The Queen's House

Queen Henrietta Maria's house overlooking Greenwich Park has been beautifully restored to its former 17th century splendour.

The building is a masterpiece by Inigo Jones completed in 1662 for the wife of Charles I. From the finely proportioned white exterior, with its elegant tulip staircase, leading to the Great Hall and Royal Apartments, the building is a stunning example of a Stuart Court.

Adorned with fine furnishings, luxurious silk and velvet drapes, the rich brocades of the Queen's apartments are a visual delight.

This beautiful royal villa was designed by Inigo Jones and is Britain’s first classical building and a pioneering masterpiece of 17 th -century architecture.
Today you can enjoy the spectacular art, architecture and royal history of the Queen’s House.

The House is free to visit with the exception of guided tours.

The top must-see attractions at the Queens House

•  Pre-book a guided tour which will take you back in time to learn about the history of the House and Greenwich though the artworks on show
•  See the Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I. This painting commemorates the most famous conflict of Elizabeth’s reign, the failed invasion of   England by the Spanish Armada
•  See the spectacular new art commission by Turner Prize-winning artist Richard Wright in gold leaf on the ceiling of the Great Hall
•  Step through the doors into the impressive Great Hall, with its striking marble floor and black-and-white geometric design originally laid in 1635
   
•  Take a selfie with the elegant Tulip Stairs, the first geometric self- supporting spiral stairs in Britain
   
•  Discover renowned art works by British and European masters including Turner, Gainsborough, Hogarth and Stubbs, as well as works by leading contemporary artists
•  Admire the classical design of the House – one of the most important buildings in English architecture designed by Indigo Jones
•  Take in views fit for royalty across the lawns to the Old Royal Naval College and the River Thames
•  Appreciate the marvelous decorated ceiling in the Queen’s Presence Chamber which celebrates Charles I and Henrietta Maria as a powerful couple

Credits:

Text by Royal Museums Greenwich Press Office

Image:  Queen's House in Greenwich by Bill Bertram - Own work, photo rotated, cropped, some people in the foreground removed., CC BY-SA 2.5, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=691705

__________________________________________________________________________________

Queen's House is a former royal residence built between 1616 and 1635. It was built near the now demolished Greenwich Palace, a few miles downriver from the City of London and is now in the London borough of Greenwich. It presently forms a central focus of what is now the Old Royal Naval College with a grand vista leading to the River Thames, a World Heritage Site called, Maritime Greenwich. The Queen's House architect, Inigo Jones, was commissioned by Queen Anne of Denmark in 1616 and again to finish the house in 1635 by Queen Henrietta Maria. The House was commissioned by both Anne and Henrietta as a retreat and place to display and enjoy the artworks they had accumulated and commissioned; this includes a ceiling of the Great Hall that features a work by Orazio Gentileschi titled Allegory of Peace and the Arts.

Wikipedia