| On Friday 13th April (not unlucky
for us) a group of us visited
the Chelsea Hospital in London.
We were given a guided tour by , one of the
pensioners. His memory was amazing. I just don't know how he
remembered so many facts and stories for the two hours we showed
us around. He seemed a lot fitter than some of us. (excerpts
from Chelsea Hospital Website)
There
are few institutions in the United Kingdom with an unbroken three
centuries of service and none of them is so close to the heart of
the nation as "The Men in Scarlet", the Chelsea
Pensioners, and their home, the Royal Hospital Chelsea Founded
in 1692 by King Charles II and intended for the 'succour and
relief of veterans broken by age and war', the Royal Hospital,
with its Grade 1 listed buildings, still serves its original
purpose and intends to continue to further its role well into the
21st Century. Wren's
design for the original building was intended to house 412 veteran
soldiers and their officers and comprised a single quadrangle,
known as Figure Court, surrounded on two sides by the
accommodation blocks and on a third by the Great Hall and Chapel.
The pavilions at each corner provided for the kitchen and
infirmary and officers' accommodation. Even
before work had begun it was realised that the buildings would be
insufficient and Wren added two further quadrangles to his design.
In 1686 the construction of the new quadrangles on each flank was
approved (now known as Light Horse and College Courts). In
1692 work was finally completed, and Ranelagh compelled to allow
pensioners in. The first In-Pensioners were admitted in February
1692 and by the end of March the full complement of 476 were in
residence.
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