CW

Churchill War Rooms

Secret underground bunker where Churchill directed WWII operations, preserved exactly as it was left in 1945.

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About

Frozen since August 1945, these cramped bunkers beneath Westminster reveal how democracy survived its darkest hour. Maps still show convoy routes, colored phones await urgent calls, and Churchill's chamber pot remains beside his underground bed—history preserved in claustrophobic authenticity 30 feet below London's streets.

Command Central

The Map Room's 24/7 operation tracked global warfare on wall charts still pin-pricked with convoy routes. Red phones for Chiefs of Staff, green for intelligence, white for PM—democracy's nervous system preserved. Officers' tea stains and pencil annotations humanize world-changing decisions.

Churchill's bedroom-office contains his desk for speech-writing and emergency cot for Blitz nights. The Transatlantic Telephone Room, disguised as a toilet, connected Churchill to Roosevelt—their "special relationship" forged through scrambled calls.

The Man & His Times

Churchill Museum's interactive timeline reveals complexities: Gallipoli disaster, "black dog" depression, empire controversies. Personal artifacts—siren suits, cigar stubs, annotated speeches—illuminate the leader who rallied democracy.

Audio guides feature staff memories: secretaries typing through raids, the fog of cigarette smoke, navigating blackout corridors. Book timed entry online. The museum shop sells excellent wartime posters. Combine with Westminster Abbey nearby for power-and-prayer day.