Laying the foundations
Churchill began construction in summer 1928, with a helping hand from Mary. Aged just five years old, she laid the foundation stone of her cottage, and made her first public speech. In a letter to his wife Clementine, Churchill wrote:
“Mary’s house is growing and I hope to have a treat for you when you come […] Mary has taken the greatest interest in the work and laid the foundation stone with great ceremony. She […] manifested a great desire to make a speech. We all had to stand for five minutes while she remained deep in thought, her lips frequently moving over the sentences. In the end she said she regarded it as a great honour to have been called upon to lay this foundation stone and hoped she would spend many happy hours in the house when it was finished.”
Creating a home
Although the door is adult sized, the interior furnishings were scaled down to suit the cottage’s small occupants. Despite their small size, they were still fully functional.
It was initially kitted out with a small Aga, a dresser, a kitchen table and chairs, utensils for baking, and specially chosen chinaware.
Then, for her seventh birthday, Mary received the gift of a small brass chandelier from her mother, and a Dovecote from her Nana, along with a pair of white fantailed pigeons.