View of the Ranger's House [Queen's House] ...and ...Greenwich

Framed engraving, entitled 'View of the Ranger's House in the Park and part of the town of Greenwich', with the same repeated alongside in French. It in fact shows the Queen's House from the south-east when it was a grace-and-favour residence of Lady Pelham as Ranger of Greenwich Park, and known by that name.

The original central roadway under the house is shown built-in with extra rooms - as it was from around 1700 until the 1930s restoration and conversion for the NMM - and the small balcony of the East Bridge Room, seen in the Vorsterman painting of about 1680 (BHC1808), has already been removed. There is also a service building on the east side, demolished when the Colonnades were built from 1807, and possibly another on the west side, just visible, with the tower of St Alfege's beyond.

The House still has its roof 'cupola' giving access to the leads at the top of the Tulip Stair. A high, piered wall separates it from the Park - where visitors and deer are shown - the centre section having railings to maintain the view. This suggests that the present sunken ha-ha and plain lower wall were part of the conversions from 1806-07 when the House became the core of the new premises of the Royal Naval Asylum (later the Royal Hospital School). For this change, compare with PAI8815.

Object Details

ID: PAJ2659
Collection: Fine art
Type: Print
Display location: Not on display
Creator: Robertson, George; Morris, Thomas Boydell, John
Date made: 1781
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
Measurements: Frame: 640 x 770 mm; Plate: 353 x 520 mm