View of the Tulip Stairs in the Queen's House, Greenwich, post 2016 restoration. The Queen's House was commissioned by Anne of Denmark, wife of James I (reigned 1603-1625). James was often at the Tudor Palace of Greenwich, where the Old Royal Naval College now stands - it was as important a residence of the early Stuart dynasty as it had been for the Tudors. In 1616 Anne commissioned Inigo Jones (1573-1652), who had risen to fame as a designer of court entertainments and was appointed Surveyor of the King's Works the following year, to design a new pavilion for her at Greenwich. It was apparently a place of private retreat and hospitality and was also designed as a bridge over the Greenwich to Woolwich Road, between the palace gardens and the Royal Park. Jones had recently spent three years in Italy studying Roman and Renaissance architecture. It was his first important commission and the first fully Classical building seen in England.

Artist: National Maritime Museum Photo Studio

Date: 2016