Royal Hospital Chelsea

The Royal Hospital Chelsea is the home of the iconic Chelsea Pensioners. These retired soldiers from the British Army wear the distinctive red coats. The word hospital is used in the old sense, meaning hospitable, as it is a retirement home rather than a true hospital - although there is a hospital next door.

View of the main buildings from the road, looking at the great hall -

The Margaret Thatcher infirmary is to the left of the main buildings, now used as a care home and hospice  -

Some 300 pensioners live in the Chelsea Hospital, about 100 of which may be in the infirmary. Any man or woman who is over the age of 65 and served as a regular soldier may apply to become a resident, although they must not have a spouse. Female pensioners have been in the hospital since 2009. 

Now that covid is much less of a problem the hospital has started running tours. Each is led by a pensioner, this is our guide Dave -

The tour started with a video giving a general explanation. The hospital was founded in 1682. King Charles II envisaged a home for veteran soldiers and it was designed by the architect Christopher Wren. From the small visitors centre we went out to College Court. Behind the main tree in the photo you can just make out a tall structure with seats around it, this used to be a well

This lead box used to hold water from the well!

 We went into the building to see an example of the heritage berths, from around 1954. Small and compact. On the video we saw a modern room, which with an ensuite bathroom looked as good as any Premier Inn type of room!

The 2 boxes outside the berth were for possessions and boots.

We went on to Figure Court which is the centre quadrangle. It is the oldest part of the hospital and started by Wren in 1682. The colonnade has benches and panelling dating back to 1688 -

In the centre of the square is the statue of King Charles II. Although he does rather look like an ancient Roman. It shows the King as a Roman general, holding a baton as a sign of his Imperial authority.

The court takes its name from the statue. Behind the statue are some cannons and the lawns which are used for annual RHS Chelsea Flower Show (end of May). And across the Thames is Battersea Power Station, (see my blogs on the power station and another on the chimneys and also the new underground line). 

If you look at the top of his boots you will see dog heads, they represent King Charles spaniels. 

Founder's Day is the highlight of the Royal Hospital Chelsea’s calendar, an event attended by all Chelsea Pensioners, which celebrates the founding of the Royal Hospital by King Charles II. It is also known as Oak Apple Day, to remember the escape of the future King Charles II after the Battle of Worcester (1651) when he hid in an oak tree to avoid capture by the Parliamentary forces. On this day the plinth of the statue is covered with oak leaves and all the Chelsea Pensioners wear oak leaves on their famous scarlet uniforms.

Looking back to the main hall and the long Latin inscription above the colonnade - 

We went through the tall door in the centre of the photo and under the Octagon which supports the cupola, and into the Great Hall. This really is great. It is used as the dining room. In the early days it had 16 long tables one for each Long Ward (living quarters) The kitchen was adjacent but not connected so the food had to be carried along the colonnade. Then at the end of the 18th century the pensioners ate in their wards and the hall was used for recreation, court martials and Army entrance examinations. And the Duke of Wellington's body lay in state in 1852 in the hall. In 1955 the hall was restored for use as a dining room and chairs replaced the benches. 

Looking down the hall to the kitchen which is now behind the red curtains. The mural on the back wall is from about 1690 and represents Charles II on horseback surrounded by figures and the hospital in the background -

Looking back towards the entrance, with the equestrian portrait of John, Duke of Marlborough, and the table on which the Duke of Wellington's coffin lay. On the table now are two 5 gallon 'black jacks', leather jugs formerly used for bringing ale up from the beer cellar below.

On both sides of the long walls are plaques for all the battles fought by pensioners, including Malaya -

We then went into the chapel, which was also designed by Wren. The painting in the half dome of the apse shows the Resurrection. The chapel is open to the public for Sunday services.

We then went out to Light Horse Court with 2 Japanese willow trees. As with College Court it was a later addition by Wren. It also has a well in the centre, which was used for watering horses. Part of the north wing of the block was destroyed in both World Wars and has been restored. The current layout of the Court was created by Sir John Soane in 1819. He was an architect and made clerk of works of the Royal Hospital in 1807 and designed many of the later buildings such as the new infirmary (destroyed in 1941 during The Blitz), a new stable block and bakehouse etc. His houses along Lincoln's Inn Fields are now the Sir John Soane's Museum and is open to the public for free.

Our next visit was to the graveyard.

The memorial stone for Margaret Thatcher, with the smaller one for Dennis behind. Their ashes were interred at the infirmary in 2013 and 2003 respectively.

The Margaret Thatcher infirmary is immediately behind (as can be seen in the 3rd photo from the start). It was opened in 2009 and serves as a care home and hospice. 

Our last stop was in the museum. Next to it is the gift shop and post office. 

The pensioners have to wear the scarlet uniform when representing the hospital, but in the grounds they normally wear a casual blue uniform, which is also worn for breakfast and lunch. They can wear civilian clothes in the evenings or when they go out casually. 

The previous weekend I went to the Royal Albert Hall for the Mountbatten festival of music, and a few Chelsea pensioners were in the audience. 

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See more on the Chelsea Pensioners webpage.