Churchill War Rooms

Step into history at the iconic Churchill War Rooms, part of the Imperial War Museums, which sheltered Sir Winston Churchill and his wartime government throughout the Second World War. Explore the underground bunker network that protected the staff and secrets at the heart of the British government as Churchill and his inner circle plotted the route to Allied victory.

Highlights

• Visit the underground headquarters that sheltered Churchill and his wartime government
•  Explore historic rooms that once buzzed with strategies and secrets
• Stand inches away from the room where some of the most important decisions about the course of the war were made
• Walk through the top-secret Map Room
• Get up close to the original 10 Downing Street door, the very same one that Churchill first walked through as Prime Minister in 1940
• Listen to some of the wartime Prime Minister’s most stirring speeches in the Churchill museum

Discover the Cabinet War Rooms
The Cabinet War Rooms, located beneath the Treasury building in the Whitehall area of Westminster, were completed on 27 August 1939, a week before Britain declared war on Germany. Get a glimpse of what life was like for those working in the bunker around the clock during Britain’s darkest hour as the German Wehrmacht swept across Europe.

In the Cabinet Room, you’ll visit the nerve centre of the bunker complex and the place where the War Cabinet met. Those with a keen eye may be able to spot the scratch marks on Churchill’s chair at the head of the table, a result of the Prime Minister’s nervous clutching at the arms and wear caused by his signet ring.

Visit the Map Room
Step back in time in the Map Room, which has been left as it was on the day the lights were switched off in 1945. On the walls, you’ll notice hundreds of pinholes on the maps used to mark the progress of fleets across the ocean. Visitors will also get to see the top-secret Transatlantic Telephone Room used by Churchill to communicate with the President of the United States

Explore the Churchill Museum
Discover Sir Winston Churchill’s story in this fantastic exhibition dedicated to personal items and artefacts of the time, including his paintings, cigars and the door of No. 10 Downing Street. Learn about the remarkable story of Churchill’s life, from early childhood to his military career and two periods as Prime Minister.