Royal Hospital Chelsea, London SW3, part II Managed by the Board of Commissioners of Royal Hospital Chelsea
THE Royal Hospital Chelsea, founded by Charles II, opened its doors early in 1692. Sir Christopher Wren’s considerate and handsome quarters—described last week—soon provided a fitting and functional home for the growing number of wounded soldiers returning from Britain’s wars both on the Continent and Ireland (as well as to a small resident military force ready to defend the monarch). In 1703, there were 460 Pensioners living on site, ranging in age from 96 to 20; 68 had lost limbs or were blind. In addition, the Royal Hospital supported more than 50 OutPensioners, veterans who drew on hospital support, but lived outside the buildings. Support for veterans who live outside is now being looked at once more.
At the time the Royal Hospital opened, the British Army was growing rapidly and the War of Spanish Succession (1701–14), under the command of the Duke of Marlborough, further enhanced its reputation. There is a living echo of this epoch in the Pensioners’ famous full-skirted red coats and tricorne hats, worn to this day (Fig 1), which hark back to the uniforms of the time when the Battle of Blenheim was fought in 1704 (although reforms of 1843 created two uniforms for Pensioners, known as ‘scarlets’ and the day-to-day ‘blues’, both worn with a cap). In the same period, the setting of the Royal Hospital also began to change as London grew rapidly in size and prosperity. New houses sprang up to take advantage of this green and peaceful locality within easy striking distance of the capital.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 19, 2023-Ausgabe von Country Life UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 19, 2023-Ausgabe von Country Life UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Happiness in small things
Putting life into perspective and forces of nature in farming
Colour vision
In an eye-baffling arrangement of geometric shapes, a sinister-looking clown and a little girl, Test Card F is one of television’s most enduring images, says Rob Crossan
'Without fever there is no creation'
Three of the top 10 operas performed worldwide are by the emotionally volatile Italian composer Giacomo Puccini, who died a century ago. Henrietta Bredin explains how his colourful life influenced his melodramatic plot lines
The colour revolution
Toxic, dull or fast-fading pigments had long made it tricky for artists to paint verdant scenes, but the 19th century ushered in a viridescent explosion of waterlili
Bullace for you
The distinction between plums, damsons and bullaces is sweetly subtle, boiling down to flavour and aesthetics, but don’t eat the stones, warns John Wright
Lights, camera, action!
Three remarkable country houses, two of which have links to the film industry, the other the setting for a top-class croquet tournament, are anything but ordinary
I was on fire for you, where did you go?
In Iceland, a land with no monks or monkeys, our correspondent attempts to master the art of fishing light’ for Salmo salar, by stroking the creases and dimples of the Midfjardara river like the features of a loved one
Bravery bevond belief
A teenager on his gap year who saved a boy and his father from being savaged by a crocodile is one of a host of heroic acts celebrated in a book to mark the 250th anniversary of the Royal Humane Society, says its author Rupert Uloth
Let's get to the bottom of this
Discovering a well on your property can be viewed as a blessing or a curse, but all's well that ends well, says Deborah Nicholls-Lee, as she examines the benefits of a personal water supply
Sing on, sweet bird
An essential component of our emotional relationship with the landscape, the mellifluous song of a thrush shapes the very foundation of human happiness, notes Mark Cocker, as he takes a closer look at this diverse family of birds