The Royal Observatory Greenwich camera obscura is housed in a small summerhouse in the Meridian Courtyard.
There have been a number of camera obscuras at Greenwich, dating from the late 17th century till the mid-19th century. The current one was installed in 1994 and shows a close-up panorama of Greenwich and the Thames, the National Maritime Museum and the Royal Naval College.
I remember visiting the camera obscura many years ago before the building suffered some storm damage and was closed for an extended period. I visited on 1st November 2026 - the day before the Royal Greenwich Observatory closed for two years of renovation. The weather as expected wasn't great. However, Simon very kindly opened the Camera Obscura for us to take a look inside.
It was a pleasure to give a copy of the publication, Derek Swindley and his Camera Obscuras, to the Royal Greenwich Observatory. The publication has been added to their archives.
I am now looking forward to visiting again on a sunny day after it reopens in two years time!
