Round three sides of " spacious quadrangle runs the plain but dignified building which Sir Christopher Wren designed to be a peaceful haven for the old age of some of Britain's warriors. The site was a happy choice, The gardens have peaceful, old-world air, but near by is the hum of busy Pensioners proverbially—disil dull irroundings.
There is movement, feeling of breadth and buoyancy, the re mbrance.of adventure and romance in the Thames, which flows '80 close to Chelsea Hospital. Londoners keep a special corner of their arts for the in the turesque uniform which for arly 250 years has been a familiar sight in Chels stands a statue of Charles IL, clad with delightful inappropriateness in a Roman toga. It might searcely be more fitting, and yet no altogether
sented Nell Gwynne—orange actress and royal inappropriate, if the statue repre-favourite. A tradition, so persistent as to amount to fact, claims that to Nell, frail but fi warm of heart, the veterans owe their refuge. Early in the 19th century an inn hard by the hospital still displayed her head on. its signboard, and underneath ft the record of the part she had played. When in 1837 the chaplain, the Rev. G. R, Gleig, wrote the istory of Chelsea Hospital he paid his tribute to Nell, acknowledging "though it rests chiefly on tradition iti Muded g to in almost all the periodical pub-Hieations of the day, and has been thought not unworthy of record by Pennant himself." Here, then, is the story as he gives it Duke of Hamilton's Rights.
"Thorne Shot" was the name given to some ground on which James I. had built a college for training of divin religious afte leath its numbers declined. and it was abandoned Charles T. gave old building to the Duke of Hamilton, but during 'Commonwealth it was'seized for housing prisoners and finally for' stabling Noreen. At the Restoration, Charles LI. wished to grant the land to the Royal Society, and the Duke's Ter ier. gt all his. The house 1 state, and thesis to tas hom the too delapida centre of London, so in 1681 it was purchased back by the King for' 21800. ing down to the river, royal lover spent many hours in company. One day she began to plead with him to make some provision for the many soldiers woundsed in his service or in fighting for his father's cause. One poor fellow had come to the door of her coach and told a pathetic story of health and strength broken in the Civil Wars, 2
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.