Chartwell's collections
Explore the objects and works of art we care for at Chartwell on the National Trust Collections website.
Throughout the Churchill’s Chartwell appeal, over 1,000 individual items that belonged to Sir Winston Churchill were secured. These included a wide variety of objects from national honours and awards, to cherished mementoes from childhood, and beloved gifts from close family and friends, all of which enable us to share the stories of the Churchills and their lives at Chartwell.
All the items in Chartwell’s collection are important and we are fortunate that the success of our fundraising campaign allowed us to acquire so many irreplaceable items. Here are the stories of ten of these items which will now remain at Chartwell for today and future generations.
Find out more about some of the other objects we've been able to save for the nation, following the Churchill’s Chartwell appeal, each one telling a vital story about the life of Churchill.
'Chartwell is a veritable treasure house. (It) is still just as enchanting to me as it was all those years ago'
– Celia Sandys, the Churchills’ granddaughter, writing in Churchill’s Little Redhead (2021).
One of just 150 copies, this Order of Service comes from Queen Elizabeth's coronation ceremony. As a friend of the Royal family, Churchill was invited to Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation and kept this Order of Service as a souvenir. As her first Prime Minister, Winston Churchill became a loyal and trusted confidante to the young queen in the early years of her reign.
Having purchased the adjoining Chartwell Farm in 1947, Churchill purchased a herd of dairy shorthorn cattle that lived at Chartwell. As such a famous owner of the breed, it came as no surprise when Churchill was elected a member of the Shorthorn Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
In 1949 Churchill entered some of his prized cattle into the Tunbridge Wells show where his roan shorthorn dairy cow 'Gratwicke Beatrice 2nd' was fortunate enough to win the £10 first prize.
The Malta Trophy that hangs in Churchill's study at Chartwell was a gift from a Maltese citizen who believed Churchill to be the saviour of their nation.
The central Mediterranean location of the island put it in a strategic military position in the Second World War. Some of the most severe bombardments of the war occurred here; even the blitz in London did not compare to the destruction of Malta.
The Malta trophy remains a symbol of the close relationship built between the people of Malta and Churchill himself.
On November 7, 1944, Roosevelt was elected for an unprecedented fourth term in office. This inauguration medallion, of which only 10 examples were struck in gold, was presented to Churchill in honour of a friendship that was 'forged in the fire of war’. What made the friendship between Roosevelt and Churchill so special was that they not only shared a single mission, to bring about ally victory in war, but they shared a true fondness for each other.
The Ordre de la Libération is a French order which was awarded to heroes of the Liberation of France during the Second World War. It is the second highest French military honour after the Légion d’Honneur.
The Ordre de la Libération was awarded to various honourees between January 1941–1946. While General Eisenhower was awarded the honour, Churchill was inexplicably missed out at the time. It was believed to have been a genuine oversight, but one that would not be forgotten by de Gaulle, who even 12 years later was still eager to make amends. As soon as he returned as French President in 1958 de Gaulle ensured Churchill was honoured and the order was reopened to allow the ceremony to take place. Churchill finally received the honour from de Gaulle in Paris on 6 November 1958.
Churchill's visit to receive the prize – one of the most prestigious in Europe – was his first visit to Germany since 1945. It consists of a medallion and manuscript. Montague Browne, who accompanied Churchill to Aachen noted, 'That he, chief architect of Germany's downfall, should be their guest excites him'.
Not every item in our appeal was once Winston's. The Aid to Russia medallion was a gift to his wife, Lady Churchill, in recognition of her successful fundraising efforts during the Second World War.
The glass Lalique cockerel in the drawing room was a gift to Lady Churchill from General de Gaulle. It followed a heated exchange, during lunch at Downing Street, over the future of the French Fleet, which had just been destroyed. After this incident the General apologised profusely and sent flowers. Later in the war he gave her the beautiful Lalique cockerel – the emblem of France.
Explore the objects and works of art we care for at Chartwell on the National Trust Collections website.
The art and heritage collections we care for rival the world’s greatest museums. Learn more about the collection of paintings, decorative art, costume, books, household and other objects at historic places.
See the breadth of our collection of works of art, furniture and more: we care for around a million objects at over 200 historic places, there’s a surprise discovery around every corner.
Discover the stories behind some of the greatest artworks and artefacts looked after by the National Trust, as told in a dedicated book, 125 Treasures from the Collections of the National Trust.
Discover more about Churchill’s Chartwell appeal, a £7.1 million project to acquire over 1,000 of Churchill’s personal belongings which now have a permanent home at Chartwell.
Discover more about the extraordinary life of Sir Winston Churchill in this permanent exhibition at Chartwell, including five must-see items from the curator.
Selected rooms in the family home of Sir Winston Churchill will be decorated for Christmas and re-opened to visitors from 23 November to 23 December. Explore the beloved home of one of Britain's greatest politicians, Sir Winston Churchill. The house has many treasures and provides an intimate portrait of the Churchill family.
Enjoy the views that the Churchills chose Chartwell for, and explore the garden they created and loved, from Lady Churchill’s Rose Garden, to the Walled Garden Sir Winston helped build.