Heritage

The Royal Hospital Chelsea was established over 330 years ago, during the reign of King Charles II, to provide a home for soldiers "broken by age and war." In 1682, the King commissioned Sir Christopher Wren, one of Britain’s most celebrated architects, to design this sanctuary for veteran soldiers. The site chosen was in Chelsea, adjacent to the River Thames, where an earlier of Charles' projects, the huge but unfinished 'Chelsey College' stood. By 1692, the Royal Hospital opened its doors, welcoming the first 99 Chelsea Pensioners, and by the end of that year, several hundred veterans had made this their home.

Click on the buttons below to learn more about our history and traditions.