Queen's House
a perfect white house and a famous ghost
The first Classical building in England, free in Greenwich, home to the Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I and the spiralling Tulip Stairs where a famous ghost photo was taken.
Free to visit · Greenwich · Cutty Sark (DLR) · SE10 9NF
Opening: Daily 10am–5pm
Tucked between the Maritime Museum and the river is a cool white villa that changed English architecture. The Queen's House was designed by Inigo Jones and finished in 1635, the first truly Classical building in the country, and walking into its calm symmetrical rooms is free.
It is now an art gallery for Royal Museums Greenwich, and the walls hold real treasures, the Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I with the defeated Spanish fleet behind her, plus Turners, Gainsboroughs and a fine run of maritime painting. The Great Hall is a perfect cube, a piece of mathematics you can stand inside.
The showpiece is the Tulip Stairs, the first geometric self-supporting spiral staircase in Britain, curling up in a perfect blue and white helix. It is also famous for a 1966 photograph that appears to show a shrouded figure climbing it, so look up as you pass.
Getting there: A short walk from Cutty Sark on the DLR, between the National Maritime Museum and Greenwich Park.
Best time to go: A weekday morning, when you can have the Great Hall and the stairs almost to yourself. Pair it with the free Maritime Museum and the park next door.
Insider tip: Stand directly under the centre of the Tulip Stairs and look straight up for the full spiral, the shot everyone comes for. It sits in a row of free Greenwich sights, so do it with the Maritime Museum and the park view for a whole free day.
Official site: https://www.rmg.co.uk/queens-house
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide