Queen's House

[instrumental music]

This is the Queen's House in Greenwich.

The building was designed by the great architect Inigo Jones, and it was intended as a gift from King James I to his wife, Anne of Denmark.

However, she died during its construction and the building was put on hold.

Construction recommenced on the Queen's House when King Charles decided it would make a wonderful gift for his new wife, Henrietta Maria.

A second level was even added by Inigo Jones, and Henrietta became one of Inigo's key benefactors.

Just like her husband, Henrietta Maria was a devoted patron of the arts.

You know, like this, this conferred a lot of clout.

Um, for context, the uh, the Queen's House, what used to be one of the royal residences, it's in Greenwich, London, um, it's been repurposed a bunch of times, and it's obviously a historic building.

And like, it's, it's no longer like a royal residence, but at the time it was, and he designed that.

Okay, so I mean, this was, this was a big deal.

No one was attempting to gather evidence.

Instead, the story begins with an ordinary day out, The Queen's House stands in Greenwich, London and is one of the most important buildings in British architectural history.

Commissioned in the early 17th century and designed by Inigo Jones, it introduced classic architectural ideas to England on a scale rarely seen before.

Today it forms part of the National Maritime Museum and attracts visitors from all over the world.

Known as the Tulip Staircase, despite ongoing debate over whether the decorative ironwork actually depicts tulips, it spirals gracefully upwards through the centre of the building.

It was the first unsupported spiral staircase constructed in Britain and remains one of the most photographed staircases in the country.

Like many historic buildings, the Queen's House accumulated stories over the centuries.

Some visitors reported hearing footsteps when there was nobody around.