London Cabinet War Rooms

From 1939 to 1945, what was previously a government coal storage basement was transformed into the bomb-proof nerve center of a nation at war. For six tense years, Winston Churchill, his cabinet and generals, and dozens of support staff lived and worked in this dark, underground labyrinth while bombs wreaked havoc above. The day after the war ended in August 1945, the Cabinet War Rooms were abandoned, shut up, and left undisturbed for decades until their reopening in 1984 by Margaret Thatcher. Thanks to journals, testimonies, and photos, the space has been preserved and displayed almost exactly as it was in wartime. An indispensable Churchillian-voiced audio tour talks you through the maze of rooms on show, supplemented by original recordings of Churchill’s speeches and recreations that bring them to life. Highlights include “Churchill’s personal loo”—a small room containing the top-secret transatlantic hotline and massive encryption device—and the defense and map rooms that were in operation for six straight years, night and day. The clocks on display in Churchill’s official meeting room read 4:58, the moment Churchill called the Cabinet’s first official meeting, one day after a German air raid on London.

CHURCHILL MUSEUM. The connected museum, included in the admission to the War Rooms, holds many of Churchill’s WWII possessions, along with remnants from his lesser-known days as a journalist, prisoner of war, amateur artist, and pro figure-skater. Alternately somber and amusing, it provides an in-depth look at the man whom many consider to be one of history’s greatest leaders. Wander through five highly interactive sections, all profiling a distinct phase in the former Prime Minister’s life. In the hot pink 1874-1900 area, peruse Winnie’s famously lackluster report cards and stop to read about his daring escape from South Africa. The red-hued 1900-1929 section features his first love letter to his beloved “Clemmie” and profiles his early days as an extremely liberal social reformer. Be sure to check out the many political cartoons—funnier if you can read German—scattered throughout the exhibit alternatively depicting Churchill as a despondent infant and imperial slave-driver. The orange Wilderness Years (1929-1940) section profiles Churchill in his down-and-out days, with a hilarious interactive display of Churchill’s witticisms and a computerized selection of his many amateur paintings. In the purple 1940-1945 section, visitors can immerse themselves in the 1940s wartime world. Hitler’s anti-British propaganda, denouncing Churchill as “an utterly amoral repulsive creature,” is also on view. Finally, the green 1945-1965 section, profiling Churchill’s life as a statesmen and fashionista (he often donned one-piece zip-up velvet suits), explores his role in the Cold War and his honorary American citizenship, and ends with a somber video of his funeral. The best part of the museum, a giant interactive timeline table that runs diagonally across the room, connects all five of the displays and is filled with sound bites, newspaper clippings, and historical information that puts Churchill’s life in a wider context. Generate all kinds of disruptive effects by selecting from the many dates along the timeline. Check out August 6th, 1945, but be prepared to draw stares from surrounding visitors.