Churchill's England 2006, Part 2
Editor/FH
Sunday, May 28th.
For detailed reports and photos please refer to John Olsen's blog, a
cornucopia of his personal experiences, including dining with the
Duchess of Marlborough at Blenheim Palace. See
http://footstepsofchurchill.blogspot.com/
Refer to previous entry for the events May 20-23rd
Wednesday May 24th:
Leaving Cambridge early, we survived the traffic and the Dartford
Bridge, and arrived spot-on at Chartwell just as the gates were
opening. Thus we beat the general public and had an unencumbered tour
of the house and the studio, thanks to director Carole Kenwright and
her enthusiastic staff. The rains came again and it was not possible to
walk up the line of trees for Churchill's favorite view of the
property, but a warm luncheon was awaiting us at the Mulberry Room.
Here Minnie Churchill, accompanied by Simon Bird, addressed us on WSC's
hobby of painting, and her adventures in compiling, with David Coombs,
that outstanding catalogue of nearly all his oils: "Winston Chruchill:
His Life Through His Paintings." We left Chartwell by the Westerham
Road, where we caught a climpse of Hosey Rigge (the house WSC lived in
during Chartwell's restoration in 1922-24, which he nicknamed "Cozy
Pig"); and the Churchill statue by Oscar Nemon on the Green, its plinth
the gift of the people of Yugoslavia.
In the afternoon we were the guests of Matthew and Salley Ferrey some
20 miles from Chartwell at Lullenden Manor, East Grinstead, West
Sussex--the Churchills' first country home (1917-19). The Ferreys were
not only affable and generous hosts, allowing us to tramp all over the
house (wearing plastic slippers--it was still raining!) and treating us
to a view of their own Churchill painting of Lullenden--they laid on a
magnificent tea and arranged for the rain to quit long enough to enjoy
it in the garden. We presented the Sally and Matthew with a framed
Churchill Centre print of Lullenden (a different one than their
original, thankfully). They have done an astonishing and brilliant work
of restoration on house and gardens, including the oast house, which
they found largely in a shambles. We are ever so grateful for their
welcome, and their keen interest in this magnificent Elizabethan manor
house with its unique history.
Arrviing at the Old Bell at Hurley (1135 AD, says a sign on the
portico), we enjoyed dinner with our guests Randolph (great grandson of
WSC) and Catharine Churchill. This was Randolph's second appearance on
a Churchill tour, the first being at the selfsame Bell ten years ago.
We discussed their joining future Churchill Centre events and are
confident we will be seeing them again soon. FINEST HOUR deputy editor
Robert Courts was with us to introduce Randolph, and explain that he
was now part of the committee of ICS (UK).
Thursday 25 May: The sun finally appeared and stuck, which was a good
thing, for much was on the schedule: a visit to Winston's old school,
Harrow on the Hill; then to the RAF Group 11 Command HQ at the RAF Base
at Uxbridge; lunch at Uxbridge; and a tour of Sandhurst, where WSC
earned his commission in 1895. At Uxbridge we were accompanied by
Robert Courts; at Sandhurst we were met by another graduate, FH senior
editor Paul Courtenay, and his wife Sara. John Olsen's blogsite
contains a most interesting account of our visit, not the least of
which was finding a painting of an ancestor of Colin Powell--and
learning the remarkable story surrounding it.
Friday 26 May: Leaving The Bell, we traveled north to Bletchley Park,
Buckinghamshire, site of the WW2 code centre which broke the German
Enigma code, and the outstanding Churchill Museum assembled by our old
friend Jack Darrah, who was there to welcome us. Our Bletchley guide
was a voluble and attractive former Wren who actually worked there in
1944, and we were also treated to a close-up view of "Colossus," the
first computer, so instrumental in the codebreaking efforts.
Interestingly, Colossus boots up faster than a PC and is capable of
matching speeds with a Pentium, though it is a single-function machine
and not programmable. It also takes up enough space to house a large
car!
The tour arrived early at the Randolph in Oxford to prepare for our
highlight event of the tour, a dinner in honor of the Churchill family
in the Great Hall of Blenheim Palace. Its purpose was to thank them for
all their help in so many ways to The Churchill Centre over the years.
Our hosts were the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough; guests included
Lady Soames; her son Nicholas Soames MP, who gave a fine impromptu
speech; trustees Celia Sandys and Marcus Frost; Minnie Churchill and
Simon Bird; hon. member Robert Hardy; Matthew and Salley Ferrey of
Lullenden; and Paul and Birte Kelly, who hosted us at "Stour." A dozen
Britons joined our fifty-two, and a party of eighty enjoyed the
hospitality of Blenheim, from champagne reception and tour of the
Churchill exhibit and state rooms, to the eight course dinner, ably
presided over the former Blenheim adminitrator Paul Duffy. Like those
before it, this was an unforgettable evening.
Saturday 27 May: We began with a visit to the beautiful Palladian
mansion of Ditchley Park, lent by Ronald Tree MP to Churchill during
the war on weekends when Chequers, the PM's officlal country residence,
was considered too obvious a target for German bombers. There is not a
more beautiful buildling in England, and the Churchill connection is
enhanced by the recent (1994) bust of WSC in the garden. Robert Hardy
joined was our guide for a brief tour of the Cotswolds, which ended at
the charming village of Burford, where the local church had things to
show us and the High Street things to sell us. In the evening, another
black tie dinner, at the Randolph, played host to Robert, and to
Michael and Rachel Dobbs. Michael, author of the fine quartet of
Churchill novels of which the latest is "Churchill's Triumph," regaled
us with his remarks on the duty we hold to "keep the memory green and
the record accurate."
Though it was not the final event of the tour, our flower-laying
ceremony Bladon churchyard this afternoon was perhaps its most
poignant. We are grateful to Canon Roger Humphreys for planning a fine
non-denominational service of thanksgiving for Churchill's life,
printing a programme to go with it, and finding an exceptional piece
of poetry, "At Bladon," to be read at the grave. This was ihe same poem
recited, with a breaking voice, by broadcaster Richard Dimbleby, as Sir
Winston was laid to rest here in 1965. No one is better able to recite
those words today than our friend Robert Hardy, who spoke as the rain
poured down and a church bell tolled:
Drop English earth on him beneath
do our sons; and their sons bequeath his glories
and our pride and grief
at Bladon.
For Lionheart that lies below
that feared not toil nor tears or foe.
Let the oak stand tho' tempests blow
at Bladon.
So Churchill sleeps, yet surely wakes
old wariror where the morning breaks
On sunlit uplands.
But the heart aches
at Bladon.
-RML
Mike Campbell
... at the Mulberry Room.
Here Minnie Churchill, accompanied by Simon Bird, addressed us on WSC's
hobby of painting, and her adventures in compiling, with David Coombs,
that outstanding catalogue of nearly all his oils: "Winston Chruchill:
His Life Through His Paintings."
Editor/FH
unfortunately know the name of the author of the poem, "At Bladon."
Sorry for the handful of typos in my too hasty report, the most
egregious of which is that Sally Ferrey's first name is not spelled
with an "e."
RML
Bill Ives
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