Chartwell..............

Chartwell was the home of Winston Churchill and his wife Clemantine. He bought and remodeled the home extensively. It became too expensive to run and so a consortium of investors/business men bought the home and allowed the Churchill's to remain there for life. Upon their death it was to revert to the National Trust and today is owned by them for posterity. Winston worked himself on the grounds ponds and walls, he also had a studio on the grounds that he enjoyed using for painting. Winston may have been a great statesman and orator but he was also very much a hands on person and enjoyed fiddling around and trying his hand at things. There are wonderful lawns, ponds, orchards and rose gardens there. The house is lovely despite its reputation for being "ponderous" I liked it anyway and could see that Winston could be happy there. Its said that Henry V111 stayed there during his courting days as Hever castle is close by and it would have been very handy for courting Anne. The above picture shows the red brick Victorian face of the building, although the house itself is much older than that. Jason sits beneath a tree waiting for our turn to go in. They only allow so many at a time and that's a good idea. Liz and Rodney relax on a bench also waiting. Above Liz, Rodney and Jason plan on rearranging things........other views of the gardens overlooking ponds and the side face of the house where once the great chimney was. Above the studio where he did his painting and the orchards outside. View from the balcony looking out over the English countryside and the grounds of Chartwell. Some of the lovely gardens, the rose gardens.......I will show some of the flowers in my garden blog. Enjoy Chartwell, its worth the visit if you get a chance. I see an older Winston here, content in his gardens and studio away from world affairs. Although I can just imagine the plots and plans that went on inside.