History
The Thistle Foundation was established as a charity in 1944 by Sir Francis and Lady Isabella Tudsbery to provide housing and care for disabled war veterans and their families. Nowadays, the charity offers a variety of services to people with disabilities and health conditions, and has an additional base in Renfrew.
In 1950 the foundation stone for a chapel was laid in the grounds of the Thistle Foundation. The chapel was conceived and built by the Tudsberys as a memorial to their only son, Robin, who, as a 25-year-old lieutenant in the Royal Horse Guards (The Blues), was killed in the last days of World War II. It was completed in 1953, and was dedicated in the presence of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret. The chapel holds historical importance as a war memorial and as a pioneering home of ecumenical worship, devoted to "furthering the spirit of unity and concord among Christian people". This spirit is further repeated in the short statement which can be found at the opening of the service sheet:
"The Robin Chapel is dedicated to the glory of God, and to His service, by all Christians and by all denominations of Christ's Church.
Every Service held within the Robin Chapel shall be open accordingly to all Christians of any denomination."
Read more about this topic: Robin Chapel
Famous quotes containing the word history:
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—Mary McCarthy (1912–1989)
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—Eugène Ionesco (b. 1912)