The Royal Observatory, Greenwich is the home of Greenwich Mean Time and the famous Prime Meridian of the World. Built for the purpose of finding longitude at sea, it is a. lso a museum of time and astronomy where it is still possible to see how the Astronomer’s Royal used to live and work. The Royal Observatory also houses London’s only public planetarium which provides a magnificent introduction to the mysteries and wonders of the night sky.
Founded by King Charles II on 22 June 1675, the Observatory was built for the specific purpose of finding longitude- the exact position west or east- for maritime travel. John Flamsteed was appointed the first Astronomer Royal by Charles II and was assigned to solve the longitude mystery.
In 1894 the Royal Observatory became the site of the first terrorist attack in Britain when anarchist bombed the observatory. The incident was later immortalised by Joseph Conrad in his novel ‘The Secret Agent.’
In 1955 a Caesium beam clock at Greenwich became the most accurate and preferred timepiece in the world.
The Royal Observatory is opened daily from 10am to 5pm (last admission 4.30pm). The suggested visiting time is 2 hours.
Admission is free although there is an admission charge for planetarium shows.
