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Forty thousand square feet of Baroque ceiling, explained by the people who repaired it.
Guided tourTalkHistoryArt & design
James Thornhill spent nineteen years, from 1707 to 1726, painting the hall built as a dining room for retired sailors, and was paid by the square yard. Nelson lay in state under it in January 1806. From 1824 it was the first National Gallery of Naval Art, hanging Turner and Reynolds, and in the twentieth century it went back to being a canteen, this time for trainee officers.
Historic Buildings & Places brings Martin Ashley Architects, who survey the fabric, to talk through the conservation project that reopened it in 2019 - what was found, what was done, and what was deliberately left. £33.00, or £25.00 for members of the charity.
The lifts into the Painted Hall are out of order: seven steps to the undercroft, twenty to the Lower Vestibule, sixteen more to the Main Vestibule and seven to the Upper Hall.
Tuesday 20 October 2026: 15:00 – 17:00
Hours from the page that lists them, checked 16 September 2026.
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Data is compiled from public sources including OpenStreetMap, under the ODbL. Hours change often, so check before making a journey.