Geograph - photograph every grid square

Chartwell was Winston and Clementine Churchill's home from 1924 to his death in 1965. It now comes under the National Trust and was first opened to the public in the summer of 1966.

There were already ornamental ponds here when the Churchill bought the house in 1922. One of these was the Golden Orfe Pond, seen here, which was fed by the Chart Well spring that gave the house its name. The Golden Orfe Pond was one of Winston's favourite places from his earliest days at Chartwell to the last years of his life. The seat and fish-food box are located just as they were when Winston used to sit and read, as well as feed and watch his golden orfe.

He was once on his way to meet a cruise at Portsmouth and on the way realised that he had forgotten to feed the fish so had to go all the way back to do so and the passengers on the cruise had to wait for him! He had a special supply of maggots sent to him from the North for the fish.