Royal Observatory Greenwich given £21.9m towards ‘transformation’ works

Royal Observatory Greenwich has been £21.9 million from the government to help pay for new galleries and major refurbishment works.

The First Light programme, billed as a “transformation” of the attraction, will cost £77 million in total. It includes a new entrance pavilion and landscaping works to better connect it with Greenwich Park.

A lift and new stairs will be added to the Great Equatorial Building  – the structure next to the General Wolfe memorial that contains its largest telescope – while project also aims to help ease overcrowding on the site. 

Work began in the autumn with the closure of the Peter Harrison Planetarium but the rest of the site will remain open while the works continue.

The observatory was founded in 1675 on a site chosen by Sir Christopher Wren and served as Britain’s national observatory until 1957, opening up to visitors during the 1960s. It forms part of Royal Museums Greenwich along with the National Maritime Museum, Queen’s House and Cutty Sark.

Last year the National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded £9.7 million to the project. 

Royal Museums Greenwich has previously said that it aims to bring more local people into the site to offset fluctuating visitor numbers and to extend visiting hours in the summer so they more closely follow the park’s opening times. 

Baroness Twycross, the museums minister, said: “Royal Museums Greenwich is a fantastic example of what our world-class cultural institutions offer, combining science with centuries of history. The £21.9 million investment in the Royal Observatory’s First Light project from our Public Bodies Infrastructure Fund will directly safeguard this extraordinary heritage site for future generations. It will also support the expansion of its educational offer for young people and families across the country.”

The Royal Museums Greenwich chief executive, Paddy Rodgers, said: “Greenwich is a stellar destination as both a world heritage site and a joyous fun day out. We are investing in bringing the significance of this place back to the public view as the home of the prime meridian and GMT.”

While works are taking place at the observatory a new temporary gallery, Astronomers Take Over, has opened at the National Maritime Museum, offering visitors the chance to meet astronomers and take part in science demonstrations.

The artist Luke Jerram will also be returning to Greenwich when his stainless steel creation Mirror Moon is installed in the courtyard of the Observatory in May. Jerram’s Helios, Moon and Mars have previously appeared in the Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College.

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