Royal Hospital Chelsea
The Wren-designed retirement home of the Chelsea Pensioners, with a Soane stable yard, a Wren chapel and tours led by the scarlet-coated veterans themselves.
- Landmark
- Price: Free
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Did you know
Sir John Soane, architect of the Bank of England, was the Royal Hospital's Clerk of Works for 30 years and built its stable yard between 1814 and 1817.
Local tip
The Soane Stable Yard, with its shop and cafe, is open daily 9am to 5pm with no ticket needed. Guided tours led by a Chelsea Pensioner must be booked and do not run on Mondays.
Finding it
- Address
- Royal Hospital Road, London SW3 4SR
- Nearest station
- Sloane Square (Tube), 588 m away
Details change, so check with the place before you set off.
More places nearby
- National Army MuseumA free museum beside the Royal Hospital in Chelsea covering British Army history from the Civil War to today, across five galleries, with hands-on displays and a cafe.
- Saatchi GalleryA contemporary art gallery in the former Duke of York's Headquarters off the King's Road, spread across 15 exhibition spaces and 70,000 square feet.
- Chelsea Physic GardenA walled botanical garden founded in 1673 by the Society of Apothecaries to grow medicinal plants, now England's second-oldest botanic garden and home to Britain's largest outdoor fruiting olive tree.
- The Chimney Lift, Battersea Power StationA glass lift that rises 109 metres up Battersea Power Station's north-west chimney for a 360-degree view over the Thames and the London skyline.