The Chelsea Hospital's website [visit link]
tells us about the chapel:
"Work on the Chapel started in 1681
and was completed in 1687. It is a rare example of Wren's pure ecclesiastical
work, being carried out without site constraints. It was designed to accommodate
about 500 people, all the staff and pensioners, and rises 42'
high.
The wainscoting and pews
(originally for staff and Horse Guards) are by Sir Charles Hopson, the leading
joiner of his day and deputy Clerk of Works at the Royal Hospital from 1691 to
1698. The choir stalls are modern additions. Backs have been fitted to the
benches, and the three-decker pulpit has been dismantled to make the existing
pulpit and reading-desk, otherwise the original plan is maintained. The
plasterwork was carried out by Henry Margetts. The carving is by William Emmett,
Master Carver before Grinling Gibbons and William Morgan. The organ case is the
work of Renatus Harris, but his organ has been replaced by a modern
instrument.
The painting of the Resurrection in
the half dome of the apse is by Sebastiano Ricci, assisted by his nephew Marco,
and dates from 1714. The work was probably paid for, as a donation to the Royal
Hospital, by Queen Anne.The Resurrection
The Royal Hospital's magnificent
silver-gilt altar plate (not on display) was made by Ralph Leake and is
hall-marked 1687-8. It comprises a large alms dish, a pair of candlesticks with
baluster stems, a salver, three flagons, four chalices and patens, and a
straining spoon. The altar cross, the font and the coat of arms on the front of
the organ loft date from 1955-6.
One of the original service books
has been preserved. The old registers of baptisms, marriages and burials are now
held at the Public Records Office. Burial services were discontinued in 1854,
and weddings which were uncommon after 1753 were banned from 1815 to
1919.
The Chapel was consecrated in
August 1691, and compulsory services held twice daily. Nowadays they are
normally confined to the Sunday morning services before which the In- Pensioners
parade in Figure Court. Visitors are welcome at all Sunday
Services."
The Ship of Fools website [visit link] also
tells us:
"Denomination: Church of
England.
The building: The Royal Hospital Chelsea is a retirement and nursing
home for British soldiers who are unfit for further duty due to injury or old
age. Christopher Wren's original design envisioned a single quadrangle, known as
Figure Court, surrounded on two sides by the accommodation blocks and on a third
by the great hall and chapel. Work began in 1681. In 1686 Wren's design was
modified to include new quadrangles on each flank, now known as Light Horse and
College Courts. All was completed by 1687. The chapel rises 42 feet high and is
long and vaulted, with a black and white tiled floor. Rows of pews face each
other, choir-fashion. The altar is backed by dark wood panelling featuring
classical columns. A fine painting of the Resurrection in the half dome of the
apse by the Italian Baroque master Sebastiano Ricci dominates the east
end.
The church: There are just over 300
soldiers resident in the Royal Hospital; these are referred to as in-pensioners
(or, more colloquially, as Chelsea pensioners). The first ever televised church
service in Great Britain was broadcast from the chapel in 1949. In 2002 Her
Majesty Queen Elizabeth II presented the Sovereign's Mace to the hospital; the
Mace is carried in all ceremonial events. A frequent member of the congregation
is the Rt Hon. the Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS (or, more colloquially,
Maggie). Services are held on Sunday mornings, with choral matins and a
shortened service of holy communion immediately following.
The neighbourhood: Chelsea, in
southwest London, is part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Always
a popular location for the wealthy, and once described as "a village of
palaces", the area remained relatively rural until the mid 19th century. In the
1960s Chelsea was known as the epicentre of Cool Britannia, with the Rolling
Stones buying up rows of houses and Bob Marley taking up residence there. Today,
the comfortable squares off King's Road are home to the English military
establishment, investment bankers and film stars. Each year the Chelsea Flower
Show is held on the hospital grounds."
Sunday services that are open to the
public take place as follows:
8.30am Holy Communion
11.00am Choral
Matins
12.00am Holy Communion