Our U3A trip to Chelsea

Royal Hospital

The Chapel

The first meeting of the London Studies Group took place on Friday 20th September. We have decided to meet on the third Friday of each month. 

Eight of us went to the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, the home of the Chelsea Pensioners, and the Physic Garden Chelsea, the second oldest botanical garden in the country.

We were very fortunate to be shown around in the Chapel and the Great Hall by one of the Pensioners. It was very informative and he had a great sense of humour. His talk was a real bonus. We visited the Museum and grounds (site of Chelsea Flower Show) which are quite extensive. They also served a good lunch in the cafe.

To find out more about the Royal Hospital, visit Royal Hospital Chelsea

U3A Group in the Chapel

Chelsea Pensioner gives a tour of the Chapel

Royal Hospital Great Hall

Interesting Facts

Physic Garden Chelsea
In the afternoon we walked on to our next visit, a mere 10 minutes away.

Chelsea Physic Garden

The Chelsea Physics Garden was established as the Apothecaries’ Garden in London, England, in 1673. (The word "Physic" here refers to the science of healing.) This physic garden is the second oldest botanical garden in Britain, after the University of Oxford Botanic Garden, which was founded in 1621.

Its rock garden is the oldest English garden devoted to alpine plants. The largest fruiting olive tree in Britain is there, protected by the garden’s heat-trapping high brick walls, along with what is doubtless the world’s northernmost grapefruit growing outdoors. Jealously guarded during the tenure of the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries, in 1983 the Garden became a registered charity and was opened to the general public for the first time. The garden is a member of the London Museums of Health & Medicine.

Experimental Vegetables

To see more photographs of the day out, why not CLICK HERE?

To find out more, visit Physic Garden, Chelsea 

and The Official Site