Timeline

1427 Bellacourt built by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester

1447 Henry VI gives Bellacourt to his wife Margaret of Anjou

1491 The future King Henry VIII born at Palace of Greenwich

1509 Henry marries Catherine of Aragon here

1516 The future Queen Mary I born here

1533 The future Queen Elizabeth I born here

1581 Sir Francis Drake knighted by Queen Elizabeth I at Deptford

1616 Queen’s House begun for Anne of Denmark by Inigo Jones

1664 Work starts to replace the old Palace with a new ‘King’s House’

1694 Charter for the Royal Hospital granted by King William III

1696 Foundations of all the Hospital buildings laid

1705 The first ‘Greenwich Pensioners’ arrive

1708 Thornhill begins work on the Painted Hall

1751 Completion of the final building (Queen Mary Court)

1806 Admiral Lord Nelson lies in state in the Painted Hall

1824 ‘National Gallery of Naval Art’ created in the Painted Hall

1865 Most of remaining Pensioners leave with annuities

1869 Final closure of the Royal Hospital

1873 Opening of the Royal Naval College (RNC), including Royal Naval Museum

1936 Naval gallery and Museum collections transferred to new National Maritime Museum (NMM)

1939 WRNS Officer training begins

1959 Department of Nuclear Science and Technology opened

1967 Sir Francis Chichester knighted here by Queen Elizabeth II

1983 Joint Services Defence College (JSDC) established

1995 Decision to relocate RNC and JSDC and find new uses for the buildings

1997 Greenwich Foundation established to manage the site

1998 Navy finally departs; buildings converted for University of Greenwich

1999 University begins teaching in Queen Anne Court

2001 Trinity College of Music moves into King Charles Court

2005 Nelson Room opens