Museums are always interesting. They’re packed with fascinating artefacts and unique facts from history. But often, there is a disconnect. You read and learn about the past, but it can be difficult to immerse yourself in the information. However, that's not always the case. To immerse yourself in the life of Winston Churchill and his government during the Second World War, and walk through the halls they once lived in, visit the Churchill War Rooms in London. The networks of underground tunnels take you through the lives of Britain’s wartime leader and life during the Blitz.
A little backstory From 1940 to 1941, the UK came under heavy German bombing, known as the Blitz. Air raid sirens rang out regularly throughout the capital. Winston Churchill, his wife, his advisors, and many other government workers lived and worked in bunkers underground in Whitehall, London. The rooms were taken over by the Imperial War Museum in the early 80s and were opened to the public in 1984.
While you do have to pay for a ticket to enter, it is well worth it. As you enter, you are given the option of a listening device that guides you through the bunker. I often prefer to read and explore on my own rather than being guided by a device, but I am glad I picked one up. The entire tour is numbered, and the device gives you direction in the maze of rooms and allows you to learn much more. Once you enter the bunkers, there are numbers marked on the walls and in the exhibits that tell you what to press on your listening device to allow the device to narrate what you’re seeing.
Walking through those halls was an incredible experience. You pass through Churchill’s bedroom, the room he and his advisors would orchestrate the war from, visit the room where Churchill gave his speeches, slept, etc. The rooms are incredibly well preserved, with the same machines and tools used back in the day, as well as figures of Churchill and others, showing what they would’ve been doing in the bunkers. Included in the bunkers is also a large exhibit detailing Churchill's life, before and after the war. Walking through, there are plenty of preserved artefacts from Churchill’s school life, letters to his wife and much more.
Along the audio tour, there are twenty-nine checkpoints with recordings to listen to. For someone who is intrigued by the lives of leaders during the Second World War, this is a must-do in London. The bunkers are incredibly preserved and fascinating. If you’re looking to immerse yourself in the lives of those during World War II, you should definitely pay a visit.
Visit the Churchill War Rooms website:
Image Sources
IxK85, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Churchillmuseumcabinetwarrooms.JPG
Frankemann, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Churchill_War_Rooms_-_meeting_room.JPG
Jordiferrer, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Churchill_Cabinet_War_Rooms_05.jpg
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