Old Royal Naval College

Two massive stone domes rise above the riverside, anchoring a grand, symmetrical complex that steps down toward the Thames. This is the Old Royal Naval College, a masterpiece of English Baroque architecture designed by Sir Christopher Wren and his successors, including Nicholas Hawksmoor and Sir John Vanbrugh. Built between sixteen ninety-six and the seventeen fifties, these four principal blocks were originally commissioned as the Royal Hospital for Seamen, a refuge for retired and injured sailors.