Royal Chelsea Hospital

Founded in 1682, by King Charles II as a retirement home for old soldiers, or as it was put then, for "the relief and succour" of veterans. It still continues in that capacity today and veterans are known as "Chelsea Pensioners," distinctive for their uniforms known as "scarlets" or "blues". The project was initiated by Sir Stephen Fox (1627-1716) and the magnificent chapel was designed by London's pre-eminent architect, Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723). In New York, a retired British soldier named his home Chelsea House and it is for that house that the neighborhood of "Chelsea" in midtown Manhattan takes its name. Today, the Royal Chelsea Hospital is best known as the venue for the Royal Horticultural Society's world-famous Chelsea Flower Show.