Two Chelsea Pensioners stand with a guest at the Chelsea Flower Show 2005. In the foreground are vegetables grown in the allotment of the show garden "A Soldier's Dream of Blighty"

From the archives: "A Soldiers Dream in Blighty"

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From the archives: "A Soldier's Dream in Blighty"

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A Look Back: A Soldier’s Dream of Blighty, 20 Years On

As we celebrate yesterday's gold award for this year's Chelsea Flower Show Garden, we take a moment to reflect on a very special moment in our past - the 2005 Gold Medal-winning garden, A Soldier’s Dream of Blighty.

Designed by Julian Dowle and created with input from the Chelsea Pensioners themselves, the garden won not only Best Show Garden but the hearts of thousands who visited it. Conceived to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, the garden was built around the dreams and memories of the men who served.

Pensioners and guests gather at the Chelsea Flower Show at the best in show garden A Soldiers Dream of Blighty

A Vision of Home

Through a series of conversations with Chelsea Pensioners, Julian Dowle crafted a design that captured what soldiers yearned for while away at war: a return to familiarity, peace, and home. The result was a vivid and deeply personal reimagining of a quintessential English village - complete with a thatched country pub named The Chelsea Pensioner, a village green, and a Dig for Victory allotment.

Each detail was rooted in memory:

  • Red poppies bloomed throughout as a powerful symbol of remembrance.
  • A vegetable patch echoed the wartime call to self-sufficiency.
  • The pub, with its wooden benches and hand-painted sign, served as a symbol of camaraderie, routine, and life before the conflict.

The pub sign itself still hangs proudly outside the Chelsea Pensioners Club here at the Royal Hospital - one of the few surviving physical elements of the original display, and a reminder of the impact the garden had on those who took part.

The then Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex sits with Chelsea Pensioners in the Soldier's Dream of Blighty Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show 2005

A Garden That Spoke Volumes

What made A Soldier’s Dream of Blighty so special wasn’t just the skill of its design, but the emotional truth it carried. Chelsea Pensioners were present in their scarlets throughout the week, speaking with visitors and sharing the very memories that had shaped the garden. The result was a powerful act of storytelling in soil and stone - a reminder of what was fought for, and what was lost.

The garden’s impact was such that it was later recreated at the New Flying Horse pub in Wye, Kent, allowing its story to continue long after the Show ended.

A Living Legacy

Now, 20 years later, and now marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day, the Royal Hospital Chelsea is once again proud to share a garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show that speaks to memory, community, and the enduring spirit of our veterans.

This year’s Chelsea Pensioner Garden, designed by Dave Green and supported by London Square Developments, draws upon the same principles - gardening as reflection, nature as sanctuary, and design shaped by the voices of those who serve. After the Show, the garden will be permanently relocated within our grounds, creating a space for the Pensioners to enjoy for years to come.

As we look back on A Soldier’s Dream of Blighty and the stories it brought to life, we honour those memories by continuing to build spaces that celebrate resilience, heritage, and care.