Soane Museum Study Group: Martin Cawthorne

 
The Soane Museum Study Group is an open forum for scholars – both established and emerging – to present new research into an aspect of architectural history and/or Soane’s collection. 

Martin Cawthorne - The Bombing of the Soane Infirmary at the Royal Hospital Chelsea during the Second World War

Founded by Charles II, the Royal Hospital Chelsea opened its doors in 1692 as a home for retired soldiers ‘broken by age or war’. The buildings, designed by Christopher Wren, included an on-site infirmary providing acute end-of-life hospice care for the Chelsea Pensioner community. Like much of the Royal Hospital, the infirmary was quickly found to be too small for the role envisaged for it, and on his appointment as Clerk of Works in 1807, Sir John Soane was commissioned to build a new infirmary as part of a more general redevelopment of the Royal Hospital’s estate. As well as the new infirmary, Soane’s buildings at the Royal Hospital also included a new Stable Yard, Artificers Yard, and a number of other prominent buildings.

As a home for old soldiers the Royal Hospital has always been associated with warfare. The Second World War however represents a unique chapter in its history when the institution itself was in the line of fire for a sustained period. Soane’s buildings suffered grievous damage during the Blitz, with the infirmary practically destroyed during a major bombing raid in April 1941. Until recently, very little has been known about the Royal Hospital’s wartime history. In 2014 however, during a project to digitise archives stored for decades in an attic at the Royal Hospital, a significant amount of original source material about the Second World War was uncovered. These archives contain detailed accounts of the bombing of the Soane Infirmary, a remarkable rescue operation that took place at the height of the air-raid, and the subsequent demolition of the ruins.

This talk details the events that led to the loss of a prominent Soane building, and which changed the face of the Royal Hospital and the immediate Chelsea neighbourhood, forever.

About the speaker

Martin Cawthorne first volunteered with the Royal Hospital Chelsea in 2014, working on a project to digitise part of the institution’s archive collection. These archives included original source material from the Second World War. Martin subsequently researched the Royal Hospital’s wartime history as part of a Master’s Degree in Historical Studies at the University of Oxford, for which he was awarded a Distinction. His book, The Royal Hospital Chelsea at War was published in 2024. Martin’s research is used extensively by the Royal Hospital to tell its wartime story.

Martin graduated from the University of Warwick in 1985 with a BA (Hons) in Economics and subsequently worked as an investment manager in the City for almost 30 years. He was appointed a Founding Director of Threadneedle Asset Management on its formation in 1995. Martin sits on the investment committee which oversees the management of the Royal Hospital’s financial reserves.

Event details

• Wednesday 9 July 2025, 18:00 - 19:30, drinks reception at 18:00, talk begins 18:30.
• On arrival please come to No. 14 Lincoln’s Inn Fields. The door will be staffed from 18:00.
• Please note that we do not issue physical tickets - your email confirmation will serve as your ticket and your name will be on the door.