Palace of Placentia

The Palace of Placentia, commonly known as Greenwich Palace, was a royal residence on the River Thames in Greenwich, southeast London, established in the later medieval period and expanded under the Tudors. It became a prominent Tudor court palace and is historically noted as the birthplace of Elizabeth I in 1533.

The palace contained formal royal apartments, administrative rooms and riverside terraces and was used as a principal royal residence during the 15th and 16th centuries. Over the 17th century the site fell into decline and many original structures were demolished; the riverside site was later redeveloped for the Royal Hospital and the buildings that form the present Old Royal Naval College.

Origins of the palace trace to a medieval manor that expanded into a royal palace in the 15th century and was extensively altered during Tudor reigns. The complex lost royal favour and much of its fabric was removed or repurposed by the late 17th century, leaving only archaeological traces and later institutional buildings on the site.

The former palace grounds are on the south bank of the Thames at Greenwich, within the Greenwich Maritime World Heritage Site and close to Greenwich town centre and Greenwich Park in southeast London.

• Site today: The site of the former royal palace now lies within the Greenwich World Heritage area and its footprint was later used for The Royal Hospital and the Old Royal Naval College.
• Tudor connections: Historic associations include Tudor royal births and residences, with strong links to Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.