Chelsea Pensioners enjoying drinks at The Ivy by Lucy Young

Chelsea Pensioners attend the opening of the Ivy restaurant in Chelsea ..The Royal Hospital Chelsea was commissioned and built in the 17th Century. The hospital was designed and built by Sir Christopher Wren. King Charles ll recognised that the country owed a debt to old soldiers and commissioned the hospital to care for injured and retired veterans from the Army. Around three hundred veterans live at the Royal Hospital and the pensioners in their iconic red coats are a familiar sight around the streets of Chelsea 30th March 2015