Churchill War Rooms in London – Where History Was Made

Churchill War Rooms, London (England) – Where history was made, which is now a branch of the five Imperial War museums in London. It was functioning as the underground nerve centre that helped Britain’s leaders to plot an allied route to victory during the Second World War, without getting caught. Revert back in time and walk the top-secret corridors of the Cabinet War Rooms and feel the work of masterminds in the room. Go close and get a glimpse of the artefacts revealing Winston Churchill’s personal and political journey in the interactive Churchill Museum. The museums uncover the influences and pressures that shaped his life, leadership and legacy.

About Churchill War Rooms

The Churchill War Rooms comprises the Cabinet War Rooms, which is a historic underground network that held in itself a British government command centre all through the Second World War, and the Churchill Museum, which is a biographical museum showcasing the life of the mastermind leader, a British statesman Winston Churchill.

Located beneath the Treasury building in the Whitehall area of Westminster, the construction of this brilliant Cabinet War Rooms began in 1938. The War Rooms came to use on 27 August 1939, a week before Britain declared war on Germany. The War Rooms remained in full function throughout the Second World War, before being put into disuse in August 1945 after the surrender of Japan.

Abandonment and Preservation at Churchill War Rooms London

The historic value of the Cabinet War Rooms was recognised after the war was over. Preservation of the Cabinet War Rooms became necessary to honour the role they played in the war. The Ministry of Works took up the responsibility to preserve the War Rooms. Later the Department for the Environment took over and was doing a great job. Only a limited number of people were allowed to visit the Cabinet War Rooms during those times. The Imperial War Museum was called upon to take over the administration and preservation of the site in the early 1980s, and the Cabinet War Rooms were finally open to the public in April 1984. The museum reopened in 2005 after a major redevelopment and was named as the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms. In 2010 the title was further shortened to the Churchill War Rooms.

Churchill War Rooms take us back to the years where maps, blackboards and writing desks we used to device war plans and discuss strategies. When in London one shouldn’t miss the Churchill museum which hoards the outline of Churchill’s life and power, including the photographs and video clips of legacy. At present, the museum makes extensive use of audio-visual technology to give the maximum experience to the visitors. The centrepiece and the main point of focus in the museum is a 15-metre interactive table that allows the visitors to access digitised material, especially from the Churchill Archives Centre, through an ‘electronic filing cabinet’. 

Opening and Redevelopment of Churchill War Rooms London

To bring a change in the old touch the entrance of the museum was redesigned meticulously by Clash Architects, consulting the engineer’s Price & Myers in June 2012. Originally designed to act as a beacon for the museum, the new external design included an angled bronze entranceway, and the interior showed the cleaned, reinstated and polished stone walls of the Treasury building and Clive Steps. The outcome was described as ‘a fusion of architecture and sculpture’ and as ‘appropriately martial and bulldog-like’ by the creators.

Walk the labyrinth of rooms and corridors that stretch below Westminster that sheltered Winston Churchill and his cabinet from the German bombing raids, and explore the Churchill museum to learn the story of his life and legacy, with Pickyourtrail by your side. If you are more of a history person do not wait to plan a trip to London from India and visit the Churchill war rooms.