War Rooms Expand to 1940s Scale

Last updated: 08/03/2007 - 10:08

A full 1940s revamp has been taking place at Churchill’s secret wartime headquarters.

Winston Churchill’s secret headquarters during the Second World War - the Cabinet War Rooms - are being expanded, to open previously hidden areas to the public. This will allow visitors to one of London’s most successful attractions to view the wartime base in its entirety.

Teams of builders and electricians are working to expose a number of rooms for the first time in 60 years. These include the Churchills’ private kitchen and dining room, as well as Mrs Churchill’s bedroom. In some cases, visitors to the attraction have already been walking within a few feet of these areas, since the attraction opened in 1984, but have never had any access to the rooms themselves. The core of the expansion will be a museum focusing on Winston Churchill’s life, as well as his wartime achievements.

Cabinet War Rooms

When they originally opened as a visitor attraction, the Cabinet War Rooms comprised only a third of their wartime area. Phil Reed, the director of the Cabinet War Rooms, says of this expansion: "We have been campaigning since 1995 to open up these hidden areas to the public, and can’t wait to let the public see them. These rooms have been locked away for 60 years, the extension will enable people to really get a feel of what it must have been like for Churchill, and his cabinet, during the Second World War."

Before opening to the public, the warren of tiny rooms had been used since the war as a Treasury archive, and a MoD photographic department. Many of the complex’s original features remain, including the bunks used by personnel during air raids, signage, sinks and electronics equipment, all of which offer a unique glimpse into conditions within the wartime bunker.

The War Rooms attract some 300,000 visitors a year, and have proved a popular stopping-off point for visiting dignitaries and world leaders, including US Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton. On his visit to London to receive a knighthood, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani insisted on visiting the War Rooms, having been inspired by Winston Churchill during the traumatic events of 11 September 2001 in the United States.

A new dedicated Churchill museum opened in 2005 - to coincide with both the 60th anniversary of VE day and the 40th anniversary of Sir Winston Churchill's death.

Imperial War Museum

The Cabinet War Rooms form part of the Imperial War Museum the national museum of war and conflict, which now includes: The Imperial War Museum Duxford (which specialises in aviation history) Imperial War Museum North, The Imperial War Museum London in Lambeth (incorporating The Holocaust Museum) and the retired Royal Navy cruiser HMS Belfast, moored in the Thames.

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