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131:(1861-1947), a pioneer of Swedish medical gymnastics and massage—a forerunner of modern physiotherapy. This system of exercise was invented in Stockholm in the early nineteenth century by Per Henrik Ling as a way to improve the physical fitness of schoolchildren, the army and the general population, and to promote recovery after illness. The building also contained lecture halls and classrooms for training teachers of the Swedish system.
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After the war, Broman sold the building to the London County
Council as a teacher training college for physical education. The high walls of the Great Hall were lined with gymnastic bars, and exercise mats replaced the hospital beds on the floor. Both male and female instructors were employed; by the
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The
Hellenic Community Trust was established as a charitable body to take ownership of the building, and an appeal was then launched to raise further money needed for the renovations and refurbishment that were required to provide a number of meeting and exhibition rooms, including the Great Hall.
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The
Hellenic Centre is located in an early 20th century Portland stone and red brick building in the charming and sought-after area just off Marylebone High Street in central London. This was purchased with the help of generous donations and support from many individuals and organisations
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As a project of the
Hellenic Community Trust, the Hellenic Centre is run by the trustees and their Executive Board, who are all volunteers. A full time director manages the centre on a day-to-day basis, with the necessary administrative support.
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1960s, photographs show women only classes with updated equipment and a basketball net on the far wall. In later years the building was used to train women to teach adult physical education.
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and Queen Mary were given a tour of the hospital, during which the lift—a newfangled piece of machinery—unfortunately broke down, trapping the royal couple for an unknown length of time.
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There were many attempts to establish such a centre before but the breakthrough arrived in 1992 with a combination of trustees, fund-raising and our now permanent venue.
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Stone cartouche above the front porch of the
Hellenic Centre, with the words “Central Institute for Swedish Gymnastics” bracketed between a pair of carved curling leaves
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Two pioneering operations joining severed nerve ends were performed in the hospital's modern operating theatres, whose equipment included sophisticated X-ray machines.
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The building that now housed the
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in 1993, and officially inaugurated on
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The building's life as a
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is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation located at 16-18
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Hellenic
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199:"Contact details and useful information for visitors"
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The
Hellenic Centre, 16-18 Paddington Street, W1U 5AS
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261:Categories
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