Charles II commissioned the Royal Observatory in 1675, and the foundation stone was laid on August 10 of that year. Sir Christopher Wren designed Flamsteed House, probably with help from Robert Hooke. It was the first purpose-built scientific research facility in Britain. Sir Jonas Moore, who proposed the observatory, paid for key instruments.
The building was completed in the summer of 1676 for £520, which was £20 over budget, and it was built largely from recycled materials. It sits about 13 degrees off true north. The Octagon Room, 20 feet high, held two Tompion clocks with 13-foot pendulums. John Flamsteed was the first Astronomer Royal.
The Airy Transit Circle, used from 1851, defined the meridian adopted at the International Meridian Conference on October 22, 1884. A time ball installed in 1833 still drops daily at 1 p.m. The observatory moved to Herstmonceux between 1947 and 1957, and the Greenwich buildings became a museum.
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