Communications

"The King himself laid the first stone for the Chelsey home designed to house the soldiers mutilated in war". Thus related the chronicles of the 17th century, February 1682 to be precise, regarding the initial act on a building which is beyond any definition of historic.

Completed ten years later, the Chelsea Royal Hospital, which bears the signature of the architect Sir Christopher Wren, represented a complete novelty for its time: in fact, the State did not, at the time, give any help to old or disabled soldiers, at least not until, on February 4, 1692, when the first group of 99 people entered the building which today, more than three hundred years since its inauguration, continues to be a home to former soldiers, veterans of the Second World War and more recent campaigns.

The residents, organized into four companies directed by a captain of invalid soldiers, currently number just over 300, 90 of whom work as volunteers in the role of guides, chapel orderlies, administration workers, business clerks, and museum caretakers.

The organization - thanks also to the support given to it by Finmeccanica - is implementing a series of initiatives to continue providing the former combatants with hospitality and assistance in step with the times, although in token of a strong continuity with the traditions of the past, which is also passing with respect to the integrity of the ancient building.

In particular, a new infirmary is in the process of being built and works are under way to modernize and strengthen the structures assigned to the guests, and also to allow admission to female guests, as well as to improve the park - where, in May each year, the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show amongst other things is held - to make the Chelsea Hospital as a whole a pleasant place to visit, as well as a reality in which traditions and a lifestyle with roots that span a good five hundred centuries of history endure with pride.