Winston Churchill's house, Chartwell
John and Anne were keen to show us some of the highlights of their surrounding area. Not far over the East Sussex border was Chartwell. The home once belonged to Sir Winston Churchill, Prime Minister during WW2.
It wasn't a long drive to Chartwell, and we arrived quite soon after opening time so had no trouble finding a carpark. The property is now run by the National Trust, so that our English Heritage membership didn't help for the entry to this venue. Never mind ... it turned out to be really well worth the £25 a head. The gardens were extensive and well kept, and the house tour, full of memorabillia, was amazing and informative.
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| Anne and Barb in the gardens |
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| A serene lake with black swans |
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| John and John deep in conversation |
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| Chartwell from the front |
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| House from the back entrance |
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| Back entry hall of the house |
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| A very homely and comfortable reception area |
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| Secretary's office with D Day invasion planning chart |
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| Churchill's office at home |
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| Stunning views from evry window of the home |
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| How's that for a family dining room |
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| A homely family kitchen |
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| In ceremonial robes |
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| Churchill's artist studio. He took up painting at 40 and painted until his death (over 500 works) |
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| The gardens of flower beds and vegetable patch were extensive |
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| Barb resting in the walled garden |
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John was excited to find a Bramley apple tree
Who wouldn't be? |
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| Looking back at the house from the artist's studio |
After a lovely morning trawling through Chartwell, we were all feeling a little peckish. We ended up having a pub lunch in a village near Anne and John's house:
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| A rather lovely old pub |
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| Traditional pub food ... fish and chips |
The food was good but then a good day just got better! John and Anne had planned a very special afternoon for Barb, knowing that she was a big Winnie the Pooh fan from back in her childhood.
Sort of by chance we had lunched in the same village as the home of AA Milne, and Winnie the Pooh's House at Pooh Corner shop was in the main street!
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| Barb couldn't stop smiling! |
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| Inside was jam packed with Pooh memorabilia and things for sale |
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Barb was smitten by a classic Pooh bear
(Talk about coy!) |
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| AA Milne with Christopher Robin |
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Photo of the original Pooh Sticks bridge
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| Of course we had to go there..... |
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Barb plays Pooh Sticks with John Gee
Barb was excited |
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We also found Pooh's house
Barb was very excited |
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Owl's house with EEyore's tail door bell
Barb's enthusiasm grew and grew |
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Piglet's house
Until she nearly burst!
It was very muddy |
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| The Hundred Acre Woods |
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| It was a thoroughly entertaining afternoon .. can't thank John and Anne enough for this treat |
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