Meet the neighbours. If our neighbours were in any way’normal’ I would not take photographs of the stuff I saw in their home. Our neighbours are the Royal Marines and we live exceedingly close to their actual and spiritual home. So close in fact that when their guests arrive by helicopter our house trembles a bit. As a significant military establishment the area is not open to the public and is guarded night and day by armed guards. Yesterday their neighbours were invited in for a tour. Three hours of fascinating facts and historic architecture. Since I love both those subjects I was fully engaged and could have listened and learned for many more hours. Rather than regurgitate all I learned I will share a link to two useful websites.
https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/our-organisation/bases-and-stations/marines-base/stonehouse
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonehouse_Barracks
Leaving me to natter on about two things that we can all relate to. A chair and a sandwich.
I had no expectations of this visit beyond getting to look beyond the gates of something I walk past every day. We were very well informed and entertained by Charlie, an avuncular Royal Marine with many years service and much love for the organisation he represented. As a civilian I have always struggled with the military being a mirror reflection of the British class system. See below.
It will come as no surprise that the Officers Mess was a very grand building but it was here that we met a fairly normal chair. That once was the place where Napoleon Bonapart placed his bottom for three years of his incarceration. With its original upholstery.
It is said that Napolean died at the age of 51 from a gastric ailment. Oh the things that velvet may have had to endure.
Moving swiftly on,to the upper end of the gastrointestinal tract, we come to the 4th Earl of Sandwich. A man, who as First Lord of the Admiralty was not a fan of the many formal meals that Officers were obliged to attend and socialise at. Instead he liked to have working meal breaks and had cold meats, cheeses and bread brought to his office. Where he assembled what came to be known as a sandwich.
Here he is presiding over the grand dining room. Somewhere he avoided in favour of a humble sarni.
theoldmortuary.design 
I love that you got to see the secrets inside, it is so interesting that they still have the artifacts there. yes, that poor, poor chair and the indignities that it suffered…. such interesting neighbors
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