Churchill War Rooms London

By Robert Kelly

Visit Churchill War Rooms – Plan Your Visit | Imperial War Museums (iwm.org.uk)

No matter which travel guide you read, the Churchill War Rooms are always highly recommended. Armed with that knowledge I decided that I had to see it too. I didn’t book in advance online and hoped I had made the right decision. When I got there, there was a small lineup. Turned out that I didn’t really need to buy in advance. Those who bought in advance lined up to the right and those who bought onsite lined up to the left. They then alternated letting people in from the two lines. It cost me 27.25 pounds.  Children aged 5 to 15 pay 13.60 pounds. It seemed that in London, the more expensive the museum, the more people wanted to see it.

“Housing the underground nerve centre where the British government directed the Second World War and the award-winning Churchill Museum, Churchill War Rooms is one of London’s must-see attractions”. Quoted from the website. 

The museum is centrally located and is within walking distance of many of the tourist sites such as Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Tower of London and Horse Guards.  Here is the rather nondescript museum entrance. Surprisingly, though the Germans must have known its location, it was never hit by a bomb.

Taking photos was not easy in the museum.  It was very dark and there were a lot of people in the way.  Partly to preserve the artifacts and I assume partly to add to the underground atmosphere. Some of the more important photos just didn’t turn out and I couldn’t show them in this article.

But first one has to get past this Royal Marine.

Like many museums these days you are handed this handheld device. As you go along from room/display to room/display you type in the number of what you are looking at and gives you a verbal narrative. These are great.

 

 

This map shows the vast number of rooms in the museum.

The museum is not only the war rooms but a museum about Churchill himself.  I didn’t know this and it was a pleasant surprise.

I recall reading as a child that Churchill loved to play with his vast collection of toys soldiers. And here they are in the “flesh”.

Pop culture Churchill items.

Some uniforms from his younger day as a young officer in the late 1800s. Most of us only think of him in his older days.

You know I have to find any link to Canada that I can find.  This display heralds Canada’s war effort and mentions that Churchill made three trips to Canada during the war.

An election sign from his younger days.

Some winter coats from the war.

This is his “Warm Coat”. I’ve always admired them. Back in the day Canadian officer’s were permitted to wear this coat. I’ve always wanted one, but they are hard to find and rather expensive.  There is a place in Buffalo, New York that sells them for $1600 USD. In the UK they can be bought for about half of that.  Tempting.

A typical Churchill and British hat. 

Churchill started to wear these one-piece “Rompers” in the 1930s. He made them fashionable….briefly.

The quote in the middle of the display sums it all up rather nicely.

Here is a rather cramped briefing room.

Some of the various sleeping quarters.  Some are nicer than others.

This is where Churchill’s detectives (bodyguards) stayed.

Churchill’s bedroom where he liked to dictate many of his famous speeches while lying in bed. He would also broadcast speeches from his desk in the background.

Churchill’s wife’s room.

A fully functioning kitchen.

Here is the typing pool. Note the number 23 with the outline of a headset.

The keys to the entire complex were located outside of the Camp Commandant’s office.

This shows some of the reinforcing that was done to protect the war rooms from bombs.

This Navy Commander is plotting the supply convoys.

One of the many battle maps.  The entire war was followed from here.

This is a box of map pins.  People like me find these little details interesting.

The war rooms were in contact with everyone.

They had a very nice little gift shop. These ration snacks brought home the point about rationing in the UK. Each person was allowed a ration of 56 grams of chocolate and sweets per week.  That is a little bit more than your average chocolate bar.

I’m with Ted Lasso when it comes time to tea, but the Brits seem to like it.

I almost bought an Operations Room sign, but it was very pricey. I ended up buying the museum guidebook.

More photos (including the blurry ones) can be found here. Churchill War Rooms London 2022 | Flickr

Obviously, the tour books are right.  This place is highly recommended, so make sure you pay a visit on your trip to London.  And allow a fair amount of time if you want to see it all. 

Next up is my final London museum article from my retirement grand tour of Europe. And for that article, the subject is the granddaddy of all London Military Museums, the Imperial War Museum.