A sprawling, beautifully illustrated history of the royal heritage of Greenwich, written by one of its leading experts 

The royal history of Greenwich stretches back to the mid-fifteenth century, when it was the site of a major royal palace. The beautiful Queen’s House, completed in the 1630s, is the last remnant of this sprawling Tudor palace. From 1676 on, King Charles II’s Royal Observatory was a center of pioneering work for the improvement of navigation and global timekeeping, and the Royal Hospital for Seamen, opened in 1696, was a national institution for maritime welfare before it became the home of the Royal Naval College (1873–1998). 

Written by a leading expert in British maritime history and Greenwich royal heritage, Royal Greenwich: A History in Kings and Queens showcases the National Maritime Museum's exceptional royal portrait collection and presents centuries of fascinating history in one succinct volume.

Pieter van der Merwe is curator emeritus at Royal Museums Greenwich. He has written extensively on British maritime history and culture as well as the history of Greenwich.