University of Greenwich Strategic Plan 2012-17, 'Making

Identity and inspiration
“A seat of learning and
intellectual enquiry,
exploration and discovery,
it resonates with echoes
of great characters and
stirring national events.”
Clive Aslet (1999) The Story of
Greenwich, Fourth Estate, London
The University of Greenwich takes its name from the
Royal Borough of Greenwich in London. Greenwich has
a long and a rich history which forms the backdrop and
inspiration for today’s university. It is here in the 15th
and 16th centuries that Henry VIII and his daughters
Mary I and Elizabeth I were born, and where Queen
Mary II founded the Royal Hospital for Seamen, later the
Royal Naval College and now campus buildings of the
university.
These buildings were designed at the end of the 17th
century by Sir Christopher Wren, one of Britain’s greatest
architects, and the work was overseen by Nicholas
Hawksmoor and Sir John Vanbrugh, both towering
fi gures in their fi eld. Near to the Greenwich Campus, the
Millennium Dome (now the O2) continues the tradition of
innovative architectural design up to the present day.
A common maritime heritage connects the campuses
at Greenwich and Medway. The university hinterland
has played an important role in the rise of Britain as a
dominant maritime force. Henry VIII founded the dockyards
in Chatham, which led to the Royal Naval barracks being
located there in buildings now occupied by the university.
Greenwich is also the centre of space and time, where
east meets west. Scientists and astronomers, including
John Flamsteed and Edmund Halley, advanced scientifi c
understanding from their positions as Astronomer Royal.
The Royal Observatory holds John Harrison’s clocks,
which were used to fi x the longitude of ships at sea, thus
transforming marine navigation and enhancing Britain as a
major sea power. Additionally, the area has a strong literary
past: the writings of Samuel Pepys, Dr Samuel Johnson
and Charles Dickens draw on their experiences of living in
and visiting Greenwich and the Medway Towns.
Greenwich and the surrounding region have played a key
role in the emergence of Britain as an industrial power. For
hundreds of years, local companies employed engineers
and skilled tradesmen on which the capital depended.
Today, it is a contemporary industrial and commercial
region with high skills and high-value companies. The
modern university draws inspiration from hundreds of years
of local insight, ingenuity and innovation to work for the
future – imagining possibilities, investigating uncertainties
and identifying new challenges.
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