From Blenheim to Chartwell

Churchill was born amidst the splendour of Blenheim Palace but, ever a restless spirit, he owned, rented and was provided with many houses, both grand and relatively modest, over the course of his long life, including country retreats, town apartments and, as a statesman, Admiralty House, 10 and 11 Downing Street and Chequers. But it was his own house at Chartwell that will be for ever associated with his name.

From Blenheim to Chartwell charts the life of Winston Churchill through the houses he lived in and the gardens he made. It culminates with the full story of his purchase, alteration and creation of Chartwell, Kent, his home for more than forty years before and after the war, and which is now, in keeping with his intentions, owned and run by the National Trust.

Gardening expert and author Stefan Buczacki has researched Winston Churchill's homes and gardens, discovering a side to the great leader that is largely unknown - that of a man steeped in Victorian values who cared deeply for his personal staff and behaved with the utmost integrity and honesty in all his business dealings. Based on extensive and scholarly archive study, this well illustrated book brings to light an array of previously unpublished details and reveals a fascinating side to Britain's greatest war leader.

Also by Stefan Buczacki and Unicorn: Earth to Earth: A Natural History of Churchyards 987-1-910787-74-8

Auteur

Stefan Buczacki is one of the most experienced non-fiction authors in the country and as well as contributing to practically every major national newspaper and magazine, he has written over sixty books, including several standard works of reference. He also has many television credits and spent twelve unbroken years as panellist and Chairman on Radio 4's 'Gardeners' Question Time'.

He was educated at the Universities of Southampton (First Class Honours in Botany) and Oxford (Doctorate in Forestry) and built up a distinguished academic research record before leaving in 1984 to pursue a freelance career. Stefan has received numerous academic awards and honorary degrees as well as the Veitch Memorial Medal in Gold of the Royal Horticultural Society and in 2013 the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Garden Media Guild. Over the past twenty years he has also established a reputation as an authority on twentieth century British socio-political history and in addition to his acclaimed Churchill studies he has recently published a biography of Venetia Stanley, the intimate confidante of H.H. Asquith