Prized items of Winston Churchill go on display
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Winston Churchill's
passport on loan from the Churchill family - on display at
Chartwell. Picture: National Trust/Jonathan Primmer
A dictation machine used by Winston
Churchill in preparing his wartime speeches is one of more than 40
personal items going on display.
The machine, together with his
passport from when he was Prime Minister, are being unveiled to the
public for the first time in the UK.
Visitors to Chartwell, in Westerham,
will be able to see the items, put in store when Lady Churchill
handed Chartwell over to the National Trust in 1965.
They will be part of a
fully-refurbished exhibition space, together with new
museum-quality cases.
The space will also play host to
changing displays every winter, allowing visitors to see even more
of the reserve collection and continued loans from the Churchill
family.
Other items on display
include:
- His tiny silver paint box
- A diamond encrusted sword – a gift of King Abdul Aziz of
Saudi Arabia
- A painting by Sir John Lavery of Winston and Clementine’s
son Randolph
- His miniature leather travelling globe
- A toddler’s coat believed to have been worked on by the
1st Duchess of Marlborough, Sarah Churchill, (Sir
Winston’s 6th great grandmother) for her first
child
- Ivory miniatures of the 7th Duke (Winston’s
grandfather) and the 1st Duchess of Marlborough
- Dog bowl belonging to his beloved pet poodle
Rufus
Alice Martin, house and collections
manager at Chartwell, said: "We are thrilled to be able to offer
visitors this unique opportunity to see close-up such personal
items that have never been on public display in this country.
Building a brick wall at
Chartwell House, around 1930. Picture: Mirrorpix
"My particular favourite is Sir
Winston’s passport. I welled up when I first handled it. It’s such
an evocative object. We all have a passport but they don’t list our
birthplace as Blenheim Palace and occupation as Prime
Minister!"
The main exhibition runs until
November 1.
From today, the studio which is home
to the largest single collection of Churchill’s paintings, will
also be open for the new 2012 season.
Click here for more
information and opening times at Chartwell.
Tuesday, January 31 2012
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