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Tube: Sloane Square. It wasn't until the latter part of the nineteenth century that Chelsea began to earn its reputation as London's very own Left Bank. Its household fame, however, came through King's Road 's role as the unofficial catwalk of the "Swinging Sixties". The road remained a fashion parade for hippies, too, and in the Jubilee Year of 1977 it witnessed the birth of punk, masterminded from a shop called Sex, run by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren. The posey cafes and boutiques still persist, but these days, the area has a more subdued feel, with high rents and house prices keeping things pretty staid, and chain stores and interior design shops rather than avant-garde fashion the order of the day. The area's other aspect, oddly enough considering its boho reputation, is a military one. For among the most nattily attired of all those parading down the King's Road are the scarlet or navy-blue clad Chelsea Pensioners, army veterans from the nearby Royal Hospital (Mon-Fri 9am-noon & 2-4.30pm, Sat & Sun closes 3pm; free), founded by Charles II in 1681. The hospital's majestic red-brick wings and grassy courtyards became a blueprint for institutional and collegiate architecture all over the English-speaking world. The public are allowed to view the austere hospital chapel, and the equally grand, wood-panelled dining hall, opposite, which has a vast allegorical mural of Charles II. The concrete bunker next door to the Royal Hospital, on Royal Hospital Road, houses the National Army Museum (daily 10am-5.30pm; free; www.national-army-museum.ac.uk). The militarily obsessed are unlikely to be disappointed by the succession of uniforms and medals, but there is very little here for non-enthusiasts. The temporary exhibitions staged on the ground floor are the museum's strong point, but it's rather disappointing overall - you're better off visiting the infinitely superior Imperial War Museum.
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