Chartwell, near to Westerham, in Kent. Home of Winston Churchill
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August 12th, 2023 by Kevan
I have been a member of National Trust for a number of years. My main site near to London that has seen two visits in the past two years, is that of Chartwell, near to Westerham, in Kent.
The wiki says it all about Chartwell, as a residence of Winston Churchill from its purchase in 1922 for just £5,000 plus many additional costs due to dry rot etc. He lived here until about 1962 when ill health moved him back to London.
I visited Chartwell in August 2023. I can walk, but also arrived with my own wheelchair.
Chartwell House in August 2021
The parking includes 15 disabled spaces, on a first come - first served basis for blue badge holders. Parking is also free for National Trust members, but you need to scan your membership into the pay machines. There is an excellent guide, which is a downloadable pdf - here
Here are the Visitors Centre, shops, cafe and toilets - all accessible; plus the entrance where you collect timed slots for visits to the house.
Chartwell House the Grounds in August 2021
Chartwell House Front in August 2021
The grounds are beautiful, and are accessible by sloping footpaths, but to get to the house, there are a fair number of steps.
Inside the house, wheelchairs are only able to visit the first rooms, and I left mine outside the front door. The guided tour then goes up steps to the top floor, and latterly down two flights to the kitchen area.
The floors are brilliantly laid out as he would have lived here in the 1920s onwards, and also his history, his uniforms and many military orders of merit, his visitors book, and the entirety of a tea service belonging to Napoleon III.
The final exit is at the rear of the house from the kitchens, which are a floor lower, and you need to be able to make your way back to collect wheelchairs and pushchairs etc.
"Chartwell House WalledFlower Gardens in August 2021
"Chartwell House WalledFlower Gardens and paths in August 2021
To access the walled vegetable / flower garden there are steps down from the house, or grass slopes. At the rear of this garden is an access to nearby the studio full of Churchill's paintings.
And Last updated on: Sunday, 19-Nov-2023 16:41:46 GMTTrying to avoid privacy and cookie settings overwriting content