Local Area Spotlight: Chartwell House
September 1, 2024
Winston and Clementine Churchill bought Chartwell in 1922; it would be their family home for the next forty years.
Born in 1874 Churchill started his life as a soldier and journalist and travelled the world. He would go on to serve as Prime Minister twice, as a member of Parliament for over 60 years under five different monarchs and to lead Britain to victory in the Second World War. He lived an exceptionally long political life and is both a celebrated and contested figure.
He loved Chartwell. Here Churchill was a politician and statesman but also a husband, father, writer, painter and garden planner. It remained important to him until his death in 1965. The rooms in the house remain much as they were when he lived here, with pictures, books and personal mementoes while a special exhibition gives deeper insight into his life through 50 objects.
Chartwell’s hillside gardens reflect his love of landscape and nature. They include the lakes he created, the kitchen garden and the Marycot, a playhouse designed for his youngest daughter Mary. Beyond the gardens there is expansive woodland with looped trails and natural play areas, there is den building and a Canadian camp and opportunities to enjoy the outdoors.
Mapleton Road, Westerham, Kent, TN16 1PS
