Queen's House, Greenwich
- Romney Road, SE10 9NF
- Oct 11, 2018
- 2 min read
The Queen's House, Greenwich: birthplace of Queen Elizabeth I, favourite palace of King Henry VIII, and the first fully classical building in England. Designed by architect Inigo Jones, the Queen's House was built in 1616 for Queen Anne of Denmark, King James I's wife, and completed in 1636 for Henriette Maria, Charles I's wife.
Re-opened in 2016, on its 400th anniversary, following a year-long closure for restoration, it was my first visit inside the House since its £3million refurbishment.
What a transformation!
Each room has been spectacularly restored from floor to ceiling in bold, bright colours. Paintings from the Greenwich Collection hang from the walls, but pride of place, above the fireplace in the Queen's Presence Chamber, hangs The Armada Portrait:
This portrait of Queen Elizabeth I illustrates the most famous conflict in her reign - the failed invasion by the Spanish Armada in 1588. The portrait was acquired for the Royal Museums Greenwich through a public fundraising campaign, combined with donations from the Art Fund, Royal Museums Greenwich and the Heritage Lottery Fund, which raised over £10million to purchase it.
The portrait exudes strength and power, and is full of symbolism and meaning. To learn more about the symbols which appear in the Armada Portrait, click here.
Not to be missed is the famous Tulip Stairs. Winding skyward, it is the first self-supporting spiral stair in Britain and one of the original features of the Queen's House. Rumour has it that ghostly figures have been spotted on the staircase, but thankfully we didn't encounter any when there.
But my favourite room in the Queen's House is the Great Hall with its stunning black and white patterned floor and 23 karat gold leaf applied to the walls and ceiling. This modern fresco was designed by Turner prize winning artist, Richard Wright, inspired by the House's Tulip Stairs. Working with a team of five assistants, it took nine weeks to complete and doesn't disappoint.
Entry is FREE and the Queen's House is open daily, 10am-5pm.
To find out more about the Queen's House, its history and its art collection, visit the Royal Museums Greenwich website.
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