Flamsteed House, the original Observatory building at Greenwich, was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke and built in 1675-76. John Flamsteed, the first Astronomer Royal, lived and worked there to his death in 1719 by which time it was already known as Flamsteed or Flamsteed's House, a name which has stuck to his day.

This view shows it much as built although the cupolas on the two pavilions are not as they currently stand. That on the left has various projections possibly connected with its use as a camera obscura at this time: the other appears more as a dome. The octagonal tower with tall glass windows, designed to house the Great Zenith Tube, can be seen just behind the western dome, although the instrument itself was not installed until 1833. The central balcony is also inauthentic and there is no time-ball on the west turret, since this was only installed in 1833. A figure, probably a Greenwich Pensioner, is shown on a bench by the path crossing the foreground. The Shepherd family were well known London topographical artists.