England


London


Churchill War Rooms





 

Summary   The Churchill or Cabinet War Rooms are a subterranean bunker beneath Whitehall, built in 1938 to protect Britain’s wartime leadership during World War II. Operational from the outbreak of war in 1939 until August 1945, the rooms served as a secure command centre where Winston Churchill and his ministers directed military strategy. Preserved almost exactly as they were left, the complex includes the Map Room with pinned charts of troop movements, Churchill’s office-bedroom, the War Cabinet Room, and living quarters for staff, all of which offer a vivid time capsule of life and decision-making under siege during the Blitz.

The Churchill War Rooms is also known as the Cabinet War Rooms, which was the original name, for the underground bunker complex beneath the Treasury building Whitehall. Built in 1938 to protect Britain’s wartime leadership during the Blitz. It housed the rooms essential for the running of the war which included the Map Room, Cabinet Room, Churchill’s office-bedroom, and the rooms to cater for the staff of the complex.

Over time, as public interest in Winston Churchill’s legacy grew, the site evolved. In 2005, the Churchill Museum was added to the complex, creating a dual experience: the preserved wartime bunker and a biographical museum about Churchill’s life.

Today, the entire site is officially called the Churchill War Rooms, operated by the Imperial War Museums. When people refer to it as the  “Cabinet War Rooms,” they’re referring to the original bunker; when they refer to it as the “Churchill War Rooms,” they’re usually talking about the full museum experience that includes both the historic rooms and the Churchill Museum.

The site was chosen in 1938 due to the buildings sturdy foundations and reinforced concrete walls, walls up to 5 feet thick in places, these were designed to withstand Luftwaffe bombing raids. Construction began in June 1938 as fears of aerial bombardment grew. The site was chosen for its proximity to government offices and was completed and fully operational by August 27, 1939, one week before Britain declared war on Germany. During World War II, the bunker was the British government’s command centre, where Winston Churchill and his war cabinet directed military operations. 

It remained operational throughout the war until August 1945, when the war ended and the War Rooms were abandoned, but their historical significance was quickly recognized. In 1948, Parliament designated them a historic site.  Initially, only a few visitors were allowed by appointment, but in 1984, the Imperial War Museum took over administration and officially opened the site to the public. Restoration efforts focused on preserving original materials such as fabrics, furnishings, and even scratch marks on Churchill’s chair were left intact.  The site opened to the public in 1984, with further expansions in 2003 and the addition of the Churchill Museum in 2005. Today, it is preserved as part of the Imperial War Museum, allowing visitors to step back in time and explore the historic rooms as they were during the war.

The museum underwent a major redevelopment in 2005, introducing the Churchill Museum, which explores Churchill’s life, leadership, and legacy.

Entry is marked by a canopy leading down a staircase.

 
 

    
This leads to the ticket area. 

 
 
From the ticket area visitors are able to visit the Museum and The War Rooms themselves 

The War Rooms contain a number of rooms that were important for the activities carried out there, all interconnected by narrow corridors. 

 

The Map Room, was one of the most important spaces, and was staffed 24/7, tracking military movements and intelligence reports. It was the strategic hub, and was left exactly as it was in 1945, with maps still pinned and markings intact.

It was the space where the course of the war was charted in real time. The room was so sensitive that only a handful of people, including Churchill himself, were ever allowed inside.

Within the room, three large Maps were displayed, one for land, sea, and air operations. The Royal Navy map alone is riddled with hundreds of thousands of pinholes—each representing convoys, battleships, or enemy movements. Color-Coded Pins and Labels were used to tracked everything from troop deployments to ship sinkings. Removing a pin often meant a ship had been lost.

Each day, by 9 am, a summary of global military activity was compiled and sent to Churchill, the King, and the Chiefs of Staff. When the war ended, the Map Room was sealed leaving it exactly as it was on August 16, 1945. Even the pins on the maps remained untouched for decades. Churchill spent all of D-Day in this room, watching the Royal Navy map as the invasion unfolded. It was the closest he could get to the front lines after the King forbade him from joining the fleet.

 

Transatlantic Telephone Room was disguised as a private toilet, but this room housed a secure line for Churchill to speak directly with President Roosevelt.

Life in the Churchill War Rooms was a mix of secrecy, and sheer endurance. Staff members, many of them young civilian women, recruited for their discretion and stamina, worked gruelling shifts in cramped, poorly ventilated and dimly lit conditions, often for days at a time without seeing daylight. To combat vitamin D deficiency, staff used portable sunlamps.

