LONDON WAR MUSEUMS: TWO
CHURCHILL WAR CABINET ROOMS
The Churchill War Cabinet Rooms are in the bombproof bunker from which Sir Winston Churchill and his government ran the nation during World War II. They are convenient located beneath the Treasury building in the Whitehall area of Westminster. After Japan surrendered they were left to fall into disrepair until the 1980’s when their historical importance was recognized. The Cabinet Rooms have been restored to their original condition and are exactly as they were in September 1945: Imperial War Museum curators studied photographs to put notepads, files, typewriters and even pencils in their correct places.
As we entered, we were given a personal sound wand that provided narration about the function and history of each room and included voices and scripts from the past so you can hear many of Churchill’s famous speeches that kept the British morale up during the dark days of World War II.
The tour includes the Map Room, from which Churchill closely followed the war. His bedroom and office have a basic bed, a desk and the microphones from which he made those famous broadcasts that kept the British hopes alive. One small room holds the special extension by which Churchill conferred with President Franklin Roosevelt.
THE BRITAIN AT WAR EXPERIENCE
The Britain at War Experience Museum drops visitors back into time when Londoners heeded the air raid sirens and ran for shelters with German bombers approached. Visitors enter a mock air-raid shelter that helps them see the living conditions of thousands of Londoners during the blitz.
There is also an example of the shelters that were buried in people’s yards, and here visitors can sit and listen to the different attacks the people endured.
The most impression display is a room made up to look like an air raid has just hit: Water comes out of a main, bodies are everywhere, and fires are burning. The noises, dust and fireworks along with the debris are the images from this museum that stick in my mind. In an underground theater wartime news reels are being played and BBC radio studio replays Winston Churchill’s speeches. In contrast speeches from Lord Haw Haw and Hitler are also played. Some of the actual bombs that fell on London are on display along with rare documents, and masks and other artifacts from the war to add to the atmosphere.
The displays at the Imperial War Museum and the HMS Belfast are more professional with The Britain at War Experience museum which has a more amateurish feel to it. For example the designers used store dummies for their tableaus, and there is a smell of decay. Thousands of articles in this World War II memorabilia collection obviously were found in attics and garages.
While it is interesting I would recommend this museum only if you have plenty of time in London or are especially interested in World War II.
From the Britain at War Experience Museum
