observatory, to the annoyance of many visitors who just want to be photographed standing on the Greenwich Meridian.