Royal Observatory

The Royal Observatory, home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian line, is one of the most important historic scientific sites in the world. It was founded by Charles II in 1675 and is, by international decree, the official starting point for each new day, year and millennium.

The Royal Observatory is entering one of the most exciting periods in its history. The Time and Space Project is a £15 million redevelopment of the site which includes a new, state-of-the-art planetarium, new galleries and an education centre. The first milestone of the redevelopment was the opening of the Time galleries in February 2006.

The Observatory, part of the National Maritime Museum, is one of the most famous features of Maritime Greenwich – since 1997 a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visitors to the Observatory can stand in both the eastern and western hemispheres simultaneously by placing their feet either side of the Prime Meridian - the centre of world time and space. The Observatory galleries unravel the extraordinary phenomena of time, space and astronomy.

Following its complete renovation in 1993, you can see a unique collection of historic timepieces and navigational instruments which tell the story of time and astronomy and the origins of the Observatory itself; you can walk around Sir Christopher Wren’s Octagon Room and the apartments of the Astronomer Royal; and you can enjoy regular shows in the intimacy of the Observatory’s tiny Planetarium and visit one of the country’s few camera obscuras in the courtyard.

Admission to the National Maritime Museum, the Royal Observatory and the Queen's House is now free. Please refer to the Royal Observatory web site for further details: http://www.rog.nmm.ac.uk