Greenwich

Greenwich ( GREN-itch, -⁠ij, GRIN-) is an affluent area in south-east London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the ceremonial county of Greater London, 5.5 miles (8.9 km) east-south-east of Charing Cross. It contains the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Maritime Greenwich. Greenwich is notable for its astronomical and maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian (0° longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time. The town became the site of a royal palace, the Palace of Placentia, from the 15th century and was the birthplace of many Tudors, including Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. The palace fell into disrepair during the English Civil War and was demolished, eventually being replaced by the Royal Naval Hospital for Sailors, designed by Sir Christopher Wren and his assistant Nicholas Hawksmoor. These buildings became the Royal Naval College in 1873, and they remained a military education establishment until 1998, when they passed into the hands of the Greenwich Foundation. The historic rooms within these buildings remain open to the public; other buildings are used by the University of Greenwich and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. The town became a popular resort in the 18th century, and many grand houses were built there, such as Vanbrugh Castle (1717) on Maze Hill and the Ranger's House (1722) near Blackheath. From the Georgian period estates of houses were constructed above the town centre. The maritime connections of Greenwich were celebrated in the 20th century, with the siting of the historic vessels Cutty Sark and Gipsy Moth IV next to the river front, and the National Maritime Museum in the former buildings of the Royal Hospital School in 1934. Historically an ancient parish in the Blackheath Hundred of Kent, the town formed part of the growing conurbation of Victorian London in the...