The Visitor Centre
The Old Royal Naval College Visitor Centre, located in the Pepys Building beside the Cutty Sark entrance to the Old Royal Naval College grounds, is now closed for major redevelopment until early 2010.
The Old Royal Naval College Visitor Centre has attracted over 4.5 million visitors since opening its doors to the public in 2000. Located in the Pepys Building, the centre was re-fitted by the Greenwich Foundation in order to provide visitor facilities and information for those entering the Old Royal Naval College and the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site.
Extending the Greenwich Foundation’s mission to provide access and interpretation of the Old Royal Naval College and its surroundings, the Foundation is currently developing Discover Greenwich, a 5.8m interpretation and education centre, scheduled to open early 2010.
The centre will include an exhibition hall, a learning suite, and a temporary exhibition gallery, all located in the Pepys Building. The refurbished centre will also house a shop, café, Tourist Information Centre and a brasserie & bar in the adjacent former brewery for the Royal Hospital.
For more information and latest news, please click on this link – Discover Greenwich.
The Pepys Building
The Pepys Building was the only substantial addition to the complex of buildings at the Old Royal Naval College. The building was initially designed for use as racquet courts and was constructed in two phases: 1874-75 and 1902-3.
Subsequently, in 1905-6, the building was converted to become the main mechanical engineering labatory of the Royal Naval College. It included a 100-ton testing machine and a supersonic wind tunnel, both used for the officer training programmes.
The exterior of the building features Doric pilasters, paired Ionic columns and roundels that contain the busts of naval heroes: Anson, Drake, Cook, Howard, Blake, Benbow, Montague, Rodney, Duncan, Collingwood, Howe, Nelson and Jervis. In view of the building’s function, such a degree of ornamentation appears unnecessary, but the prominent location of the building, close to the former Hospital and visible from the river, evidently inspired a desire for show.
