Royal Hospital Chelsea, home to the Chelsea Pensioners, has been awarded a £3.2million grant thanks to National Lottery players. The project will give members of the public a chance to meet Chelsea Pensioners and will open parts of the Hospital to the public for the first time and will include essential repairs to the Grade II* listed stable building designed by Sir John Soane. There will be an ambitious activity programme, a permanent free exhibition and engagement with 300 years of stories and collections.
Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: We are delighted to support the Royal Hospital Chelsea with this fantastic project. The Chelsea Pensioners are already well-loved, but this project will bring their world to life, giving behind the scenes access to this beautiful building, but also will tell stories connected to the Chelsea Pensioners’ heritage and history and linking to the wider community.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the largest funder of the UK’s heritage. Thanks to National Lottery players, this project will create a lasting and positive impact helping better understand the unique heritage and history of the Chelsea Pensioners.
Since the Royal Hospital Chelsea opened in 1692, there has never been a chance for the public to see behind the scenes of the Sir John Soane Stable Block – until now. A transformational project has been announced that will revolutionise this historic site,.
The three-year project will bring the remarkable story of the Royal Hospital Chelsea and the Chelsea Pensioners to life. It will restore Sir John Soane's Grade II* listed Stables, lauded by architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner as 'a miracle of abstract design'. It will also create a new, physically and intellectually inclusive Outreach, Heritage and Visitor Centre for the whole site - uniting visitor, volunteering and outreach services for the first time.
The Centre will be open daily and will include an outreach space for learning, wellbeing activities and new volunteering programmes, a permanent free exhibition, including audio-visuals and unseen artefacts from the Royal Hospital Chelsea’s collection, opportunities to meet Chelsea Pensioners and new public facilities including a shop, community post office and cafe with courtyard.
Ongoing activities throughout the project will give everyone a chance to learn about the amazing heritage of the Chelsea Pensioners and Royal Hospital Chelsea. The renewed Stable Block will enable the sharing of stories of the Royal Hospital; delivering a programme of intergenerational activities involving Chelsea Pensioners, cadets and serving members of the Army and oral histories.
Through this project, the Hospital will also facilitate activities with local communities in neighbouring areas and host a programme of activities open to the public, which will run throughout the restoration works and beyond, including hard hat tours, family fun days and specialist events, led by Chelsea Pensioners.
Importantly, the project will also introduce a heritage, health and wellbeing programme for people living with dementia, carers and non-resident veterans, delivered in partnership and an outreach programme for the wider Army community.