In this episode, we speak with Dr Callum Easton about their research concerning the Greenwich Seamen’s Hospital and the lives of its residents. The Royal Hospital Greenwich was, between 1705 and 1869, home to veteran naval sailors. Greenwich Hospital was not only a residential charity, but also a versatile tool of national policy.
A Caird Research Fellow at the National Maritime Museum, Callum explains how - using sources ranging from paintings, caricatures, and poems - he is seeking to trace the changing portrayal of Greenwich pensioners from drunk and jolly old sea dogs to elderly heroes: custodians of the secrets of naval glory.
