Template:POTD/2020-01-20
In architecture, a bracket is a structural or decorative member that attaches a smaller object to a larger one. It projects from a wall, usually to carry weight and sometimes to strengthen an angle. Corbels and consoles are types of brackets. This picture shows a classical decorative bracket, attaching the base of a balcony to the walls of the chapel at Greenwich Hospital, London. The plasterwork was created by hand in situ by the eminent stuccoist John Papworth.
Greenwich Hospital (originally the Royal Hospital for Seamen) was founded in 1694 to provide a home for retired seamen of the Royal Navy, support for their widows and education for their children. Designed by Sir Christopher Wren, the chapel was not completed until 1742. The present chapel dates from 1779 to 1789, having been rebuilt to a design by James Stuart following a devastating fire that gutted the previous structure. The buildings of the hospital were later used by the Royal Naval College and the University of Greenwich, and are now known as the Old Royal Naval College, a World Heritage Site.Photograph credit: Daniel Case