Inspired by Chartwell Painting Competition and Exhibition

Painting of Chartwell by Sir Winston Churchill. Autumnal trees in the foreground and beside the swimming pool, the brick house of Chartwell in the midground. Rolling hills and fields of the Weald of Kent in the background beneath a cloudy sky. — A view of Chartwell painted by Sir Winston Churchill, c.1938 | © Churchill Heritage Ltd. reproduced with permission of Curtis Brown, London on behalf of Churchill Heritage, Ltd.

See the winning paintings from the ‘Inspired by Chartwell’ competition displayed in Sir Winston Churchill’s studio alongside 100 of his own works.

In 2025, we invited amateur artists of all ages and experience to be inspired as Churchill was and enter their own paintings of the house, gardens or landscape at Chartwell into a competition to have their pieces displayed in Churchill’s studio throughout 2026.

For Churchill, who first picked up a paintbrush aged 40, painting was an antidote to pressure and strain. From the views of his beloved home at Chartwell to those of the lakes and mountains of Europe and beyond, he was prolific, producing over 500 paintings across his lifetime.

In 2026, Chartwell is lending 15 of its paintings, which comprises the largest collection of Churchill's works on public display in the world, to the Wallace Collection in London. Their Winston Churchill: The Painter exhibition will shed new light on Churchill as a painter, using pieces from public and private collections from around the world.

To celebrate this exhibition, artists of all ages and experience were invited to be inspired as Churchill was and enter their own paintings of the house, gardens or landscape at Chartwell into the ‘Inspired by Chartwell’ Painting Competition.

‘This is a wonderful opportunity,’ says Katherine Carter, Chartwell’s Property Curator, ‘To showcase the works of amateur artists who, by being inspired by Chartwell, will be following in Winston Churchill’s footsteps. Churchill himself was a keen painter who doubted his own abilities, but never tired of capturing on canvas the place he so dearly loved.’

Black and white archive photo of Sir Winston Churchill seated before an easel and paint set painting beneath a parasol. — Sir Winston Churchill painting | © Freemantle/Alamy

Selecting the winners

Throughout the summer of 2025, amateur artists visited Chartwell with their easels and sketchpads, setting up in scenic spots in the gardens and parkland to create their own pieces inspired by the views that once provided Churchill with so much joy.

Around 150 entrants took part in the competition with shortlisting guided by the eligibility requirements as well as the artists’ response to Chartwell the place. Our judges also considered the age and experience of the artist, with the aim of representing a range of artists with differing levels of experience.

Our judging panel brought together a wealth of experience and expertise in Chartwell, Churchill and painting. They included Katherine Carter, Chartwell’s Curator and Historian; Minnie Churchill, granddaughter-in-law of Sir Winston Churchill and co-author of Sir Winston Churchill: His Life and His Paintings; Serena Churchill, the great-great-granddaughter of Sir Winston Churchill; Bernadette Lee, a local student-artist and 2024 Painting category winner of the John Downton Awards for Young Artists.

‘It’s been a very difficult competition to judge. The standard of paintings is so high, and I think we all had a very hard time selecting these lovely paintings,’ says Minnie Churchill, member of the judging panel and coauthor of ‘Sir Winston Churchill: His Life and His Paintings’.

The Winners

The judges met in the autumn of 2025 to select the winning entries, and we are pleased to present them to our visitors as the ‘Inspired by Chartwell’ exhibition in Churchill’s studio. The winning pieces are shown alongside Churchill’s works, which number over 100 paintings. The full list of winning amateur artists and titles of their paintings is:

Mark Cranham, ‘Chartwell Vista from the Marlborough Pavilion’

Yan Cowles, ‘After the Rain’

Polly Hosp, ‘Old Walls, New Tales’

Martin Howarth ‘Upper Pond, Chartwell’

Nicholas Johnson, ‘The Apple Orchard, Chartwell’

Martin Kelly, ‘A Gateway to Chartwell House’

Hong Lam (16-25s winner), ‘An Impression of Chartwell’

Arthur Gibbs (under 16s winner), ‘Lily pads’

How to see the paintings

The ‘Inspired by Chartwell’ Exhibition is in the studio and is included with admission to Chartwell. It opens on Saturday 14 February 2026 and lasts throughout the year.

Purchase a Garden and Studio ticket from the Visitor Centre. If you would like to see the House as well, please purchase a House, Garden and Studio Ticket. (Check opening times on the Chartwell homepage for available dates.) Please also consider the Gift Aid Admissions option which provides a significant boost in funding for our places.