Unusual Sights in London Weird & Wonderful London Churchill MuseumChurchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms
The Cabinet War Rooms (AKA: The Churchill War Rooms) were restored and opened to the public for the first time in 2003. These subterranean rooms were used by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his war cabinet
during the World War II campaign.
The Cabinet War Rooms first became operational in 1939 fashioned initially as a bunker, the facility was then layered with extra concrete, known as 'the slab'".
The original operation covered three acres (12,000 m²) and housed a staff of up to 528 people, with facilities including a canteen, hospital, shooting range and dormitories. The centrepiece of the War Rooms is the Cabinet Room itself, where the War Cabinet met. The Map Room is located nearby, from where the course of the war was directed. It is still in much the same condition as when it was abandoned, with the original maps still on the walls and telephones lining the desks. Inside the bunker was a telephone scrambler system that allowed Churchill to securely speak with President Roosevelt in the White House. The unit was concealed as the Prime Minister's lavatory.
The Churchill Museum opened in February 2005. It's a chronological exhibition telling the story of Churchill's public and private life, using original and facsimile objects and documents. It contains the world's largest interactive display called 'The Lifeline' which covers the events and activities that took place over the course of Churchill's 90 year life. Entry to both the museum and the cabinet war rooms is via one ticket.Entrance to the museum is via King Charles Street, home of the UK Foreign Office.
Open: Mon-Sun: 9.30am-6pm (last admission 1 hour before closing)
Admission: Adult: £14.95, Concessions: £12.00, Children (U16): Free.
Clive Steps, King Charles Street, London SW1A 2AQ.
Westminster Tube.
Call: 020 7930 6961
