An interesting tour of the Royal Hospital Chelsea

The Master and 22 Coachmakers and guests gathered on a dry, warm day in Chelsea on 20th August, for a tour of The Royal Hospital organised by Honorary Assistant Richard Robinson.

We were met by our guide David Godwin, who was dressed in the iconic Chelsea Pensioner’s uniform of scarlet tunic and cap. He explained that he had been a military policeman, then a close protection officer, before retiring to the hospital at 65 years old.

He explained the process that was followed to be accepted as a pensioner and was extremely proud to be part of the community.

Our first point of interest was the Margaret Thatcher Infirmary, which was opened by HRH The Prince of Wales in 2009.

Margaret Thatcher was a great friend and benefactor of the Royal Hospital and her ashes are interred along with those of her husband Denis at the front of the medical centre. She helped raise £50million to have it built and as well as a medical centre it houses up to 68 pensioners in a residential nursing ward.

David explained that the word ‘hospital’ was derived from the term hospitality and that the Royal Hospital was technically a home, not a hospital as we understand it to be.

Until the 17th century, the state made no specific provision for old and injured soldiers. Care for the poor and sick was provided by religious foundations. Most of this provision ended following the dissolution of the monasteries during the reign of King Henry VIII.

In 1681, responding to the need to look after these soldiers, King Charles II issued a Royal Warrant authorising the building of the Royal Hospital Chelsea specifically to care for those ‘broken by age or war’ and based on the Hotel des Invalides in Paris built on the instruction of Louis XIV to support injured soldiers. Sir Christopher Wren was commissioned to design and oversee the erection of the building.

We visited the Museum for an introductory film and to inspect the display of medals from previous guests of the home. The building was originally designed to house 412 old or injured soldiers and there is an example of one of the original bedrooms which was a rudimentary six-foot by six-foot bed chamber. Today there are 278 residents who enjoy ensuite facilities and a living and sleeping area assigned to each pensioner.

The Great Hall is the residents’ dining room. It is furnished with 16 long tables, which originally provided space for two sergeants, two corporals, a drummer and 21 private soldiers. Heating was originally provided by an open fire in the middle of the Hall.

It was also in this room that the Duke of Wellington’s body lay in state in 1852. The table on which his coffin rested is just inside the entrance to the Great Hall.

There is a beautiful chapel in which regular services are held. Original residents were expected to attend two services a day, every day, but this is no longer the case. David said it was a lovely place for private contemplation.

We went on to view the Figure Court which is the oldest part of the estate and was established by Wren in 1682. The Doric columns of the main portico are 32 feet high and support the Royal Hospital’s water cistern which was originally filled directly from the River Thames and the water was stored in huge lead chambers. To ameliorate the detrimental effect of drinking dirty, lead-infused water, the pensioners were given two pints of beer with each meal.

Along the entire face of the centre part of the colonnade is an inscription in Latin, said to be composed by Wren himself. A literal translation of this reads, ‘For the succour and relief of men broken by age and war, started by Charles II, extended by James II and completed by William and Mary, King and Queen 1692’.

The 7-foot-six statue of Charles II, from which the Court takes its name, takes pride of place in the centre. It shows the King as a Roman general. It was bronzed in 1782 and was re-gilded in 2002 for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee.

When the three-hour tour concluded, David was presented with a token of our appreciation by Steward Roger Woodbridge.