GREENWICH. 



■men ; and their majedies haviiig refolvcd to carry it into exe- 

 cution, fir Clii'iftoplier Wren recommended that the unfinifli- 

 td palace at Greenwich fliould be completed and enlarged 

 ior this pnrpofe. His advice being adopted, he contributed 

 his time and abilities in the fuperintendance of the works for 

 feveral years without any emohiment. Such was the origin 

 of Greenwich hofpital, of which the foundation was laid 

 June 3, 1696, and which has been gradually enlarged and 

 improved, till it arrived at its prefent height of magnificence. 

 The holpital is a fplendid and cxtenfive llnifture, principally 

 built with Portland Hone, and confills of four diltinoi 

 quadrangular piles of buildings, dittingniflied bv the names 

 of the refpeftive fovereigns, in whofe reigns they were founded 

 or built. The grand front opens on a terrace, (Icirting the 

 foutliern bank of the Thames, and extends 865 feet in 

 length, in the centre of which is a defcent to the river, by a 

 double flight of fteps. The ground plan of the whole edi- 

 fice forms nearly a fquai-e ; of which king Charles's build- 

 ing occupies the north-well angle ; queen Anne's, thcnorth- 

 eait ; king William's, the foulii-weft ; and queen Mary's, 

 the fouth-eaft. The interval between the two former build- 

 ings forms a fquare 270 feet wide, in the middle of which 

 is a llatuc of George II., fculptured by Ryfbrach, out of 

 a fingle block of wliite marble, which weighed eleven tons, 

 and was taken from the Frenchbyadmiral lir George Rooke : 

 this ftatue was given to the hofpital by fir John Jennings, 

 who was governor from 1720 to 1744. The fpace between 

 the two latter buildings which include the hall and chapel, 

 with their elegant domes, and the two colonnades, forms a 

 leffer fquare, apparently terminated by the ranger's lodge 

 in the park. Tir^ two fquarcs are interfered by a fpacio'is 

 avenue, leading from the town through the hofpital. The 

 buildings which immediately front the Thames liave a ge- 

 neral correfpondence in llyle and arrangement. The north 

 and fouth fronts of each exhibit the appearance of a double 

 pavilion, conjoined above by the continuation of an Attic or- 

 <ler, with a balnftrade, which furmounts the whole, but is 

 feparated below by an open portal : the centre of each pa- 

 vilion difplays an elegant pediment, fupportcd by four Corin- 

 thian columns, and the iides a double pilaller of the fame 

 order. King Charles's buildmg contains the apartments of 

 the governor and lieutenant-governor, the council-room, and 

 anti-chamber ; with fourteen wards, wherein 300 penfioners 

 may be accommodated. In the council-room are feveral por- 

 traits : in the anti-chamber two large fea-pieces, given to the 

 hofpital by Philip Harman, efq , reprelenting the exploits 

 of his anceftor captaiji Thomas Harman of the Tyger fri- 

 gate, in the reign of Charles II.; and a feries of fix fmall 

 pieces, 'defcriptive of the lofs of the Luxembnrgh galley, 

 in the year 1727. Queen Anne's building contains feveral 

 apartments for inferior officers, with twenty-four wards, for 

 four hundred and tliirty-feven penfioners. King William's 

 building Hands to tlie fouth-weil of tlie great fquare, and 

 compriles the great hall, vclli!)ule, and dome, deligned and 

 erected by fir Chrillopher Wren, betvi'een the years 1698 

 £.nd 1703. To the eaft of thcfc adjoins a colonnade, three 

 hundred and forty-feven feet in length, fupportcd by 

 Doric columns, and pilallers tv>-enty feet in height. The 

 great hall is one hundred and fix feet in length, tifty-fix in 

 width, and fifty high : the cieling and fides are covered with 

 portraits and emblematical figures, executed by fir James 

 Thornhill, for which he was paid at the rate of 3/. per fquare 

 yard for the cieling, and l/. for the fides, amounting in the 

 whole to 6685/. The well front of King William's build- 

 ing, which is of brick, Avas finilhed about 1725 by fir 

 Joim Vanbrugh : the building contains eleven wards, where- 

 in arc five huttdred and fiftv-one beds. The foundation of 



the cafterrt colonnade, wliieli is fimilar to thai on the weft 

 fide, was laid in 1699 ; but the chapel, ai'd the other parts of 

 queen Mary's building which adjoin to it, were not finiili>>d 

 till 1752. It conefponds with king William's, and i> furnilh- 

 ed with one thoufand and ninety-two beds, in tliirlcen ward.i. 

