Churchill War Rooms

Part of London’s famous series of Imperial War Museums, the original Churchill War Rooms, set in the Prime Minister’s secret underground headquarters, offer a fascinating insight into the workings of the WWII-era government. The maze of rooms in the basement of a Whitehall building, initially set-up to protect key government figures from the Blitz bombings, were known as the ‘Cabinet War Rooms’ and became a vital center of operations from 1940 to 1945.

After the end of the war, the rooms remained secret until they were opened to the public in 1984 after restoration efforts by the Imperial War Museum. Today, the museum explores the life and legacy of Winston Churchill and includes stories, speeches, photos, video interviews and documents that serve to bring to life the secret history of Britain at war. Here, you can explore the main Cabinet War Room, where Churchill once declared: 'This is the room from which I will direct the war'; the ‘Courtyard Rooms’ where staff ate and slept; the ‘Bunker’ where Churchill and his staff sought refuge during the Blitz and the ‘Map Room’ where charts and notebooks have remained exactly as they were left back in 1945. There’s even a chance to see the old sleeping chambers and kitchen of Churchill and sneak a peak into the Transatlantic Telephone Room.

Alongside the legendary rooms, an exhibition dedicated to Winston Churchill provides a narrative for Britain’s most charismatic government figurehead, with his now-legendary wartime speeches echoing around the rooms and a 15-meter long interactive lifeline unearthing a plethora of little known facts about the man himself.