Travels through Historical Fiction: the Cabinet War Rooms
As we begin History Imagined’s second year, I am excited about beginning a new series of posts, as well. They will be organized around places distant and near that I have been fortunate enough to visit or have placed on my bucket list. As a devotee of all things historical, I rarely miss an opportunity to peek into the past of any location in which I find myself, and being a complete Anglophile, the United Kingdom felt like a wonderful place to start. One of my favorite discoveries there is the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms, major exhibits of the Imperial War Museums.
The Cabinet War Rooms are a complex of basement and sub-basement level rooms and passages used by Churchill and his staff at the height of World War II. They served as the bunker that sheltered the most critical government and military officials during air raids and the Blitz. The rooms’ location was, of course, a secret of the highest order. The Cabinet War Rooms still stand beneath the Treasury Building in Whitehall in the heart of London’s Westminster section and are part of the Imperial War Museums system, which has locations throughout the UK. The entrance to the War Rooms, where tourists begin their visits, is located at the Clive Steps on King Charles Street, London, SW1A2AQ.
During our first trip to London in 1983, the Cabinet War Rooms were not available for public viewing, but by the time we returned in 1992, they were open for business. Being in the space where the wartime prime minister and his cabinet and staff planned Britain’s response to Hitler’s monstrous evil increased the already considerable awe and reverence in which I held Churchill. The passageways are narrow, the alcoves and rooms where the work was accomplished are almost too small for the amount of necessary furniture, and the accommodations were utilitarian at best, but it was from these cramped, stuffy, underground spaces that Churchill and Britain waged a war that would determine their very survival and that of the Free World.
Winston Churchill, like all human beings, had his faults, not the least being intransigence and arrogance, but his strengths far outweighed his personal failings. His leadership during one of the darkest periods of British history makes him one of my personal heroes.
![Dome of St. Paul's Cathedral with smoke from raging fires of first night of the London Blitz, Sept. 7, 1940. The Blitz lasted for 76 consecutive nights. [1]](https://historyimagined.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/wwii-st-pauls-blitz-006.jpg?w=300&h=180)
Dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral surrounded by smoke from raging fires on first night of the London Blitz, Sept. 7, 1940. The Blitz lasted for 76 consecutive nights. [1]
Cressida Finch of the Imperial War Museums shares this brief history of the Cabinet War Rooms:
During the Second World War, a group of basement offices in Whitehall served as the centre of Britain’s war effort. The complex, known as the Cabinet War Rooms, was occupied by leading government ministers, military strategists and Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
Following the devastation of the First World War, military planners feared up to 200,000 casualties from bombing in the first week of a future war.
Plans to evacuate the prime minister, cabinet and essential staff from London were drawn up as early as the 1920s, but concern that Londoners would feel abandoned if the prime minister and government were in a safe place, and issues about the speed of evacuation, led to a search for an emergency shelter in central London.
In June 1938 the New Public Offices building was selected. It was near Parliament, with a strong steel frame and a large basement.
The basement was adapted to provide meeting places for the War Cabinet during air raids and also housed a military information centre based around a ‘Map Room’. Here, vital information for King George VI, Prime Minister Churchill and the armed forces was collected.
The Cabinet War Rooms became fully operational on 27 August 1939, a week before Britain declared war on Germany.
Churchill’s War Cabinet met here 115 times, most often during the Blitz and the later German V-weapon offensive.
The Cabinet War Rooms were in use 24 hours a day until 16 August 1945, when the lights were turned off in the Map Room for the first time in six years.
In 1984, IWM opened the rooms to the public for the first time and they can be visited today.
In 2005 HM the Queen opened the Churchill Museum, which examines the life and work of Winston Churchill.[2]
Gallery
Plans by Nick Catford from his book Secret Underground London
Use of the above drawings graciously permitted by Nick Catford. You can read more about Nick’s research at Subterranea Britannica and purchase his excellent resource and guide to underground London Here.
Notes
- http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/sep/06/blitz-night-fire-new-war, accessed 11/17/2015.
- http://www.iwm.org.uk/history/a-short-history-of-the-cabinet-war-rooms, accessed 11/16/2015.
Fascinating stuff, Linda. I spent many years in the DC area, and know there’s a similar setup there for the president and his/her staff. But I’ve never seen it. Even though times have changed and our methods of dealing with war and violence have morphed, these types of precautions still remain.
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Yes, Becky, I too have read about the secret safe places for our president, his cabinet, the joint chiefs, and high ranking members of Congress. As I understand it, those safe places are very much up-to-date and intended for use if the need arises during modern warfare. I’m sure that Britain has a similar space for modern emergencies, but like ours, it is top, top secret!
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Nice visual detail for what sounds like a wonderful series. Best of luck to you!
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Thank you, Casi!! Hope you will enjoy the rest of my travelogue of historical sites!
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We visited the Cabinet War Rooms a few years ago. Absolutely fascinating place. I’ve recommended the place to several people. Folks who go to London tend to be wrapped up in the Tudors and the Tower, but this is not to be missed.
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I do love the Tower, too! Oh heck, there really is very little of historical interest about London and the UK that I don’t adore!
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A wonderful blog Linda, to ignore or forget history is the greatest crime, only through knowledge can one act rationally for the future. Thank you for sharing. I, too, admire and revere Winston. In fact, I was lucky enough to spend some quality time with his grandson and namesake, Winston Churchill and his wife Luce. Winston was the keeper of his grandfather’s flame. Sadly, he died in 2010.
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Thank you so much for dropping in! I must say i am green with envy for your time with Winston Churchill’s family! I would have loved to hear what Winston, the Younger had to say about his grandfather.
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I enjoyed your post and loved the many pictures related to the past you put forward.
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Thank you, Wareeze!
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Great post!
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Thank you, Starr!
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I always love reading your posts!
RB
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RB, thank you so much! I really appreciate the kind words!
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