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  • 9 months ago
You can get up close and personal with garments from one of the most iconic figures in British history, who made Kent his family home.
Gabriel Morris reports.
Transcript
00:00it's as if he's actually in the room with you for Winston Churchill much of his power came from his
00:07image and he's certainly dressed to impress his former residence Chartwell house is opening its
00:13doors to display iconic outfits from his time some have not been seen publicly since he last
00:19wore them like this army officer's great coat what I really hope is that visitors come to
00:25Chartwell and see these incredible items of clothing not just as things that Winston Churchill
00:30wore but as witnesses to history these items saw some of their most iconic moments in our national
00:36story of the 20th century so to have them here on these beautiful new mounts reflecting Churchill
00:41himself is really special after Churchill's death this part of his home was converted into a museum
00:48looking a little bit like this adjacent room with 1960s displays but now the National Trust has spent
00:54more than a year restoring the space and this is what it looks like now reminiscent of exactly how
01:01Churchill would have known it in fact this would have been the guest quarters people like Charlie
01:07Chaplin and Lawrence of Arabia sleeping in this very room for restoration also uncovered original 17th
01:15century beams and fireplaces it's also the first time any outfits have been displayed on custom made
01:20mannequins designed to match Churchill's measurements posture and gait reflecting how he actually stood
01:27walked and addressed a crowd around half a million people visit the house every year and the National
01:32Trust says without them any restoration wouldn't have been possible I mean people do have a fascination
01:38with Churchill but actually when they get here they see a family home and they see gardens as well
01:42and we love it when people get out and explore the gardens and wider estate too it's the National Trust is
01:46Europe's largest conservation charity we look after this place forever but you're right it doesn't
01:52come cheap so we rely on support from our members from supporters from donors and we've been incredibly
01:57lucky that that we've been able to generate the income in order to redo the uniform room and as I say
02:02we're delighted with the result his silhouette was iconic a bowler hat a bow tie and you couldn't forget
02:10the cigar I have to ask obviously he was a quite a big cigar smoker up close and personal with somebody's
02:18garments could you smell any of that at all given that it's 60 years since Winston Churchill wore these
02:23garments uh it's tricky just to say the extent to which scent remains but cigars were definitely
02:29featured alongside him wearing them and the siren suits in fact the upper pockets tended to be
02:34where his next cigar would be kept Gabriel Morris for Kane TV at Chartwell House
02:39Bookney Sanchez
02:45unless he was injured
02:49Rick Zeus
02:51Your name?
02:52I think you should me speak�
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02:55Yeah
02:56Hey
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