 The prefent chapel, one of the moil elegant fpecimens of 

 Grecian architcclnre in this kingdom, was erected from the 

 claffical defigns of the late James Stuail, efq., better known, 

 perliaps, by the appellation of " Athenian Stuart," uhich he 

 acquired from the Attic elegance of his buildings, and hisinte- 

 relling publication on the antitpiities of Atlicn-. The chapel 

 is one hundred and elcvenfeet in length, and fifty-two in width, 

 and is capable of accommodating one thoufand penfioner.*, 

 nurfes, and boys, cxclufiveof the leats for the direclors and 

 other officers. The portal confills of an architrave, frieze, 

 and cornice, of llatnary marble : the folding-doors arc of 

 mahogany, higldy enriched by carving. The interior is 

 finilhed in an elegant ilyle ; and is adorned with many ap- 

 propriate paintings ; the moil diilinguiflied of wliicli is the 

 altar-jMece, executed by Well, and reprefenting the prefer- 

 vation of St. Paul, on the illand of Melila ; a fubieft pecu- 

 liarly adapted to this eftablifliment. Without tiie walls of 

 the hofpital llands the Infirmary, erected in 1763, after 

 a defign by Stuart : it forms an oblong quadrangle, 

 one lumdred and ninety-eight feet long, and one hun- 

 dred and feventy-five broad ; and confills of two flories 

 for the reception refpeftively of thofc whofe cafes require 

 furgical aid, and of thofe who are in need only of 

 medical affiftance. It contains fixty-four rooms, each 

 is fitted up for tlie accommodation of four patients. It alfu 

 includes a chapel, hall, kitchen, and apartments for the 

 phyfician, furgeon, and apothecai y ; with hot and cold baths, 

 and other necedary offices. The penfioners, who are the 

 objedls of this noble charity, mull be feamen difablcd by 

 age, or maimed, either in the king's fervice, or in the mer- 

 cliant fervice, if the wounds were received in defending or 

 taking any fiiip, or in fight againll a pirate ; foreigners who 

 have I'erved two years in the Britilh naA7, become entitled 

 to the benefits of this inllitntion in the fame manner as 

 natives. The widows of feamen are provided for, having 

 tiie exclufive privilege of being nurfes in the hofpital.. The 

 number of penfioners is upwards of 2400, who are furnidicd 

 with clothes, diet, and lodging, with a fmall allowance of 

 pocket-money. The nurfes are 144, each of whom receives 

 eight pounds per annum as wages, with every neceflary of 

 life. The governors of the hofpital are about ico, and 

 confift of all the great officers of ftate, the arclibifiiops, the 

 lord chancellor, the judges, the mafler and five fcnior bre- 

 thren of Trinity-houfe, the lord mayor, and tl-ree feiiior. 

 aldermen of London, with fonie of the principal officers of the 

 liofpital. The annual average expence of each penlioner, ac- 

 cording to the report of the commilfioners of naval enquiry, 

 was ellimated at 27/. los. gt/. per man; and of the nurfes, 

 29/. }^s. Oil. eacli ; the total annual expence being 69,206/. 

 5/. The funds of the eilablilhment are principally derived 

 from a duty of fixpence ptr month, paid by every mariner, 

 either in the king's or merchant's fervice ; the forfeited 

 cllatcs of the earl of Derw cutwater; and various benefactions 

 from different fovereigns, from parliament, and from private 

 perfons. 



The old tower at Greenwich, built by duke Humphrey, 

 temp. Henry VI. was pulled down in 1675, by order of 

 Charles II., who founded on its fcite the prefent Royal Ob- 

 fervatory, for the purpofe of afcertaining the motions of 

 the moon, and the places of the fixed liars, in order .to 

 facilitate the attempts to difcovcr the longitude at fca. 

 LIr. Flamilecd, the firll allronomer royal, began his ob- 

 j C z fervationg 



