Royal Homes Wimbledon
Band performing at the Royal Homes garden party 2009.
Royal Homes at Wimbledon are self-contained accommodation for retired service women or widows of service personnel and can be described as a jewel in the midst of suburbia.
They were established in 1899, initially in Chelsea for widows of the Boer War, by Colonel Sir James Gildea GBE KCVO CB, who was the founder of what is now SSAFA Forces Help.
The Chelsea building having become too small, Colonel Gildea asked for Royal help, and in 1902 Queen Alexandra made a grant of £10,000, with a further £5,000 in 1903. With these generous gifts and other funds, Colonel Gildea bought land in Wimbledon and built on it the court, as it stands today.
Each year, the Royal Homes host a summer Garden Party for residents on the central lawns of the Court. Hotfoot from the morning's Queen's Guard, the Band set the scene with a varied and entertaining programme of music for residents to enjoy throughout the afternoon.