15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Mozart Played Here, Retired Soldiers Live Here. It's Also the Site of an Art Fair.
The Royal Hospital Chelsea, a retirement home for British Army veterans, has stood in Southwest London for over 330 years, outlasting monarchs, wars and even, according to a 1969 New York Times article, a 'vulgar' invasion of Mod fashion boutiques.
Next week, the centuries-old building, just north of the Thames, will be the site of the third edition of the Treasure House Fair, with dealers from London, New York and beyond selling rare works, including paintings by French and Dutch masters, 18th-century English furniture and antique jewelry. The event will have a fitting backdrop on the South Grounds of the hospital.
'When the hospital was opening, we were still persecuting people for witchcraft,' said Tina Kilnan, the heritage manager at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. And Chelsea was still a small village with only some 300 families, not yet even part of London.
The hospital was founded by King Charles II in 1681 for soldiers 'broken by age and war,' as they are described in a Latin inscription on the building. The king was inspired by the Hôtel des Invalides in Paris, a complex that was originally built for the same purpose.
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