One of the things that struck me most was how the modern Chartwell is a great place for a family visit - with plenty of things to keep younger visitors happy. It was great to see a lot of families there with their kids. The paths through the garden are wheelchair and buggy-friendly with baby changing facilities at the Visitor Centre and the toilets close to the Garden Cottage Cafe. Further afield after a stroll by the ponds the youngsters can find the Treehouse, The Bomb Crater, The Canadian Camp and The Old Quarry amongst the trees beyond. There are things to do and learn at them all and keep your eyes peeled for the magnificent black swans that roam around the ponds
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The larger pond has an island where Churchill sat and painted. There are many of his works on display in The Studio not far from the pond on the way to The Walled Garden. How good are his paintings? This former art student was not over-impressed to be honest but he obviously loved painting and he was quite prolific - somehow finding time to win a war.
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Closer to the house you can enjoy the various garden areas. Spring highlights include the daffodils all over the place with magnolias around the Golden Orfe Pond. After that the orchard is resplendent with apple blossom and the Chartwell woodland and Mariner’s Hill becomes a sea of bluebells.

Rhododendrons and the iris border lead spring into summer and then it is time to see Lady Churchill’s Rose Garden and the Golden Rose Avenue found in the Walled Garden. From summer into autumn the walled garden is at its best with the vegetables and herbs growing and with the dahlias and chrysanthemums adding an array of shapes and colours. Who does not love a well-maintained walled garden? In the far corner there is Marycot. A little brick house that Churchill built for his youngest daughter Mary. There were some little ones enjoying themselves there as we passed by.

We walked through the Golden Rose Avenue, by the bantams in Chickenham Palace and found our way up for some refreshments sitting outside the Garden Cottage Cafe. From there the view over the walled garden and way beyond to The Weald of Kent was fabulous. It would be so easy to lose a whole day at Chartwell - but on this trip we had to move on to the next venue - Great Comp.
Dave Oswald

Inside the Churchill family home

Churchill first visited Chartwell in 1921 and immediately fell in love with it. The following year Winston and his wife Clementine bought the house and it was the family home for the next 40 years. The rooms remain much as they were when he lived here, filled with pictures, books and personal mementoes.
The first room you enter is the sitting room which is laid out as it was in the years before World War Two. On sunny days you can head out onto the Pink terrace which has panoramic views across the Weald of Kent.
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The sitting room annexe has been redisplayed to tell the story of family life. It highlights the lives of the whole family at Chartwell.

The drawing room is a light airy place which looks out over the garden and Churchill enjoyed playing Bezique at the card table. It also houses the inscribed book collection with presentation copies from authors who were friends and colleagues. The painting of Charing Cross Bridge (1902) by Claude Monet was a gift. 

Churchill’s study was his workshop which, apart from World War Two, was in constant use for 40 years. It was the heart of the house. He often worked standing up, dictating to a secretary, who was sitting at the large desk in the middle of the room.
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There are also many other rooms to explore in this fascinating house.  Barbara Hordern