Churchill

This illustrated biography surveys Winston Churchill’s public and private life through the house and landscape of Chartwell, the Kent home that became his refuge, workplace and most personal creation. Sarah Gristwood and Margaret Gaskin follow his development from soldier and war correspondent to parliamentarian, minister and wartime prime minister, while showing how family life, painting, writing and financial pressure shaped the man behind the public image.

Chartwell provides a vantage point from which to examine Churchill’s triumphs and failures: Gallipoli, opposition to appeasement, leadership during the Second World War, electoral defeat in 1945 and return to office. Photographs, objects and rooms connect national events with daily routines and relationships, especially his partnership with Clementine Churchill. The result is a concise life that treats reputation, personality and political power together.