London · Greenwich

Greenwich: the Royal Observatory, the Cutty Sark and Britain's naval power

The Prime Meridian, a tea clipper, a free maritime museum and the best view of London. And behind it all, the navy that carried an empire, including the routes of the slave trade.

Key facts

Where: Greenwich, south-east London, on the Thames. Maritime Greenwich is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Royal Observatory: about £24 for an adult, £12 for a child, with an audio guide included.
Cutty Sark: about £22 for an adult, £11 for a child.
Day Pass: one ticket for both, cheaper than buying them separately. Check the current price on the Royal Museums Greenwich website.
Free: the National Maritime Museum, the Queen's House, Greenwich Park and Greenwich Market.
Time needed: a full day if you come by boat and see everything; half a day for the free sights and the park.

The Royal Observatory and the Prime Meridian

King Charles II founded the observatory in 1675 to solve a problem worth a fortune: how a ship could find its longitude at sea. In 1884 an international conference in Washington made the Greenwich meridian the world's line of zero longitude. Time zones around the world are still counted from here.

The line: you can stand with one foot in each hemisphere. There is usually a queue for the photo.
Harrison's clocks: the marine timekeepers of John Harrison, the clockmaker who solved longitude, are the real treasure here.
The planetarium: London's only one, with separate tickets.
Honest verdict: the line is a photo opportunity; the history of navigation inside is the reason to pay. The view from the terrace outside, over Canary Wharf and the City, costs nothing.

The observatory sits at the top of a steep hill in Greenwich Park. Allow 15 to 20 minutes on foot from the river.

The Cutty Sark

Built in 1869, the Cutty Sark is the last surviving tea clipper, a ship built to race tea from China to London. It later carried wool from Australia. Today it sits in a dry dock, raised so that you can walk under its copper-sheathed hull.

Don't miss: the hull from below, and the crew's cramped quarters.
Honest verdict: well presented and good for families, but expensive for a visit of about an hour. If money is tight, admire it from the outside and spend your time in the free Maritime Museum.

Free Greenwich

The National Maritime Museum: free, huge and serious. Nelson's uniform from Trafalgar, with the bullet hole, is here.
The Queen's House: Inigo Jones's classical villa, with the Tulip Stairs and a fine art collection. Free.
Greenwich Park: one of London's royal parks, with views from the top of the hill.
Greenwich Market: covered market with food stalls, crafts and antiques.
The foot tunnel: walk under the Thames to the Isle of Dogs for the classic view back to Greenwich across the river.
The Old Royal Naval College: Wren's riverside buildings and grounds are free to walk around. The Painted Hall inside needs a ticket.

The navy, the slave trade and its suppression

Greenwich celebrates the Royal Navy, and rightly tells the story of exploration and science. But Britain's sea power also protected the slave trade for more than a century. Navigation, insurance and naval protection made it possible for British ships to carry more Africans across the Atlantic than those of any other nation in the eighteenth century.

After 1807, the same navy turned against the trade. The West Africa Squadron patrolled the coast from Sierra Leone to the Bights for more than half a century, seizing slave ships. Many of the people it freed were landed at Freetown. The work was deadly for the sailors, many of whom died of disease, and its record is mixed: the trade went on under other flags for decades.

The National Maritime Museum deals with this history in its Atlantic galleries and marks International Slavery Remembrance Day each August. Go looking for it; it is there.

Read more about the founding of Freetown on our page on the Black Poor of London, and on our partner site Sierra Leone.

Visiting: practical tips

By river: the best way. Uber Boat by Thames Clippers runs from Westminster, Embankment and London Bridge to Greenwich Pier. You can pay with a contactless card or Oyster.
By DLR: to Cutty Sark station, three minutes' walk from the ship.
By train: Southeastern trains from London Bridge to Greenwich or Maze Hill.
Plan your day: Cutty Sark and the market in the morning, the Maritime Museum at lunch, the park and the observatory in the afternoon, and walk downhill at the end.
Food: the market stalls are cheaper and better than the museum cafés.

Tours and experiences

Greenwich river cruises, Thames boat trips and London sightseeing days. Entrance fees are included in the tour price; tips are not included but are always welcome.