Chartwell NT

Meadow of Memories presented by Hospice in the Weald is at Chartwell and Scotney Castle until 17 May. Each hand-crafted steel daisy is dedicated to the memory of a loved one. Together, they create a space to pause, reflect and honour the moments that stay with us. The daisies were designed and handcrafted from locally sourced materials by award-winning East Sussex artist Paul Cox at his Newhaven studio. Head to the National Trust websites for Chartwell and Scotney Castle to find out more and plan your visits. 📷 ©National Trust/Jen Reznick & National Trust/Alice Bowen Image descriptions: Pink and blue steel daisies on black curled stems. The large red brick house at Chartwell in the background of the first 2 photos, trees and grass of Scotney Castle’s grounds in the background of the 3rd photo. @scotneycastle_nt Scotney Castle- National Trust @hospiceintheweald National Trust Hospice in the Weald @nationaltrust @southeastnt National Trust London and South East @paulcoxsculpture

Chartwell 60: Discover and Celebrate May–19 July 2026 Chartwell opened to the public on 22 June 1966. Be part of the story this summer. - Visit the House Self-led visits daily from 11am (tickets from Visitor Centre) Guided Highlights Tours weekdays (+fee, pre-booking advised) - Explore the Garden Outdoor displays tell the Chartwell 60 story & iconic photos opportunities Guided tours Monday, Thursday, Friday (free with admission) - Celebration Weekend 20–21 June Have a picnic, hear live music, dance with Surrey Jive. Come as you are or dressed in 1960s style. - Share your Chartwell memories for a special display Add your story during your visit or online with the QR code or link in our bio. Head to the National Trust Chartwell website to plan your visit. Archive 📷 ©Topfoto Image description: An archive photo in black and white of a line of people in a curved queue. The sign for National Trust Chartwell in the mid-ground, the trees and fields of the estate in the background. National Trust @nationaltrust @southeastnt National Trust London and South East

Chartwell 60 Share your Chartwell Memories Chartwell opened to the public on 22 June 1966. Help us celebrate the past 60 years by sharing the moments that have made Chartwell meaningful to you. We’re gathering your memories to form a special outdoor display for everyone to enjoy at the end of the summer. Whether it’s a first visit, a favourite view, a family moment, or a quiet place that means something to you, we’d love to hear it. Submit your memory online via our dedicated online survey link in the bio. Plan your visit on the Chartwell website. 📷 © National Trust Images/Chris King, Megan Taylor. Archive 📷 ©Topfoto Image descriptions: a woman in a yellow coat and a boy in blue and red tracksuit stroke Jock the marmalade cat. An archive photo in black and white of a line of people in a curved queue. The sign for National Trust Chartwell in the mid-ground, the trees and fields of the estate in the background. A group of women and men walking towards the back of the red brick house at Chartwell, summer shrubs and trees, long grass in the garden and orchard fill the scene. National Trust @nationaltrust @southeastnt National Trust London and South East

You probably haven’t seen this fireplace before… Or this wooden floor, or the wooden beams on the ceiling. Before recent renovations, the fireplace in the Uniform Room was hidden behind 1960s display cases. The walls and ceiling were covered in navy blue paint, and the floor was carpeted. 😲Not only was this historic fireplace re-discovered, but loads of careful work went into restoring the room to its original décor. 🔬 Scientific paint analysis helped to identify the colour of the room’s pre-1960s appearance. 🖌️Conservators painstakingly removed the 1960s navy blue paint from the historic beams to reveal the original wood. 🪵Specialist wood conservators also worked with the house team to restore the original floorboards. Head to the Chartwell website to plan your visit to see inside the house and explore the recently restored Uniform Room and Churchill's iconic clothing items. 📷 ©National Trust Images/Arnhel de Serra Image descriptions: black fireplace with metal fireplace back featuring a lion and other imagery. Extreme low angle to reveal the ceiling above Churchill's uniform for the Service Dress of an Air Commodore of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force. @southeastnt National Trust London and South East @nationaltrust National Trust Visit Westerham @visitwesterham

Pose here for your perfect wisteria moment. Head to the Chartwell website to plan your visit. 📷 ©National Trust/Jen Reznick National Trust London and South East @nationaltrust National Trust @southeastnt

Wisteria hysteria continues at Chartwell. You can’t smell a photo, so you’ll have to plan a visit to enjoy the delicate fragrance while it lasts. 📷 ©National Trust/Jen Reznick National Trust London and South East @nationaltrust National Trust @southeastnt

Hundreds of handcrafted steel daises presented by the Hospice in the Weald form a ‘Meadow of Memories’ at Scotney Castle and Chartwell (until 17 May). Each one is dedicated to the memory of a loved one. Together, they create a space to pause, reflect and honour the moments that stay with us. The daisies were designed and handcrafted from locally sourced materials by award-winning East Sussex artist Paul Cox at his Newhaven studio. Head to the National Trust websites for Scotney Castle and Chartwell to find out more and plan your visits. © Photos 1 & 2: Scotney Castle’s display, National Trust Images/Alice Bowen. Photo 3: Chartwell’s display, National Trust Images/Jen Reznick @chartwellnt @southeastnt @hospiceintheweald

