Ditchley Park
Enstone, Chipping Norton, Oxforshire

Though I didn’t make the short drive from Oxford on Saturday afternoon to see Ditchley Park, I recently read an interesting story about it in the Churchill biography by Roy Jenkins.

I've always heard that Ditchley Park was offered to Churchill during W.W.I.I. because the weekend house for use by serving Prime Minister’s, Chequers, “in its Buckinghamshire hollow, was held to be unacceptably vulnerable at the time on the month ‘when the moon was high’”. This of course was deemed to present a much too easy target for the German Luftwaffe.

As I've always heard the story told it was offered as a safer weekend getaway.

As Roy Jenkins tells it; “Churchill reacted to this with a characteristic mixture of decision, buoyancy and self-centeredness. On the afternoon of Tuesday, 5 November (1940) he sent for Ronald Tree, Conservative MP for Haymarket Harborough, and informed him that, on the following Friday, he would like to arrive for the weekend at Ditchley, Tree’s north Oxfordshire country house, with the full apparatus of Downing Street-Chequers secretarial and communications (but not domestic) staff, and possibly a few other guests as well, and to use it on this basis on future weekends of security need. He in fact did so on a total of fifteen weekends over the next year and a half, the last being in March 1942.”

As Jenkins tells it, Tree and his wife were flattered at the request and most gracious and hospitable hosts, with Mrs. Tree writing the PM the following letter after the first weekend; “I have always been one of your greatest if most humble admirers – and I meant to tell you how delighted and honoured we all were to have you come to Ditchley. If it is convenient for you at any time to you no matter how short the notice – it is at your disposal.”

The View from Chartwell

Chartwell
Westerham, Kent

We had a morning visit to Churchill’s beloved Chartwell on Wednesday. One of his private secretaries related a delightful story about each time the PM would arrive at the gates of the driveway. As one makes the final stretch of the drive, you come up a hill and then wind down and around several bends with the roofline of Chartwell finally appearing through the trees. Each time they were on this final part of the winding drive, cigars and papers would be flying everywhere around the car; once they reached the gates of Chartwell, Sir Winston would always repeat the same words, “Ah, Chartwell!”

As one walks up to the house from the gardens and comes across the lawn, it’s not difficult to fully understand why he fell instantly in love with this hilltop manor. The view is magnificent! Looking out across the front lawn at the trees, ponds, and the rolling fields below – it’s no surprise that the Sir Winston was always anxious to make the journey back here from London.

His purchase of Chartwell demonstrated just how brave a man he truly was; a very brave man indeed. In 1922 he purchased this home without first discussing it with Mrs. Churchill.

When she first arrived it was in a very bad state. The former owners hadn’t lived in the home for several years when Churchill purchased it, but the local doctor told a story of a visit to the former owner on a house call shortly before they moved away. When the doctor arrived, the infirm owner was sitting in bed in one of the upstairs bedrooms with an umbrella over his head!

The house was originally on the market in 1921 for ₤6,500 and didn’t sell. It came back on the market for ₤5,500 in 1922, and Churchill negotiated them down to ₤5,000. The place was in such a bad state that it took two years and another ₤12,000 to get it into good enough shape to move in.

Ye Old Bell, Hurley

Ye Old Bell

Hurley, Maidenhead, Berkshire

This past Wednesday evening I met the current Randolph Churchill. What a name that would be to carry around. He’s the great grandson of the PM, grandson of Randolph and his first wife, Pamela [later Harriman], and son of the current Winston S. Churchill.

His Grandmother is the same Pamela that married former New York Governor Averell Harriman in 1971, became a naturalized US citizen, and was appointed Ambassador to France in 1993 by Bill Clinton.

That’s some lineage.

I’d guess he's about 30 or so, charming fellow. He was kind enough to say a few words at the dinner last evening at The Old Bell, where we had our last dinner before continuing on to Oxford for the remainder of the week.

The Old Bell is an inn that dates from 1135. Being from California, it's particularly difficult to think in those terms. There's not much in California that’s more then 100 years old, except for our splendid Redwood trees.

What else was going on the in world in 1135?

Well, according to the History Channel World Timeline, here are a few highlights:

- Portugal becomes independent of the Moors.
- Louis VII ascends to the throne of France when his father, Louis VI, dies in 1137. The new King marries Eleanor, heiress to the Aquitaine, an immensely rich territory.
- King Henry I of England dies and is succeeded by his nephew, Stephen of Blois.
- Civil war begins in England when Matilda lands at Arundel with an army to support her claim to the throne against her cousin, Stephen, in 1139.
- Germany’s House of Brandenburg begins in 1134
- Rome’s Second Crusade is soon to end in disaster.
- Chinese seamen and caravan leaders employ crude magnetic compasses to navigate their journeys.
- The foundation for the University of Paris is laid.

Quite a good deal of action at this time in history….

Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire 

The Long Library, Blenheim Palace 

The Great Hall, Blenheim Palace 

The Duchess of M.

