Building a Centre of Excellence in Veteran Care

Help us to open our iconic heritage to new audiences

We are raising funds for the last building on site in need of restoration. The Grade II* listed Stable Block was built in 1814 by Sir John Soane to house 25 working horses but it now stands at risk of permanent damage unless we can raise the funds to restore the building and give it a new lease of life.

We have raised 60% of the funding required to fund the restoration works, your donation today could help complete the funding required.

“For centuries, the Royal Hospital Chelsea has provided outstanding veteran care and care for older people in a unique heritage setting. This project will enable us to share that heritage with visitors and integrate it with our expert wellbeing and veteran care credentials. Our ambition is to become a national flagship project in this respect, creating a national platform from which to share our learning with others”

General Sir Adrian Bradshaw KCB OBE DL, Governor

This project will restore the architecturally significant Stable Block at the Royal Hospital transforming the space into a new Outreach, Heritage and Visitor Centre open 7 days a week with free access to a new museum, shop, café and post office.

Crucially, the Soane Stable Block unlocks the potential of the Royal Hospital hosting volunteer programmes, community groups and our partner charities in a dedicated outreach facility realising our vision for the historic site to become a national hub for planned outreach programmes.

We will be hosting lectures, exhibitions, events and education activities and creating a new heritage destination in Chelsea.

The Chelsea Pensioners have been involved in developing the new Outreach, Heritage and Visitor Centre. They have always been encouraged to lead active lives. In the 18th Century, they patrolled the roads around Chelsea to deter undesirables, such as Jacobites and highwaymen. Today, they take on roles such as tour guides or working in the museum. The activity programmes we have developed in the new centre are fundamental to our ethos of ‘active ageing’, which protects the mental and physical health of Pensioners, ensuring they are kept active and have a sense of camaraderie and continued military service.

Donate now to help us realise this exciting vision. We need to raise the shortfall of funding by 2023 to help secure a major pledge towards the project.