On 27 August 1939 – one week before the outbreak of the Second World War – the Cabinet War Rooms became operational for the first time. On 4 April 1984, the Cabinet War Rooms were officially opened to the public.
At first the rooms were little more than a dusty basement beneath government offices near Downing Street. In summer 1938, as Hitler’s demands for Czechoslovak territory brought Europe to the brink of war, a team led by Sir Leslie Hollis worked to turn this space into a fully equipped war room – where senior political and military leaders could coordinate a future war effort.
‘I had no precedent to work on, for this headquarters was to be the first of its type,’ recalled Hollis. In preparation, alcoves were filled with sandbags, glass doors replaced with solid wood, and telephone lines installed. When war eventually broke out in September 1939, the Cabinet War Rooms were ready.
‘This is the room from which I will direct the war.’
In May 1940, as German forces invaded western Europe, Winston Churchill visited the Cabinet War Rooms. He had recently been appointed Prime Minister and in the Cabinet Room, he remarked ‘This is the room from which I will direct the war’.
The Cabinet would meet at the War Rooms 115 times, especially during the 1940-41 ‘Blitz’ bombing raids, and the 1944-45 V-weapons offensive.
The Map Room was manned 24-hours a day until shortly after the surrender of Japan, in August 1945. For the first time in almost six years, the lights were switched off.
In 1948, questions in Parliament prompted a government promise that the complex’s key rooms would be preserved. At first people were allowed to visit in small groups, on guided tours.
By the 1970s, when the Imperial War Museum was asked to take over running the site, tens of thousands of people were applying to visit each year. Opened to the public as a museum in 1984, the museum has worked to preserve the Rooms and their stories.
Now known as the Churchill War Rooms, this underground headquarters now welcomes thousands of visitors, each uncovering the secrets of this historic site.
9 Secrets from Churchill War Rooms
Discover some of the hidden secrets and stories of Churchill War Rooms.
Life in Churchill’s War Rooms
Queen Elizabeth II opened the Churchill Museum at Churchill War Rooms in 2005, she remembered the hope Winston Churchill delivered during the dark days of the Second World War: "During those wartime years Churchill's determination and example gave us all the hope, the courage and the confidence to 'tread safely into the unknown'."
-
A secret stash
When IWM took over the Churchill War Rooms in the early 1980s, three sugar cubes were discovered, hidden away in a desk drawer of the Map Room.
-
Top secret typist
Joy Hunter worked in the Cabinet War Rooms during the Second World War and remembers what it was like to see Churchill walking the corridors.
-
Churchill's top secret hotline to the President
In October 1940, a company in the US began a secret project that would enable secure phone conversations across the Atlantic Ocean. It came to be known as SIGSALY.
-
Women of the Cabinet War Rooms
Women played a crucial role in the day-to-day life of the Cabinet War Rooms during the Second World War. Letters from Edith Florence Cochrane, known as 'Peggy', offer a fascinating insight into her work life.
-
The Remington 'noiseless' typewriter
Churchill insisted on a quiet working environment - discover the piece of equipment that helped his staff reduce unnecessary noise.
Explore our shop
-
-
Churchill War Rooms Guidebook
Find out the key facts about Churchill War Rooms and plan your visit.
-
Map Room Clock
Keep time with this authentic replica of the Map Room Clock on display at Churchill War Rooms.
