Celebrating our 20-year anniversary of inscription as a World Heritage Site

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Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site

Key to the map ↓
  1. 1 St Alfege
  2. 2 Greenwich Market
  3. 3 Cutty Sark
  4. 4 Old Royal Naval College
  5. 5 National Maritime Museum
  6. 6 The Queen’s House
  7. 7 Royal Observatory
  8. 8 Protected panoramic view
  9. 9 Ranger’s House
  • World Heritage Site boundary
  • World Heritage Site buffer zone

Welcome to Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site, where internationally significant architecture and landscape, artistic achievement, scientific endeavour and royal association come together to tell the story of Britain at sea, and of world time-keeping, navigation and exploration.

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Outstanding Universal Value

Key features or ‘attributes’ of Outstanding Universal Value

Our Architecture

The architectural ensemble of the Queen’s House, the Royal Observatory, the Royal Hospital and the Royal Park

Masterplan of buildings and designed landscapes

The masterplan of buildings and designed landscape is a cultural masterpiece

The Grand Axis

Wren’s composition extends across the River Thames

The Royal Observatory

Recording the accurate position of the stars, and the home of the Prime Meridian of Longitude and world time

Town Centre & St Alfege Church

Greenwich town centre: a medieval street pattern, with key buildings including St Alfege Church, and a role through history

Royal Patronage

A royal manor, associated with the British monarchy since the 15th century

Relationship with the River Thames

Royal power, navigation and the use of the River Thames as a highway since Roman times

Silhouettes

A silhouette of baroque buildings against a clear sky

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Quoted in history

What shall we tell you? Tales, marvellous tales. Of ships and stars and isles where good men rest…

The Golden Journey to Samarkland James Elroy Flecker, 1913

And thence by coach to Greenwich church, where a good sermon, a fine church, and a great company of handsome women....

Samuel Pepys, 1660

The fact that so much is there, in so small a place, makes the whole area extraordinary.

Greenwich Charles Jennings

Greenwich began as a Saxon village. It was called green wic (the word wic meant a port). So from the beginning it was a place where ships and boats were tied up.

A brief history of Greenwich Tim Lambert

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