Military veterans will celebrate Christmas for the last time in Fulham’s iconic Sir Oswald Stoll Mansions, which has provided a sanctuary for disabled veterans for over 100 years, before embarking on a major relocation.
Stoll’s Carols by Candlelight service on 12 December will feature a special performance from the North London Military Wives Choir and Royal British Legion Brass Band, and will harken back to the site’s very first Christmas service in 1918 for veterans of the First World War. The service will commemorate and celebrate more than a century of veteran support delivered in the building to those who have served their country.
“After 107 years housing and supporting veterans at Sir Oswald Stoll Mansions, the organisation is moving onto a new chapter,” said HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh, the charity’s Royal Patron, “Over these many years Stoll has celebrated Christmas festivities with veterans and their families, and this Christmas will be the last at Sir Oswald Stoll Mansions. I would like to send my good wishes for this festive period to all veterans and their families across all the Stoll Housing Schemes. As Patron of this charity, I look forward to this next chapter and this new era for Stoll and the continued support for veterans.”
“Our last Christmas in Stoll Mansions is bittersweet. The historic site has provided a lifeline to veterans for over a century, and we’re sad to depart – but the move means that we’ll be able to support even more vulnerable veterans through fit-for-purpose accommodation and a higher standard of living,” said Stoll’s Chief Executive Will Campbell-Wroe, “This is the beginning of a new chapter for Stoll, and we’re looking forward to a hundred more Christmases in King’s Park Road and our other properties.”
Stoll Mansions, a Fulham landmark which sits in the shadow of the Chelsea FC stadium, was built between 1917 – 1923 by theatre magnate Sir Oswald Stoll to house disabled servicemen in the aftermath of the First World War. Today, Stoll’s mission is continued by the charity bearing his name, which offers over 250 affordable homes to vulnerable veterans across five sites in West London and Aldershot. However, a significant development in the charity’s trajectory means that 2024 will be the last Christmas celebrated in Stoll Mansions.
Earlier this year, the majority sale of the Stoll Mansions site to Chelsea Football Club was finalised, allowing Stoll to purchase brand new accommodation for their Fulham residents. This transformational deal came not a moment too soon, as the charity faced a mounting bill to maintain the century-old Mansion flats in the face of mounting age-related issues.
From early 2025, the majority of residents will begin the move from the historic Mansions to brand new, state of the art accommodation in the luxurious riverside King’s Park Road development, a mere 10-minute walk from their old flats. The iconic Grade II listed frontage of Stoll Mansions will remain under the care of neighbours Chelsea FC, with its plaques and memorials preserved. As part of the move, Stoll intends to launch a project to record and preserve the charity’s rich heritage, from the story of the iconic War Seal used to fund the construction of Stoll Mansions, to the fascinating life stories of its current and former residents, including injured war heroes from dozens of conflicts.
Veterans will benefit from a robust programme of financial, wellbeing and rehousing support while they navigate the move, and those who choose to move away from Stoll’s properties will be given a minimum of six months of support from the charity’s dedicated Support Services team as they navigate independent life.
“Stoll gave me a place to live when I had nowhere else to turn and when it seemed like no one else could help me,” said Royal Navy veteran Tina Fairbrass, who raised her daughter in their home in Stoll Mansions, “I’m so grateful for the support Stoll has given me and my daughter, and for everything the charity has done over the years. I will soon be moving into one of Stoll’s new homes and I’m excited about what’s in store, and what Stoll’s plans for the future will mean for the whole veteran community.”
