6 November 2024

6pm to 8.30pm

Churchill War Rooms

Harmsworth Room

Adults

Sold Out

Tickets for Churchill: A Life are now sold out.

Join us in celebrating the release of the new edition of Churchill: A Life by Sir Martin Gilbert with a special IWM In Conversation With: event with Richard Evans and Randolph Churchill, Winston Churchill's great-grandson.

Martin Gilbert, who died in 2015, was Winston Churchill's official biographer. Before authoring Churchill: A Life, he taught at Oxford University and one of his last pupils was historian Richard Evans. Martin Gilbert also knew Randolph Churchill personally. 

Following the talk, take the opportunity to explore Churchill War Rooms, the once-secret headquarters where the course of the Second World War was determined. From the Map Room where numerous operations were planned, to Churchill's bedroom, where he made some of his most famous speeches. 

About the book

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Penguin

Sir Martin Gilbert CBE was Winston Churchill's official biographer and a leading historian of the twentieth century. An honorary fellow at Merton College, Oxford, he was knighted in 1995 ‘for service to British history and international relations’. He died in 2015.

A best-selling classic, Churchill: A Life draws on Gilbert's decades of unprecedented access to Winston Churchill's family and estate.

‘A masterpiece of scholarship . . . Explores the strategic labyrinths of two world wars with an enviable clarity.’ The Guardian

‘By far the most lucid, comprehensive and authoritative account of Churchill that has been offered in a single volume.’ Daily Telegraph

About the speakers

Richard Evans promo image
© Bill Knight

Richard Evans

Richard J. Evans gained his MA and DPhil in Modern History from Oxford, where he was taught by Martin Gilbert. His many books include The Coming of the Third Reich, The Third Reich in Power and The Third Reich at War

A Regius Professor of History Emeritus at Cambridge University, he was knighted for services to scholarship. His most recent book is Hitler's People:  The Faces of the Third Reich released August 2024.

Randolph Churchill promo image

Randolph Churchill

The great-grandson of Winston Churchill, Randolph served five years in the Royal Navy after leaving school, his last appointment serving as a Navigating and Operations Officer onboard HMS Swallow in the Hong Kong Squadron. 

Randolph is now a Trustee of the War Memorials Trust, President of the International Churchill Society & Patron of The Biggin Hill Memorial Museum Trust.

Randolph lives with his four children a stone’s throw from his great grandparent's home at Chartwell.

Headshot of Anne Sebba.

Anne Sebba 

This IWM In Conversation With: event will be chaired by Anne Sebba, one of Britain’s most distinguished biographers. Formerly a Reuters correspondent based in London and Rome, she has written ten works of non-fiction, mostly about iconic women, and presented BBC radio documentaries.

She is the author of international bestsellers including That Woman, an acclaimed biography of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, Jennie Churchill, Winston’s American Mother and Ethel Rosenberg. 

Event Timetable

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Doors open at 6.00pm 6:30pm 7:30pm 7:45pm 8:30pm

Plan your evening

In Conversation With: event begins
Followed by live Q&A

Book signing and meeting
Purchase Churchill: A Life and meet Richard Evans and Randolph Churchill

       

Your chance to explore Churchill War Rooms
Enjoy an exclusive after-hours viewing

Event concludes


About Your Ticket

The audience at an 'IWM in Conversation With' event.
© IWM

As a charity, your IWM In Conversation ticket purchase helps IWM continue to tell stories for future generations.

Tickets cost just £20 per person (including IWM members) and include:

  • Richard Evans and Randolph Churchill's talk within the impressive surroundings of Churchill War Rooms
  • A special Q&A, ask your own questions and join the conversation
  • The talk culminates in a book signing and a personal meet and greet with Richard Evans and Randolph Churchill
  • Then enjoy exclusive after-hours entry to the Churchill War Rooms.

In addition to your ticket booking, if you can, please purchase your copy of Churchill: A Life from our IWM pop-up shop on the evening. Every purchase you make supports the work we do.

About the venue

The map room at Churchill War Rooms
IWM

Following the talk, take the chance to explore Churchill War Rooms, which houses the underground headquarters where the British government directed the Second World War, including the rooms where strategic decisions regarding the D-Day landings were made.  

Walk the once top-secret corridors and follow in the footsteps of the men and women who worked here during Britain's darkest hours, see personal effects left untouched for decades, and explore the life of one of Britain's most formidable figures.

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