The Churchill War Rooms: An Inside View with Don Brown

This conversation joins an expert guide as we look around the Cabinet Room where Winston Churchill met with his chiefs of staff and senior ministers to direct the British war effort. We'll hear about how the rooms were planned and built to deal with the threat of Nazi bombing (and just how close they came to being hit in the London Blitz). We'll learn about what life was really like underground. We'll step inside Churchill's bedroom and into the heart of the war rooms - The Map Room, where the ebb and flow of the allied efforts were plotted and analyzed 24/7 from the German invasion of Poland to the surrender of Japan.

The Churchill War Rooms are one of the most popular visitor destinations in London and provide a vivid history of the British wartime effort and of Winston Churchill's wartime leadership. Led by Don Brown, a specialist in a number of subjects (WWII included), this interactive discussion will delve into the world of Churchill through his war rooms. Designed to inform curiosity as well as future travels, participants will come away with a better understanding of this captivating place.

Don Brown is a London Blue Badge Guide, the Director of the London Society, and a graduate of Oxford University. He previously worked in publishing, for publications as diverse as History Today, The Spectator and The Guardian. His interests and specialisms encompass history - from the Romans to the present day, politics, WW2, and '60s and '70s popular music, and as director of the London Society, he has a professional interest in architecture (contemporary and historical), planning and urbanism.

This conversation is suitable for all ages

90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.