War Museum-History Museum - Pub. It's a matter of priorities!

Last year when we came to London, we ran out of time to visit Churchills War Room and Museum, we had walked past it but didn't get the time to go in.

Churchill War rooms are the actual room used by Winston Churchill and his senior staff to direct operations during WW2. They are located under one of the major government buildings (check photo below on second line right hand side. The light part is the war rooms). They are an incredible snapshot of time as they were preserved exactly as they were when everyone walked out of the rooms on 16 August 1945. The war was over and they were no longer needed.

The Cabinet War Rooms were originally government archives and expanded as the needs required during the duration of WW11.

It was a big undertaking, and the area wasn't ideal, but it would have taken too long to build a secret war room to spec, so they worked with what they had. Areas of brick were partitioned off, telephone line, broadcast cables, airlocks and steel doors to defend against gas. While the war raged the Cabinet War rooms were further surrounded by a reinforced concrete slab and by 1941 this expanded the 'safe zone' to a further 34 rooms.

When we wandered through the labyrinth of narrow corridors peering into small rooms of the Cabinet War rooms there was an eerie silence, even if people talk the walls seem to absorb the sound. At it's peak around 500 people were housed in these tight quarters.

In one area we are informed that this wasn't a bomb shelter it was a fortified basement.

As we wondered through the complex we got a very good insight into life in the 'dungeon' with personal accounts from those that lived within the walls interspersed within the excellent audio guide.

To think that within these walls' decisions were made daily or hourly that affected changed the course of the war was pretty surreal. The map room was particularly interesting as we could see the maps that showed the various fronts and the ebb and flow of battle. There was also a separate but linked Churchill Museum (all part of our ticket) which gave a fascinating insight into the great man.

After the Churchill War rooms, we headed past the Household Calvary where the Trooping of the colours took place, the street is lined with flags of the commonwealth, each flagpole had a small plaque identifying the country of origin. The New Zealand flag wasn't immediately obvious but there was a pole with no flag on it next to the Australian flag. When we checked of course that was the pole for our flag. Hmm who stole our flag I wonder.

Next stop it was off to the Three Crowns Pub for lunch and a bit of Cricket watching England were playing India in the first test at Headingly in Leeds. We left when the match was temporary stopped for rain, headed passed Picadilly Circus toward the British Museum and to find a Fossil shop.

Jeanette was keen to go to the British Museum - I asked where it was where is it - she pointed over the road - right there! It was quite a large building and relatively hard to miss to be fair. One thing I had spotted was a cosy pub - and the cricket was underway again after a short rain delay! Time for compromise! I mozzied off into the pub and sat down with a pint or two to finish watching the cricket and Jeanette head to the museum.

Dead set win/win situation right there.

Note from Jeanette: All I can say is I loved my time wondering thru the history of the world thru the artifacts that explorers and historians have found over the years, going back in time as I gazed on a Vase, that was made in 400BC, the mummies, jewellery or the wall carvings that tell a story of events like we use google, to think what todays history will look like in a museum, what artifact will represent us for those in the future to speculate how we lived and died. I stayed until I was booted out at end of the day at 5pm.

I loved the cricket too! It was a bit tense early on, but England always had things comfortably under control as they cruised to victory in the end.

Jeanette joined me for the last few overs of India vs England and then popped on the tube to head to one more pub for dinner - our local The Mitre.