The Ante-Room, HMS Vernon, c. 1942, oil on canvas, 710 x 925mm, Private Collection.
HMS Vernon was a shore establishment or “stone frigate” of the Royal Navy where Shakespeare did his Naval Service, working in an administrative capacity. Vernon was established on 26 April 1876 as the Royal Navy’s Torpedo Branch also known as the Torpedo School, named after the ship HMS Vernon which served as part of its floating base. After the First World War, HMS Vernon moved ashore, taking over the Gunwharf site, where it continued to operate until 1 April 1996, when the various elements comprising the establishment were split up and moved to different commands.