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The Cabinet War Rooms

The Cabinet War Rooms. The Cabinet War Rooms are where Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister, held meetings during the Second World War. They were underground to protect Churchill from the bombs being dropped by German planes.

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The Cabinet War Rooms

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  1. Self-Directed Resources for learning The Cabinet War Rooms The Cabinet War Rooms are where Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister, held meetings during the Second World War. They were underground to protect Churchill from the bombs being dropped by German planes. It was a secret place which hardly anyone, including the Germans, knew about. The first meeting was held here on 15 October 1940. Plan of the Cabinet War Rooms Find out more.....The Office of Works The Cabinet War Rooms were secret and hidden underground in the basement of the Office of Works in London (photo left) which now houses the Treasury. The basement was originally for storage of files and had to be converted into a protective bunker. Work was only completed on the Cabinet War Rooms a week before the Second World War started!

  2. Self-Directed Resources for Learning What is a ‘Cabinet’? The Cabinet is in charge of the Government. It's a group of the most important ministers, led by the Prime Minister. They each look after a particular part of the government, like prisons and police, health, or education. Today, they meet with the Prime Minister every week at 10 Downing Street. Find out more....The War Cabinet During the Second World War, the Prime Minister Winston Churchill formed a War Cabinet. The Cabinet needed somewhere safe to discuss the day to day business of the War. RIGHT: Prime Minister Winston Churchill

  3. Self-Directed Resources for Learning Why did the Cabinet need to meet here? Look out for... In the Second World War, London was in danger from different kinds of attack, and the Cabinet War Rooms was supposed to protect the government from bombs, gas attacks, and from enemy soldiers if the Nazis invaded Britain. Everyone in the Second World War carried a gas mask around with them – there are still many around the War Rooms. Look out for... This large slab of concrete was supposed to protect the underground site if a bomb hit the building above. Look out for... There are racks of rifles throughout the site in case enemy soldiers invaded. Self-Directed Resources for learning

  4. Self-Directed Resources for Learning How safe were the Cabinet War Rooms? They weren’t very safe at all. Because it was just the basement of a building, it wasn’t deep enough to be safe from bombs even with the slab. Churchill was angry about this – he said that he had been “sold a pup” when he was told how easily it could be damaged. The building above – the Office of Works Basement area occupied by Cabinet War Rooms The concrete slab Self-Directed Resources for learning

  5. Self-Directed Resources for Learning ‘Most Secret’ Importantly, however, the site of the Cabinet War Rooms remained secret all the way through the Second World War. The Nazis never worked out where the War Cabinet was meeting, and this was probably the best protection the site could have. Look out for...the signs Find out more...staff passes Some parts of the site were even more secret than others: only people on this list could enter the Map Room. To enter the Cabinet War Rooms site, all staff had to carry their special pass and show it to the Royal Marines who guarded the entrance. More pics of clocks in situ... Self-Directed Resources for learning

  6. Self-Directed Resources for learning Cabinet War Room Clocks All around the Cabinet War Rooms are clocks which have been stopped at the same time. There are 13 specially made wall mounted clocks in the site: see if you can spot them all when you visit. Look out for... the clocks Find out more.....why 5pm? All of the clocks around the Cabinet War Rooms are set to just before 5.00 pm, the time of the very first meeting of the War Cabinet on 15 October 1940. More pics of clocks in situ...

  7. Self-Directed Resources for Learning Alternative site: The Paddock The Paddock was an alternative site, sometimes called ‘CWR2’. Unlike the Cabinet War Rooms, this bunker was purpose built and was deep enough to be completely bombproof. The Paddock was so secret that Churchill only described it as "near Hampstead" in his memoirs, apparently an intentionally misleading statement. Images of the Paddock as it is today Find out more.... Paddock was intended to replicate the facilities of the Cabinet War Rooms. The sub-basement was protected by a roof of concrete five feet thick while over it would be a first basement considerably larger in area, protected by another concrete roof three feet thick. Located in Dollis Hill, North West London, it was constructed in 1939 but only rarely used during the war because it was so far from central London.

  8. Self-Directed Resources for Learning ABOVE: Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Captain Richard Pim in the building above the Cabinet War Rooms.

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