Trinity House
Trinity Square, Tower Hill, London, EC3N 4DH
Trinity House is the working home of The Corporation of Trinity House incorporated by Royal Charter in 1514 to oversee the improvement of pilotage on the River Thames and manage the welfare of distressed seamen and their dependents.
The Grade 1 listed building was built between 1794 – 1796 by Samuel Wyatt with PM William Pitt laying the foundation stone in 1793. The original building was gutted in 1940 when an incendiary bomb lodged in the roof of the stairwell leaving only the original facade. The interiors were reconstructed and the rooms redecorated based on photographs taken for a 1919 edition of Country Life. At this time a new wing was added which now contains the Library, Reading and Pepys rooms and the corporate offices. The original Court Room features a trompe l’oeil ceiling painted originally by JF Rigaud and later restored by the famed pre-Raphaelite artist, William Holman Hunt in 1840.
Today Trinity House serves the mariner as the General Lighthouse Authority (GLA) for England, Wales and the Channel Islands, with responsibility for nearly 600 aids to navigation, from traditional aids such as lighthouses to the latest satellite navigation technology. It is also the UK’s largest-endowed maritime charity, wholly funded by its endowments, spending around £4m each year on its charitable activities including welfare of mariners, education and training, and the promotion of safety at sea. It is also a Deep Sea Pilotage Authority.