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Chartwell Walks

4.35 miles (7 km)

Ordnance Survey Map Open Streetmap Explore the family home and garden of Sir Winston Churchill on this short walk in Westerham, Kent. The hillside gardens include pretty lakes created by Churchill himself, a kitchen garden which produced fruit and vegetables for 10 Downing Street and the Marycot - a playhouse designed for his youngest daughter Mary. There is also an orchard with the colourful Japanese crab apple and a pretty rock garden.
You can also explore the 800 acres of the wider estate with miles of woodland paths and fabulous views of the Weald from Mariners Hill. The walk also visits Toy's Hill with more than 200 acres (81 hectares) of woodland, abundant wildlife and more splendid views of the surrounding Kent countryside.
In the house the rooms remain much as they were when he lived there with a number of his fine paintings on display.
Chartwell is located just a few miles from Sevenoaks and Oxted. The Greensand Way walking route runs past the estate so there is scope for continuing your walk along this trail if you have time.
You could pick up the trail and head to the nearby Toys Hill. Here you will find a wonderful viewpoint with views over the Weald of Kent. The area also includes the delightful Emmetts Garden and has strong connections with Octavia Hill, founder of the National Trust.

Postcode

TN16 1PS - Please note: Postcode may be approximate for some rural locations

Please click here for more information

Chartwell House OS Map Ordnance survey map - Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking

Chartwell House Open Street Map Open Streetmap - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking

Further Information and Other Local Ideas

The popular Oxted Circular Walk runs close to the house and provides an opportunity of visiting the house from Oxted train station. This 10 mile walk visits some of the highlights of the area including the 17th century Squerryes Court.
The circular Ide Hill Walk starts from the nearby village. Here you'll find a pretty village green and a 19th century church is notable as the highest church in Kent. The route visits Toys Hill before heading to the house via Hosey Common.
For more walking ideas in the area see the Kent Walks page.

Photos

Chartwell House - geograph.org.uk - 719

Chartwell House

Lake at Chartwell - geograph.org.uk - 228808

Lake at Chartwell.  One of the lakes and ponds created by Sir Winston Churchill when he lived at the property from 1924 until his death.

Churchill's Wall, Chartwell - geograph.org.uk - 809426

Churchill's Wall. The garden wall that Winston Churchill built himself at Chartwell.

Chartwell estate - geograph.org.uk - 843586

Chartwell estate. View of lake and swimming pool from overflow car park. The Weald of Kent can be seen in the distance.

The Studio and Oast Houses, Chartwell - geograph.org.uk - 922346

The Studio and Oast Houses. The Studio houses many of Winston Churchill's paintings. Close by are several oast houses (not open to the public).

Stepping stones across the pond at Chartwell - geograph.org.uk - 1422279

Stepping stones across the pond.
Apparently Sir Winston Churchill used to meditate at this tranquil spot

Entrance to Churchill's Garden Studio at Chartwell - geograph.org.uk - 1421616

Entrance to Churchill's Garden Studio

The kitchen garden at Chartwell - geograph.org.uk - 406325

The kitchen garden

Video

GPS Files

GPX File

Chartwell House.gpx (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold>Download Linked File)

Memory Map Route

Chartwell House.mmo (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold >Download Linked File)