January marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Sir Winston Churchill. We’ve teamed up with the Churchill 2015 Committee and VisitEngland to bring you the top 10 Sir Winston Churchill sites in England.
Churchill War Rooms, London
Sir Winston Churchill led the country through WWII. Visit the Churchill War Rooms to discover the original Cabinet War Rooms, the wartime bunker that sheltered the government during the Blitz. The Stafford Hotel, frequented by Churchill, is offering a special package which includes a bottle of Pol Roger Brut Vintage 2004, tickets to The Churchill War Rooms and The Churchill Factor book by Boris Johnson.
Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire
In 1908 he proposed to his wife Clementine at the Temple of Diana in the gardens of Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire. A commemorative garden feature is set to open in June, 2015 – designed by acclaimed landscape architect Kim Wilkie, it uses a mixture of plants, flowers and landscaping to represent his extraordinary life. An exhibition and a new Walk in Churchill’s Footsteps trail around the estate are also due to open.
Chartwell, Kent
Chartwell in Kent was the much-loved family home and the place from which he drew inspiration from 1922 until the end of his life. Visit Chartwell – now a National Trust property – for its Death of a Hero exhibition which runs until February 22. Running alongside the exhibition is a life and legacy trail for families. Set in the gardens Churchill himself created, the trail highlights his memories and pastimes, and includes some garden-related challenges.
Coffin Museum, Birmingham
A Victorian coffin factory in Birmingham, which made Churchill’s final resting place, recently reopened as the country’s first coffin museum. From 1894 until 1999, Newman Brothers in the Jewellery Quarter produced high quality coffin fittings in solid brass, stamped electro-brass, silver and nickel plate, and latterly in moulded resin. The factory produced goods that were sent across the world and adorned the coffins of the great and good, including Churchill, the Queen Mother and Princess Diana.
Hellfire Corner, Dover Castle, Kent
In 1940 he visited Hellfire Corner in Dover to inspect damage. Take a tour of the secret war-time tunnels – through tape-recorded dramatisations, smells and reconstructed rooms, visitors will gain a very vivid impression of life in these tunnels during World War II.
Isle of Wight
Churchill’s parents got engaged on the Isle of Wight. Lord Randolph Churchill proposed to American beauty, Jennie Jerome in 1873. Stay where the couple stayed, at Rosetta Cottage on Cowes seafront – it’s now a National Trust property and sleeps up to 10.
Claverton Manor, Bath, Somerset
Churchill gave his first serious political speech in June 1897 at Claverton Manor in Bath. Visit the property, now the American Museum, to see its remarkable collection of decorative and folk art.
Oldham, Lancashire
Churchill was first elected an MP in Oldham in 1900. Visit Gallery Oldham to see a portrait of him as an Oldham MP, a collection of campaign posters from his 1900 General Election campaign and a private letter he wrote in 1950 to another of the town’s former MPs.
Scarborough, North Yorkshire
During WWI, Churchill wrote a letter to the Mayor of Scarborough condemning the German warships for firing hundreds of shells on the town. This long-lost letter, with a telegram and envelope, was recently discovered and is on display at Scarborough Art Gallery until February. Stay the night at the Royal Hotel which is reported to have been one of his favourites – there’s even a suite named after him.
Copyright Waldren Effingham
Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire
National Trust property Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire was the site of testing for ‘Nellie’, one of Churchill’s prototypes for WWII. Churchill visited to see Nellie – a 77 foot long tank hybrid – in action at Clumber Park; however she was never to go on into production for the war. Visitors to Clumber Park can see images of Churchill onsite, and read about the story behind Nellie on a visit to the park’s Discovery Centre.
