Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College
The Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, is one of the most striking baroque interiors in Europe. It has been closed since 2016 to undertake an ambitious conservation project, which finished early this year. Its painted interior has been vividly brought back to life. As part of the major works, there was also the reopening of the King William Undercroft, situated below the Painted Hall, which houses a new cafe, shop and interpretation gallery: The Sackler Gallery.
Often described as “the finest dining hall in Europe”, featuring spectacular wall and ceiling decorations, it was originally designed by Sir Christopher Wren as a ceremonial dining room. It took artist Sir James Thornhill 19 years to complete the paintings that celebrated England’s naval power and the new Protestant monarchy. Successive monarchs, such as William III, Mary II, Anne and George I, join a cast of hundreds of figures than span mythological, historical and contemporary spheres. Its vast interior extends to 4,000 square metres, a true masterpiece of English baroque art.
This project was also one of the largest open-access conservation projects in Europe, and between 2017 and 2018 over 80,000 visitors observed the work of conservators from an accessible observation deck.
To gain full experience of the works, visitors had the choice of a multimedia guide, a printed guide or a tour by one of an expert team of guides. Celary and Parsnip took the guided tour, Toast took the multimedia guide and I dipped in and out of the tour as I got distracted by various fine details on the walls. Near the top of the stairs leading into the main hall were two “treasure chests” that contained tactile objects relating to references in the paintings. We greatly enjoyed the additional experience of dressing up with a crown, cloak and even a replica of King William’s Red Cap of Liberty.
Within the central part of the room were low plush seats which allowed visitors to sit or lie down in comfort to view the artwork above. For me, these were just too tempting to take a nap on.
After we had our fill of brilliance, we wandered into the underground passage of Ripley Tunnel, the passageway between the Chapel and the Painted Hall. It is a subterranean tunnel that was added to Sir Christopher Wren’s original building by Thomas Ripley in order to link the Queen Mary and King William blocks of the hospital. The idea was to make it easier for staff and the seamen to circulate between the buildings.
One of the best things about old buildings is that you sometimes just find the coolest, most unexpected things, and beneath the Chapel at the end of Ripley Tunnel there hides a double-lane skittle alley. It was originally built at the request of the retired sailors living in the (then) infirmary. They had little else to entertain themselves, so a skittle alley was a blessing. The skittles and balls are made of wood, taken from ships laid-up in Deptford. Some of the fake wooden cannonballs are ridiculously heavy, and with no finger holes one must adopt a double-handed, crouching stance to roll the ball down the lane. Once you’ve knocked down your fallen skittles you can either get someone to stand in the sawdust pit at the back and put the fallen skittles back, or you can take that victory stroll and place them back yourself.
We did not go beyond the Skittle Alley, as the Painted Hall was the last on a long list of sites for our day, which was drawing to a close. But I would love to go back again, play some more skittles, and explore further to see the King William Undercroft and the extensive grounds.
To discover the breathtaking artwork in the heart of Greenwich and to experience their extensive grounds and buildings in a guided or self-guided tour, the usual adult price is £12 but booking online makes every ticket option £1 cheaper (apart from National Art Pass holders who can enter for a 50% discount, down to £6). I recommend saying yes to the option of keeping your ticket valid for 12 months as it is of no additional charge; you never know when you might want to revisit this masterpiece. Or if £12 still seems a little on the pricey side then you can visit on a “Pay as You Wish Wednesday”, where you can pay what you think your visit was worth.
