Thursday, May 29
Rather than taking the tube today, we took a one-hour bus ride to Chartwell, the home of Sir Winston Churchill. The gardens alone were amazing–a host of various flowers, bushes, and trees, a swimming pool he himself dug and built, a beautiful lake surrounded by large, shady trees, and a breathtaking view of the hilly Kent countryside. We were able to tour the house as well… each room had a beautiful view of the outdoors and was usually filled with books. The house contained a little over 4,000 books (Churchill actually owned much more, but many have been given away). Therein I also saw much of Winston’s art, and I was told he painted over 530 paintings that we know of. His various hats, suits, and awards ornamented the rooms, proving him to be a man of great diversity and accomplishment. His study was perhaps my favourite room in the house, with sundry bookshelves from floor to ceiling and a lectern with those books he referenced while he dictated to his secretary. Overall, Chartwell is perhaps the most beautiful and peaceful place I have ever visited.
We did various shopping again (a third stop to H&M included), and went to Cheers Bar for dinner. I also noticed today that the price of gas (unleaded) here is £1.16 per litre; I was told this equates to about $10 per gallon… steep prices indeed!
~James C.
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- A view of part of Churchill’s backyard and the Kent countryside beyond
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- Another view of Churchill’s backyard
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- The rolling hills surrounding the house
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- A view of the house itself
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- A frontal view of Chartwell
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- Another view of the house; the architecture on the far left is Dutch, meant to retain Winston’s Dutch hertiage
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- The swimming pool Winston himself dug and built
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- Yet another view of the house (my favourite)
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- A shot of London (Regent St.) at night–this was after we came back from Chartwell
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- Churchill’s studio, a building separate from the house
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- The studio and the Kent countryside beyond
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- A koi pond nestled in the Churchill’s vast gardens
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- A stone wall serving as a walkway, and the house further back. This shot was taken from the path coming up to the house
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- Part of the large pond behind the house
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- A path leading from the house to the studio
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- A little pavilion outside (the other side of the stone wall from before)
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- A statue of Winston and his wife, Clementine, down by the end of the pond furthest from the house
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- Another view of Churchill’s property
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
As was the case with many of the sites on our tour, no pictures were allowed to be taken inside the house. Sorry!
I’d love to go to Chartwell. It looks very peaceful.
I wonder how many books he had before some were given away.
Beautiful!Hm…maybe we should buy it and have our family reunions there, watcha think?
How many acres is the property?
I like the description James.