Chartwell, a different perspective of a British Lion part one

After three days of hiking, covering roughly 36 miles, today was a day of transit and tourism. Today we visit Chartwell, the home of Winston Churchill and family.

I have always had an interest in Winston Churchill, not fanatical and certainly not in depth, but I have always been intrigued by this complex man who simultaneously was powerfully effective yet very human and flawed.

At Chartwell one has the opportunity to learn of Churchill from a more personal perspective. At Chartwell Churchill’s four children (children? I knew of his daughter because she was his aid during WW2 but I had no idea that there were four children) were very much a part of Chartwell often occupying the tree house to spy on the arrival of an eclectic mix of personalities from Charlie Chaplin to Einstein and Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery.

Their son Robert used the heavy wooden front door for target practice with his pellet gun.

Swimming was a central activity at Chartwell with swimming occurring almost daily weather permitting. The swimming was originally in a nearby pond but Mr. Churchill decided that a more formal pool was required and decided he could have it dug under his personal supervision even though he had no experience whatsoever. After two failures he finally sought professional help and the pool shown above was completed.

As is customary at such English manors, the area is rife with gardens.

Next we go into the mansion and discuss Churchill the statesman. Cheers!