Royal Naval Hospital

In 1696, the Royal Naval Hospital for Seamen was established—extravagant architecture was required to show the monarchic splendour of a royal foundation. The brilliant master plan by Sir Christopher Wren incorporated the King Charles Block, previously designed by John Webb. The Queen's House is fine in its own right—the essential charm of the complex is the presence of two smaller-than-usual domes, one dedicated to St. Peter and one to St. Paul. The chapel, formerly featuring an apse and reconfigured over the years, now features a large painting of St. Paul being shipwrecked at Malta behind the altar. Called 'the finest of Wren's secular buildings' and 'the most distinguished group of buildings in England' by Margaret Whinney—art historian.