ORNC Compass Clock with Cardinal Points Close-Up 照片檔

Greenwich, London — 1 March 2026: A close-up view of the clock drum of one of the Old Royal Naval College domes shows a large circular clock face incorporating cardinal compass points — N, S, E, W — marked in gilt lettering around the dial alongside the Roman numeral chapter ring, with a pair of gilded clock hands indicating the time, the surrounding Portland stone drum with its paired Ionic columns visible at the edges of the frame. This unusual combined clock and compass dial at the Old Royal Naval College reflects the institution's purpose as a naval hospital and its connection to Greenwich as the home of the Prime Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time; the combination of timekeeping and navigation in a single instrument was appropriate for an institution serving maritime veterans in a location synonymous with the world's standard reference meridian.