Churchill's Chartwell

We recently joined the National Trust and with it, gained free access to hundreds of historical properties across Britain.  One such property - Chartwell House - is conveniently located near the London temple, so we decided to explore this lovely site while we were in the area.

Bought by Sir Winston Churchill for its magnificent views over the Weald of Kent, Chartwell was his home and the place from which he drew inspiration from 1924 until the end of his life. The rooms remain much as they were when he lived here, with pictures, books and personal mementoes evoking the career and wide-ranging interests of this great statesman. (We were not permitted to take photos inside the house).

The hillside gardens reflect Churchill's love of the landscape and nature. They include the lakes he created, Lady Churchill's Rose Garden and - my personal favourite - the kitchen garden.

At the back of the Kitchen Gardens, the youngest Churchill daughter had a playhouse.  Currently, is furnished with a cute little stove, table and chairs, and loads of wooden toy-food that our girls enjoyed playing with for more than an hour.  Matt and I enjoyed exploring the Kitchen Garden and discussing how we might create our own someday.  The girls reminded us that it must include a play house!

On our walk back to the car, we passed by some more interesting gardenlife, including one of my favourites - giant rhubarb.  This patch was one of the largest varieties we have seen yet - one leaf could envelope my whole body!