Wigs, Weddings, Powder and Palaces: Old Royal Naval College celebrates 100 years of filming
The Old Royal Naval College has been at the heart of British filmmaking for 100 years.
To mark the centenary of on-site filming, this UNESCO world heritage site in the heart of Maritime Greenwich will welcome the public for a series of film and TV tours starting in April.
As IMDb’s number one heritage filming location in the UK, The Old Royal Naval College has hosted more than 200 film and TV productions including award-winning screen favourites such as Bridgerton, The Crown, Pirates of the Caribbean and Les Misérables.
Wigs, Weddings, Powder and Palaces will enable film buffs and history lovers alike to discover behind-the-scenes exclusives and follow in the footsteps of their favourite period drama actors.
Just as the site’s architectural grandeur and timeless beauty has captivated filmmakers including Christopher Nolan, Kenneth Brannagh and Ridley Scott, from April 2025, ‘set-jetters’ can explore the key areas that have been immortalised on screen.
Inspired by the elegance of Bridgerton, the experience will incorporate a taster class on hand-fan communication and its secret meanings, allowing attendees to channel their inner 18th-century aristocrat.
The small-group experience, limited to 25 guests per tour, will also include entry to the Painted Hall – one of Europe’s finest Baroque interiors – and where Captain Jack Sparrow was forcefully escorted in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
Luke Flynn, filming manager at the Old Royal Naval College, said: “Having worked with a wide range of film and TV productions, and seeing first-hand how the Old Royal Naval College is transformed into extraordinary film sets, we are delighted to offer visitors the chance to step ‘behind the scenes’.
“Our new film tours will uncover the fascinating stories behind the most significant productions shot here and showcase the magic of filmmaking at this remarkable historic site.”
Old Royal Naval College boasts a long and celebrated 600-year history. Today it is a diverse cultural destination and one of London’s most popular venues, attracting more than 800,000 visitors a year.
The site was originally home to Greenwich Palace, a Tudor palace favoured by Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.
After the English Civil War, Queen Mary II ordered the creation of the Royal Hospital for Seamen on the same site, which at its peak housed more than 2,700 injured and retired sailors.
The rich maritime history of the site continued after the departure of the Royal Hospital in the 1860s.
From 1873 to 1997 the buildings housed the Royal Naval College, training naval officers for over a hundred years, including the first female members of the Royal Navy in the 1940s, known as the WRENs.
The Wigs, Weddings, Powder and Palaces tours begin on April 4, and will run every Friday and Saturday at 1.30pm and at 3.30pm.
Tickets for adults are priced at £25 and £10 for under 16s.
Tickets are available from, https://ornc.org/filmtour-wigs
Pictured top: Wigs & Power film tour at the Old Royal Naval College (Picture: Old Royal Naval College)