What’s your favourite memory of Chartwell? The National Trust opened Chartwell to the public on 22 June 1966, so this summer we’re celebrating 60 fantastic years with you, our visitors! As part of the Chartwell 60 celebrations, we are inviting you, our visitors to share your story of a favourite Chartwell memory. Your shared memories will help us create an outdoor display for everyone to enjoy at the end of the summer. You may want to share a photo or a few lines of text, or perhaps both. We’ve created a survey link, so you can find out more and submit your memories. There will also be special post boxes at Chartwell if you’d like to write down your memory and share it that way instead. /r/Chartwell60memories Head to the National Trust Chartwell website to find out more about Chartwell 60 celebrations events and programming. 📷 © National Trust Images/Chris King, Megan Taylor. Archive 📷 ©Topfoto National Trust @nationaltrust @southeastnt National Trust London and South East

A gentle stroll between the four standard Wisteria that mark the centre point of Lady Churchills Rose Garden at @chartwellnt . The scent emanating from this floral abundance is positively intoxicating! #chartwell #garden #wisteria #horticulture #historicgarden

Did you visit Chartwell during our VE Day 80 celebrations in May 2025? You may have seen one of the winning painters creating his entry for the ‘Inspired by Chartwell’ painting competition. Martin Howarth’s painting ‘Upper Pond, Chartwell’ is on display in Churchill’s studio as part of the ‘Inspired by Chartwell’ exhibition. Martin is a retired government policy lead who lives in the southern edge of Greater London. He says, “the beauty of the gardens and splendour of the views make Chartwell my go-to happy place for finding a good subject to paint. You can feel Winston and Clementine’s ongoing influence around every corner. Churchill once said that a day away from Chartwell is a day wasted, and to that I would add that a day away from art is a day wasted. If you put the two together, it’s no surprise that artists find painting at Chartwell so rewarding.” Head to the website to plan your visit to see the 8 winning paintings and around 100 of Churchill’s own works in his studio at Chartwell. 📷© National Trust/Kate York @southeastnt @nationaltrust National Trust London and South East National Trust

‘CHER MAITRE’: WINSTON CHURCHILL & WILLIAM NICHOLSON For Sir Winston Churchill painting was his “escape from the pressures of public affairs.” He began painting in 1915, during the First World War and continued for the rest of his life. Working in oils, he was drawn to painting landscapes, seascapes, still life and architecture. Churchill befriended numerous artists, amongst them Walter Sickert, Augustus John and Paul Maze, but the most important friendship was with William Nicholson, whom he described as ‘Cher Maitre’ (Dear Master). He was to declare that Nicholson was “the person who taught me most about painting.” Nicholson not only painted a portrait of Churchill and his wife Clementine taking breakfast (with their cat) at their home Chartwell in Kent (3) and drew an affectionate caricature (2); he also regularly painted alongside him at Chartwell (6, 8, 9,10). Sadly Nicholson’s portrait of the Churchills no longer exists - the artist was never happy with it and borrowed it back to make changes in advance of an exhibition at the National Gallery in 1941 - destroying it in frustration. However the study is now at Chartwell (4) in the room where it was painted. In his still lifes (11,12,13) Nicholson was renowned for his ability to capture the reflection in a lustrous vessel, a quality Churchill sought to emulate in his own paintings (16). Nicholson encouraged Churchill to cool down his exuberant palette and in the studio at Chartwell there are two paintings of the swimming pool, painted side by side on a summer’s day in 1935 (WN 5, WC 6). There are also several Nicholsons of the black geese (8,9) at Chartwell. • The exhibition ‘William Nicholson’ is @pallanthousegallery until Sun 10 May. • Winston Churchill: The Painter opens at @wallacemuseum on 23 May. I will be giving a talk there (and online) on Churchill and Nicholson on 8 June. On 26 June it is the 60th anniversary of @chartwellnt opening to the public - you can visit Churchill’s studio and see several works by both artists in the house. @nationaltrust @southeastnt #chartwell #winstonchurchill #churchill #williamnicholson #modernbritishart

Hundreds of handcrafted steel daises presented by the Hospice in the Weald form a ‘Meadow of Memories’ at Chartwell and Scotney Castle (to 17 May). Each one is dedicated to the memory of a loved one. Together, they create a space to pause, reflect and honour the moments that stay with us. The daisies were designed and handcrafted from locally sourced materials by award-winning East Sussex artist Paul Cox at his Newhaven studio. Head to the National Trust websites for Chartwell and Scotney Castle to find out more and plan your visits. 📷 ©National Trust/Jen Reznick & National Trust/Alice Bowen (photo 3) Image description: Pink and blue steel daisies on black curled stems. The large red brick house at Chartwell in the background of the first 2 photos, trees and grass of Scotney Castle’s grounds in the background of the 3rd. Hospice in the Weald logo on a sign in the final photo. @Scotney Castle- National Trust @scotneycastle_nt Hospice in the Weald @hospiceintheweald National Trust @nationaltrust @southeastnt National Trust London and South East @paulcoxsculpture @paulcoxsculpture