Royal Observatory Greenwich

When King Charles II signed the royal warrant that led to the founding of the Royal Observatory in 1675, it was to ensure that Britain was not left behind other European nations as they pursued global trade and resources. Now, in its 350th year, the ‘small observatory within our park at Greenwich’ is perhaps the most famous such institution in the world, home to the historic Prime Meridian of the World, 0 longitude, and an essential reference on our clocks, watches, maps and globes. The 100 objects contained within the pages of this book highlight the many people, ideas and technologies that contributed to ‘perfecting the art of navigation’ and mapping the stars. They include some of the most famous objects in the Royal Observatory’s collection.