View of Greenwich and the river Thames from Greenwich Park

A panoramic vista with Greenwich in the foreground and London in the distance on the right. The viewpoint is from One Tree Hill in Greenwich Park, with the Royal Observatory built in 1675 on the left. From the hill an avenue of trees leads down to the white faÔòá├▒ade of the Queen's House, designed by Inigo Jones. The columns of its upper-floor loggia are just visible above the trees. There are deer grazing in the park in the foreground on the right. To the right of the Queen's House are the buildings of the still incomplete Royal Hospital for Seamen (now the Old Royal Naval College). The dome is presumably that of the Hospital's King William Court, substantially complete by 1707, with its accompanying ranges and the eastern faÔòá├▒ade of the King Charles Court to the right. However, the artist (perhaps working from prints) has misunderstood both the layout and elements of detail which are hard to square with the buildings as they exist. The Queen Mary Court, with the matching dome was only built between 1735 and 1751, after the presumed date of the painting. To the left of the Queen's House are the domestic buildings of Greenwich, with parish church of St Alfege prominent. This was built in 1714 by Hawksmoor, replacing the medieval church whose roof collapsed in 1710, the medieval tower being cased in Portland stone and a spire added by John James in 1730. Since the tower is shown in this form, the painting must date from 1730 or later. The tower of St Nicholas, Deptford, is visibly beyond. The artist has established a scene of parkland and fine high-status buildings. The foreground on the left is wooded with figures variously occupied. Some are involved in hunting with one man on horseback and the others on foot with hounds. The River Thames, a vital national artery with its associated shipping, is visible in the middle distance on the right. Prominence has been given to the buildings of the Royal Dockyard at Deptford, with ships in reserve lying off it. The viewer's eye is led round the meandering river and towards London in the far distance. The capital's skyline consists of the towers and spires of several churches built after the Fire of London 1666 as well as The Monument, completed in 1676 as a memorial to the fire. The view is dominated by work of Sir Christopher Wren. The newly built spires of his city churches culminate in the dome of St Paul's, which echoes his earlier Greenwich dome in the foreground. Such symmetry identifies Greenwich's relationship with the capital and its significance for the nation.
British School