Vol. 28 No. 4 May 2010 - The Travel Society

Quebec Houseable-looking chair, even his coveralls. And on the walls,covering every surface, are his canvases: paintings ofscenes in England, Europe and North Africa. And inCanada too! Yes, there are several canvases thatChurchill painted of Canadian scenes on his visits here.They are easily recognizable, but the guide seemed veryproud to point them out to me.Another interesting piece of information I learned atChartwell was the fact that Churchill loved birds. Hespent a great deal of his time altering the open parklandssurrounding the house, where he enlarged what wasknown as the 'lower lake' and created a wooded island inthe lake with water birds in mind, and also created a newlake to the north, fed by the Chart Well that gave thehouse its name. These waters were home to severalspecies of water birds that Churchill would not only feedbut also name. So when we berate Canadian geese in thefuture, we should remember that Churchill had two,which he named Lord and Lady Beaverbrook! But perhaps,in fact, he had two 'lords' or two 'ladies' … for otherwisesurely his flock might have increased to becomethe nuisance that we know only too well. Anyway, on myvisit there was no sign of any Canada geese, but therewere many lovely species still enjoying Churchill's lakes.It is said that Chartwell was bought by Sir WinstonChurchill (in 1924) for its magnificent views. In theguide book to the site his daughter - Mary Soames - confirmsthat the view "enraptured him". He and his familycertainly loved the place and it remained his private homeuntil the end of his life in 1965. The rooms remain muchas they were when he lived there, with furniture,pictures, books and personal mementoesevoking the career and wide-ranginginterests of this great statesman. As well assome of Churchill's own paintings, art-lovingvisitors will be delighted to find anexquisite Monet - one of his Thames views- in the drawing room. And don't miss thepolitical cartoons adorning the staircasewalls. Today there is also an extensivemuseum section. Out of doors, the hillsidegardens reflect Churchill's love of the landscapeand nature. They include the abovementionedlakes and the vast lawns he created,as well as Lady Churchill's rose gardenand the kitchen garden.The only significant period that theChurchills did not inhabit the house was, in fact, duringthe war years. Churchill spent those years in London, atthe Prime Minister's residence or in the undergroundA corner of Westerham village6 www.thetravelsociety.com