Finding Our Way Around London, episode 2

Michael at the entrance to Churchill's War Rooms

From Westminster Abbey the plan was to head for Churchill’s underground War Rooms and that’s where we headed next, realising that that would put an end to our sightseeing for the day. You really have to be prepared to spend 3 or 4 hours in most of these places as there really is a lot to see!

Prior to and during WWII, the building was the Office of Works and The board of Trade, chosen for its central position and the uncommonly strong structure of the building the basement storage rooms were reinforced with 2 metres of concrete overhead and converted to the Cabinet War rooms. Entered from inside the building during the war, Churchill and his cabinet directed Britain’s war effort from these underground rooms.

Today, the building at street level is HM Treasury, the war rooms are entered along King Charles Street and down Clive Steps, this entry did not exist during the war. Once inside there is a rabbit’s warren of rooms used for specific purposes, all set up now as they were over 70 years ago. The cabinet room where cabinet discussed the war and made decisions that affected the world, there are bedroom/offices for key staff, a map room, a Transatlantic Telephone room Churchill’s bedroom with desk and maps on the wall and easy chairs, spacious by comparison to the other quarters, Clementine Churchill’s room is there too. The kitchen small but very well set up to cater for Churchill’s legendary appetite. You get a real feel for how it must have felt, a little claustrophobic and bristling with the seriousness of the business carried out there.

The Cabinet Room

One of the Bedroom/studies

Chief of Staff's Conference room

Transatlantic Telephone Rooms

There is also education rooms and the Churchill Museum, full of mementoes, tracing his early life and his rise to become the wartime leader of Britain, his fall from favour after the war and his many accomplishments. He wasn’t particularly well educated, but interested in many things, he painted and was a published author winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953.

This museum had the same set up with audio guides as Westminster Abby, there was so much to see and photography was allowed in here so I was able to get some shots but subdued lighting and glassed in exhibits meant not all were successful, I took them anyway!!

The museum was brilliantly staged with lots of interactive exhibits to draw the viewer in, I would highly recommend a visit to anyone travelling to London  who has an interest in the history of the war years.