The site was planned by Sir Christopher Wren in 1694 and executed by several famous architects of the day as the Hospital, a residence for seamen pensioners. The Hospital closed in 1869 and the Royal Naval College moved in, training naval officers till 1998. Today, some buildings are used by Trinity Laban college and the University of Greenwich.
The Chapel & Painted Hall are open to the public, free of charge.
Painted Hall: The Hall “probably the finest dining hall in the Western World” is decorated with huge paintings by James Thornhill. It was intended as a dining hall for the pensioners, but never used as such, for when finished it was considered too grand and too much of a tourist attraction. The body of Admiral Nelson lay in state here.
Not my taste, but it’s certainly worth visiting if you are in Greenwich.
Chapel: The Chapel was first completed in 1751, gutted by a disastrous fire in 1779 and reopened in 1789. Unlike many churches which are a mixture of styles through the ages, the Chapel is a complete and unaltered neoclassical period piece.
I thought the Chapel had a very attractive interior. Well worth a visit.
The ORNC is part of the Greenwich World Heritage site, along with the National Maritime Museum etc. There is a visitor centre near the Cutty Sark restoration site. The site can be reached by various means of transport, including the river.
