Unspecified/General

Perched on a hill in Greenwich Park with sweeping views over the river and the city beyond, the Royal Observatory is the historic home of British astronomy and timekeeping and the place from which the world measures longitude and time. It was founded in 1675 by King Charles the Second, who appointed the first Astronomer Royal and charged him with improving navigation and astronomy, above all by mapping the heavens accurately enough to allow sailors to determine their position at sea. The original building, designed by Christopher Wren, still stands, and over the following centuries the observatory became central to the great problem of finding longitude, a quest that drove the development of precise marine timekeepers, several of which are displayed in its galleries. In 1884 an international conference designated the meridian passing through the observatory as the Prime Meridian of the world, the line of zero longitude from which all others are measured, and Greenwich Mean Time became the basis of the world's time zones. Visitors today can stand astride the meridian line, with one foot in the eastern and one in the western hemisphere, see the historic telescopes and clocks, watch the time ball that still drops each day as a signal to shipping, and explore the universe in the adjoining planetarium. The combination of scientific history, astronomy and a magnificent setting gives the observatory broad appeal. Tickets can be booked online in advance, the park is free to enter, and the site welcomes visitors throughout the year across every season of the calendar. The story of the search for longitude, dramatised in books and documentaries, is told vividly through the museum's collection, including the remarkable sea clocks built by the self-taught carpenter John Harrison whose accuracy finally solved the problem and transformed navigation. The opportunity to straddle the meridian line, with one foot in each hemisphere, has become one of the most popular photographs taken in the city, a tangible connection to an abstract idea that governs maps and clocks worldwide. Combined with the planetarium's journeys through the cosmos and the sweeping views from the hilltop over the maritime buildings below, the observatory offers a rich blend of science, history and spectacle that rewards visitors of all ages throughout the year across the seasons of the calendar.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: Blackheath Avenue, London, United Kingdom

Telephone: +44 20 8312 6608

Website: https://www.rmg.co.uk/royal-observatory

Opening Date: 10/08/1675