Last Saturday Mark and I visited the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms on Horse Guards Parade, sounds exciting! Well actually it was quite interesting. We went that particular weekend, as my lovely friend Natasha works there and gave us a heads up that its the 25 year anniversary of the war rooms being open to the public and you could get in for £2, which was the price it was back in 1984. They had themed the day too with all the staff dressed in 80's outfits blast from the past style. Unfortunately we were not early enough for the free bacon sarnies!!
The rooms themselves are set out just as they were when Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill used them to run the war back in the 40's, complete with wax models, so you get a true feel for what it was like in a step back in time manner. You press the buttons on the audio guide and it leads you through all through the narrow dark corridors full of tiny rooms.
Rooms such as the war room itself, map rooms (a massive map of the world on one wall was covered with pin holes for locations of all the ships), bedrooms, mess rooms, a tiny fully functional kitchen (Winston expected 3 full meals a day!), even with a room called the lavatory where Winston called up the US president, not much bigger than a broom closet. There was even an assortment of green, red and cream phones that they called the "Beauty Chorus" in one of the ancillary rooms.
The museum dedicated to Sir Winston pretty much covered everything anyone could want to know about him and what an interesting bloke. Just a few facts; he was madly in love with his wife Clemmie, his father was the Chancellor of the Exchequer before he was Prime Minister (twice, actually), he was involved in politics right till his 80's and was given right proper State funeral after he died when he was 90.
Mark had been meaning to go for a while, and we were presented with a good opportunity so we went, though the Arsenal game was on at 3pm, so we nearly didn't go. However, we ended up having plenty of time, even for a wander among the flowers in St James park before heading up to Piccadilly Circus to head back up home.
Ps no Arsenal game for me, I left Mark in the pub and went shopping!! woohoo
Pss Just a couple of photos in St James park.
The rooms themselves are set out just as they were when Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill used them to run the war back in the 40's, complete with wax models, so you get a true feel for what it was like in a step back in time manner. You press the buttons on the audio guide and it leads you through all through the narrow dark corridors full of tiny rooms.
Rooms such as the war room itself, map rooms (a massive map of the world on one wall was covered with pin holes for locations of all the ships), bedrooms, mess rooms, a tiny fully functional kitchen (Winston expected 3 full meals a day!), even with a room called the lavatory where Winston called up the US president, not much bigger than a broom closet. There was even an assortment of green, red and cream phones that they called the "Beauty Chorus" in one of the ancillary rooms.
The museum dedicated to Sir Winston pretty much covered everything anyone could want to know about him and what an interesting bloke. Just a few facts; he was madly in love with his wife Clemmie, his father was the Chancellor of the Exchequer before he was Prime Minister (twice, actually), he was involved in politics right till his 80's and was given right proper State funeral after he died when he was 90.
Mark had been meaning to go for a while, and we were presented with a good opportunity so we went, though the Arsenal game was on at 3pm, so we nearly didn't go. However, we ended up having plenty of time, even for a wander among the flowers in St James park before heading up to Piccadilly Circus to head back up home.
Ps no Arsenal game for me, I left Mark in the pub and went shopping!! woohoo
Pss Just a couple of photos in St James park.
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