Discover Greenwich, a new £6m cultural centre at the Old Royal Naval College on London's Thames riverside, has been opened by London Mayor, Boris Johnson.

The new venue - scheduled to open to the public on 23 March and aiming to attract 1m visitors a year - uses state of the art interpretation techniques, never been seen before historic objects, rare artefacts, film footage and models in permanent and temporary exhibitions to tell the story of Maritime Greenwich and the Old Royal Naval College.

More than 500 years of history are covered, from Henry VIII's Royal Palace, home of Mary I and Elizabeth I and Wren's Royal Hospital for Seamen through to the Royal Naval College and modern Greenwich. A new Greenwich Tourist Information Centre, run by Greenwich Council, and the new Clore Learning Centre are key features of the project.

Adjacent to Discover Greenwich, The Royal Hospital's Old Brewhouse has been brought back into use after 140 years by Meantime Brewing Company. The site that formerly brewed and piped beer directly to the Pensioners' Dining Room in the undercroft of the Queen Mary Building is now a restaurant, bar and café containing a micro-brewery which creates historic and modern beers.

Discover Greenwich will be run by the Greenwich Foundation, the charity which manages the Old Royal Naval College. Total grants of just over £2m from the Heritage Lottery Fund aided in the site's development, in addition to funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Clore Duffield Foundation and numerous private individuals.

The scheme was designed by John Miller + Partners with Sidell Gibson Architects, and Real Studios. Construction was by Vinci Construction UK.