What is the Site?
Why is Maritime Greenwich important?
Inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1997, the importance of Maritime Greenwich lies in its royal origins, especially under the British Tudor and Stuart dynasties, and its development from the 17th century as a site of astronomical research related to navigation, and of Royal Naval welfare and education.
In a Royal Park setting, its ensemble of buildings including the Queen’s House, the Royal Observatory and the Royal Hospital for Seamen (today the Old Royal Naval College), symbolize English artistic and scientific endeavour in the 17th and 18th centuries, epitomizing the work of architects Inigo Jones (1573–1652), Sir Christopher Wren (1632–1723) and the landscape designer André Le Nôtre (1613–1700).
Boundary
Maritime Greenwich is part of the wider borough of Royal Greenwich on the banks of the Thames and, in addition to the buildings noted above, encompasses Royal Museums Greenwich and the late-Georgian town centre of old Greenwich, including the historic parish church of St Alfege and Greenwich Pier. The boundary encloses all the attributes that convey the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the World Heritage Site.
Geographical Coordinates
Greenwich Park TQ 3977
Royal Naval College TQ 385778
National Maritime Museum TQ 386776
Greenwich town centre TQ 383777
Buffer Zone
The immediate setting of the Site is defined by a buffer zone. This crosses the river towards the modern towers of London Docklands, takes in urban streets to the east and west, and extends the Greenwich ‘Grand Axis’ over 1 km south of Greenwich Park to the spire of All Saints Church in Blackheath. The buffer zone has restrictions on its use and development to give an added layer of protection to the Site.