Blenheim Palace
Woodstock, Oxfordshire

At present, I'm sitting on the fast train out of Oxford Station heading for London’s Paddington Station. [On the weekends you can buy a “Cheap Day Single” and upgrade to First Class for ₤5.] Its late morning, and after a lovely breakfast at the Randolph Hotel in Oxford, where we’re been for the last several days, I'm heading back to London after an eight day long immersion into the life of one of the most international of statesmen, the Rt. Honorable Sir Winston S. Churchill. [One becomes the Rt. Honorable upon appointment as a Privy Councilor to the reigning monarch.]

One of the most exhilarating life experiences I've had to date, is being announced upon entry from the Long Library on the way in to meet Their Graces The Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, before joining them for dinner in the Great Hall. Being announced by a footman, in full livery of white tie and red tailcoat.

We were welcomed to Blenheim Palace, the ancestral home of the Marlborough’s, with a Champagne reception prior to dinner. “Blenheim Palace” Champagne was served and seemed to be flowing rather freely. Near the entry to the Great Hall, there was a seating plan for the evening, and as I found my name at Table Four, I was pleased to know that our table host was to be the Duchess herself. There were eight tables for about 80 guests for the evening and I believe eight Churchill family members in attendance.

Upon hearing the footman loudly crack his gavel three times, and announce in a booming voice, "Dinner is served!" we were invited through the massive wooden doors and into the Great Hall. I found Table Four and began to look for my place card, and was naturally quite pleased when I found that the Duchess and I were seated next to one another for the evening.

The Duchess is at once, without a doubt, aristocratic and regal in her bearing and at the same time quite lively and engaging. We had a extraordinary conversion beginning with a discussion her recent trip the US to visit friends, including some time Palm Beach, Los Angeles and Sun Valley. I asked her where she stayed while in Los Angeles, and she said, “Well, I don’t know the area well enough, but it’s that rather nice area, not far from the Getty.” “Perhaps it was Bel Air?” I suggested. “Yes, exactly that’s it!” We discussed how magnificent the new Getty Museum is and that the collection contains one of her favorite paintings, by an Italian fellow, of who's name I can't at the moment recall. “We also went that pink hotel, you know the one; they have the restaurant with the horses,” she added. “Yes of course; the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel,” I offered. “Yes, exactly,” the Duchess replied. “Its one of my favorite spots, outside in the garden for a cocktail on a sunny day,” I said.

The conversation progressed to horses and dogs and she mentioned that she rides every morning and takes her dogs along for a miles-long ride. She asked if I have any dogs, and I said, “Yes, an English Spaniel, named Gus after the first Roman Emperor Augustus.” “Well, that’s rather regal,” she said, “Do you take him walking for miles in the morning?” “Well, a little ‘farm’ like you have here would be rather expensive in LA, but I do take him walking for a few blocks…” I replied somewhat sheepishly.

Scale is rather important in this type of atmosphere.

The conversion continued on and was very pleasant indeed; the meal and the wine was all served in the most gracious manner. A most memorable evening!

"New College" Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst 

"New College" at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst  

Cadets marching this afternoon at Sandhurst.  

A General Connection

Ye Old Bell
Hurley, Berkshire

I'm sitting here in the pub of the Ye Old Bell in Berkshire, just a short walk from the river Themes. Thinking back about all that we’re seen in the last couple of days, its difficult to believe how much has been packed into these short eight days. It’s been absolutely excellent.

The Old Bell is billed as the oldest continually operating inn in Britain. It was founded in 1135, yes, that’s nearly 900 years of assisting guests to step out of their coaches and pouring them a pint. Our coach has quite a few more horses, only one driver and a rather surly footman [just kidding Gerry], so we’re really quite like those travelers of centuries past.

We went for a visit to Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst today with an excellent personal tour around by the Sandhurst Archivist.

There are a great many stories to tell, of which I will have to get to later on, because we’ll be leaving for Bletchley Park in about 30 minutes, so I only have time for one.

Of the many fascinating stories from yesterday that were told, the most intriguing was told in the Lords Room of Old College by our well-informed host. There are two great portraits on the wall, enormous in scale even for this great room. One is Lt. General Sir Eyre Coote and the other is his wife Lady Coote. There are two fascinating stories here, well, actually one much more fascinating then the other. First, is that Coote, as the Governor General of Jamaica had these great portraits created for the government building which he used as the Governor Generals residence in Kingston. In government buildings, portraits of spouses were expressly forbidden. An exception was made in this case and his wife hung along side him in the residence. The second tale with which we were regaled was about this fellow Coote was that though he had a long and very happy marriage he had an affair with a young slave girl, whom he also loved dearly; with this young girl he fathered a child.

When he left Jamaica, they had to be separated as she could not accompany him back to England; therefore he set her up quite well, with plenty of money and a home in which to live. The family lived well and prospered, and eventually immigrated, some time later, to the USA.

This family later produced one of America’s most illustrious leaders, former Head of the Joint Chief’s of Staff and Secretary of State, Colin Powell. Not only can Powell trace his lineage back directly to Lt. General Coote, but also further back, directly through Coote to Edward I of England, one of England’s great soldier Kings.