Churchill War Rooms

Did you know that during the Second World War, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill ran his nation’s war effort from a secret underground bunker? Tucked away beneath busy Whitehall, you can turn back the clock and experience these historic rooms as they were left in 1945. Walk in the footsteps of Churchill and glimpse what life would have been like during the tense days and nights of the Second World War. The underground tunnels and rooms were the setting for the strategic planning needed to defeat Hitler’s fascist regime during WWII.

The War Rooms became operational on 27 August 1939, days before the invasion of Poland on 1 September and Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 3 September. Explore the corridors that protected senior members of government during this pivotal time in British history; see where Churchill and his War Cabinet met and step back in time in the Map Room, which has remained exactly as it was left on the day the lights were switched off at the end of the war in 1945. Discover the Transatlantic Telephone Room disguised as a tiny private toilet where Churchill would speak in secret to the President of the United States.

The Churchill Museum, also part of Churchill War Rooms, has a vast collection of objects, which together explore the stories of Churchill’s life and legacy. Highlights from the current display include a rattle used by Churchill as a baby, a drawing by Graham Sutherland commemorating Churchill’s 80th birthday and the flag used to drape Churchill’s coffin at his State funeral.