The Typing Pool was a vital nerve centre within the Cabinet War Rooms. Staff worked in shifts around the clock, transcribing handwritten notes from meetings, intelligence briefings, and military updates. The Remington Noiseless Typewriters were imported from America; these were used to reduce clatter.

 

For many, their office was also their bedroom, as seen in the office sleeping arrangements of Churchill’s Military Advisor

 

Many of the staff slept in the sub-basement known as “the dock,” on narrow bunks or camp beds, with no privacy or in rooms accommodating several bunk beds. 

 

Only chemical toilets were available, and the smell lingered. Washing facilities were limited to bowls of cold water. Some staff preferred to risk air raids above ground rather than endure the oppressive atmosphere below.

One of the most strategic spaces was the Chiefs of Staff Conference Room. This was where the heads of the Army, Navy, and Royal Air Force met face-to-face with Churchill to determine the direction of Britain’s war effort. The walls were lined with maps, some of which still bear original markings.

 

Churchill’s combined Bedroom and Office was also a compact space.  This he used for meetings, and writing. The room was also equipped with a direct line to the BBC, allowing him to deliver wartime radio broadcasts from his desk. Although his room was fitted with wartime luxuries like wall-to-wall carpeting. Churchill disliked sleeping there and avoided it whenever possible.

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Staff carried ID passes and underwent tight security checks and Churchill’s room could only be accessed by his Principle Private Secretary’s room. 

The Principal Private Secretary (PPS) played a vital role in coordinating the Prime Minister’s daily affairs and ensuring the smooth flow of information between departments. The PPS was Churchill’s closest civil service aide, responsible for managing his schedule, correspondence, and access. The room served as a filtering point for all communications to and from the Prime Minister.

 

Adjacent to Churchill’s own office-bedroom and the rooms of his personal staff, his wife, Clementine Churchill, (1885–1977) also had a room which was added during a 1941 expansion of the bunker. Clementine was more than just his wife, she was his closest confidante and political advisor. Her room was part of a suite of nine new spaces created for the Prime Minister’s inner circle, including a kitchen, dining room, and quarters for staff and security.

Clementine’s room was modestly furnished, with a single bed, a small desk, and basic storage.  While the room was prepared for her, Clementine didn’t often stay overnight. She, like Winston, preferred to remain above ground at 10 Downing Street when possible.  Her bedroom, along with others in the private suite, was restored and opened to visitors in 2003, expanding the museum’s footprint and offering a more intimate view of life underground during the Blitz.

 

Meals within the complex were rationed and basic, although Churchill’s kitchen was a surprisingly well-equipped space, especially given the wartime constraints and the underground setting. The kitchen included a stove, prep counters, and storage for rations and ingredients. It was located in the domestic wing near Churchill’s suite. It was designed to serve not only the Prime Minister but also his close staff and guests—often under intense pressure and during air raids.

 

Adjacent to the kitchen is Churchill’s Dining Room.  This was part of a 1941 expansion that added a domestic suite for the Prime Minister and his closest staff. Though modest in size, the dining room played a vital role in maintaining a sense of normalcy and camaraderie amid the chaos of war.

Tucked within the Prime Minister’s suite, the room offered a rare space for informal meals and confidential conversations—often with senior advisors or visiting dignitaries.  The table was functional, not grand. Meals were served on plain crockery, and the décor was minimal, reflecting wartime austerity.  

Today, the room has been carefully preserved and is part of the museum’s domestic wing, offering a glimpse into the quieter, more human side of wartime leadership.

 

Apart from the rooms themselves within the Cabinet War Rooms is the Churchill Museum which opened in 2005 as part of a major redevelopment, transforming the site into a dual tribute: one to the wartime bunker, and one to the man who led from within it.  The displays contain personal artifacts, interactive exhibits, and archival footage.  

 

It is the only major museum in the world dedicated solely to Winston Churchill’s life and legacy. It’s not just a collection of artifacts, it’s an immersive journey through his 90-year story, from his early days to his wartime leadership and beyond as shown on a 17-meter interactive timeline with touchscreens and archival footage.

 

Visitors are able to experience touchscreens and multimedia displays exploring Churchill’s speeches, letters, and even his hobbies like painting. The displays include personal Artifacts such as his iconic cigars, uniforms, and handwritten notes that reveal his personality and leadership style.

Over his long career as a soldier, statesman, and writer, he received 37 official orders, decorations, and medals from countries around the world, many of which are on display.