Visiting the Churchill War Rooms

Written by Matt, founder of Fun London Tours and an accredited City of London and City of Westminster Tour Guide Lecturer. He guides these walks himself.

The Churchill War Rooms are the underground offices beneath Whitehall where Winston Churchill and his government ran Britain’s war. They were left much as they were when the lights went out in August 1945, and today they are a museum run by Imperial War Museums, a few minutes’ walk from Big Ben.

This is our guide to visiting them: where they are, how to get in, how long you need, what is inside, and the different ways to see them, on your own or with one of our guides.

The facts, in short

What are the Churchill War Rooms?

They are a warren of rooms in the basement of the Treasury building on King Charles Street. Work to convert them began in 1938, as war looked likely, and they were fully operating by the end of August 1939, a week before Britain declared war on Germany.

From here Churchill, his ministers and his military chiefs ran the war. The War Cabinet met here 115 times, and the Map Room was staffed day and night, tracking every front and convoy. When the war ended in August 1945, the staff turned off the lights and left, and the rooms were kept much as they were. They opened to the public in 1984, and the Churchill Museum, an exhibition about his whole life, was added alongside in 2005.

Are the Cabinet War Rooms and the Churchill War Rooms the same place?

Yes. During the war they were known as the Cabinet War Rooms. The museum is now called the Churchill War Rooms, and one ticket covers both the original wartime rooms and the Churchill Museum.

Where are the Churchill War Rooms, and which station is nearest?

The entrance is at the foot of Clive Steps, at the St James’s Park end of King Charles Street, between Whitehall and Horse Guards Road. The nearest stations are St James’s Park, on the District and Circle lines, and Westminster, on the Jubilee, District and Circle lines. Both are about ten minutes’ walk at an easy pace.

From St James’s Park station, the most straightforward route: walk along Tothill Street to Methodist Central Hall and turn left along Storey’s Gate. Cross Great George Street, then carry on along Horse Guards Road until you see the War Rooms entrance on your right.

From Westminster station, also straightforward but busier: turn right onto Parliament Street. On your left you’ll see King Charles Street, a private road. Walk to the end of it and down a short flight of steps, and the entrance is on your left.

Do you need to book, and what does it cost?

Entry is by timed ticket, and booking ahead on the Imperial War Museums website is the safest way to get the time you want, especially at weekends and in the school holidays. An adult ticket costs around £34, children pay less and under-fives go free. Our page on Churchill War Rooms tickets and opening times has the details, including the tours that include entry.

What is inside, and how long does it take?

Allow about 90 minutes to two hours. The route takes you through the original wartime rooms, including the Cabinet Room, the Map Room and Churchill’s own office and bedroom, with the Churchill Museum part way round. There is more on the rooms not to miss, and the details most visitors walk past, in what’s inside the Churchill War Rooms.

Is this Churchill’s bunker?

Yes, this is the bunker most people mean. It was a set of basement offices, strengthened with a thick layer of concrete known as the Slab. Churchill also had a backup headquarters, codenamed Paddock, under north-west London, though he rarely used it. Our article on Churchill’s underground London covers the other wartime bunkers and shelters.

What can you see on the walk there?

A great deal of wartime Westminster survives within a few minutes of the entrance. Parliament was bombed during the Blitz, and Westminster Abbey and Big Ben were damaged. Churchill’s statue stands in Parliament Square, he married Clementine at St Margaret’s Church beside the Abbey, and he narrowly escaped a bomb at Downing Street. The Cenotaph is on Whitehall, on the way. Our walking tours follow this route and finish at the War Rooms entrance.

Which way of visiting suits you?

There are six ways to see the War Rooms, depending on whether you want a guide with you inside and how much of wartime Westminster you’d like to see on the way.

Only private groups can have a guide inside, because the museum allows each guide a maximum of six people. On our small group walk your guide leaves you at the entrance, and you explore with the museum’s audio guide.

Which suits you depends on how much time you have and what you’d most like to see:

• Churchill and the Blitz walk. Ideal for first-time visitors and families who would like to choose their own time to visit the museum later, and for whom 1.5 hours on their feet is enough.
• Walk plus War Rooms entry. For anyone who wants a deep dive into wartime London and Churchill: time on the streets with a guide, then an hour and a half at your own pace inside the museum.
• Private War Rooms museum tour. For history enthusiasts who would rather spend all their time in the museum, with an expert guide.
• Private Westminster, WW2 and War Rooms. For the ultimate history enthusiast: the wartime history of the streets above ground, then a deeper dive into the Cabinet War Rooms.
• Private Intimate Churchill’s London and War Rooms. For exploring Churchill’s life and habits in a part of London he knew well but which is off the tourist trail, before continuing inside the War Rooms. Our most unique and intimate tour.