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Wickwythe Hall: Fact or Fiction?

Guest Post by Judithe Little

Wickwythe Hall takes place in a country house in England in 1940. In the novel, Winston Churchill comes to stay at Wickwythe Hall for a weekend. Many readers have asked if there really is a Wickwythe Hall. The answer is no—and yes.

During World War II, it wasn’t unusual for Churchill to escape London and spend time at Chequers, the official country home of British prime ministers.  For him, war didn’t stop the British custom of transferring staffs and households for weekend retreats.  This was what the man was fighting for. Traditions. A way of life.  The glory of the British Empire of which the country house party was an integral part.

But there were times Churchill had to avoid Chequers. “When the moon is high,” was his poetic way of putting the fact that during a full moon, German bombers could easily spot the estate from the night sky.

Needing somewhere else to go, he had his security officers search out an alternate location. They settled on a home called Ditchley Park. Ditchley, shrouded by a grove of mature trees, was invisible to Luftwaffe raiders in times of a high moon. Just as important, it offered the sort of accommodations Churchill preferred. A respite of luxury and charm with a remote, other-worldly feel, it was just an hour’s drive from London.

Ditchley was owned by an American and her British husband. Over the years, they’d put in central heating and modern plumbing. They combined adjoining bedrooms into a bedroom and bathroom suite, each with their own fireplace. Instead of standard commodes, chairs were fashioned to go over the plumbing with holes artfully cut through the seats.  Ditchley was British pedigree combined with American ingenuity. No wonder Churchill, who was half-American, felt at home there.

Putting him up for a weekend must have been a daunting task. His guards (the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire brigades) had to be quartered, as did his family, friends, advisors, secretaries, and typists. A special telephone system had to be put in. An anti-aircraft battery was stationed on a hill. His detectives went over the house from top to bottom.

And there was the matter of feeding him. Take for instance, his breakfast and libation requirements. The breakfast tray was to include two types of fruit, eggs, bacon or ham, toast, orange juice, tea and a tumbler of sherry. He drank sherry in the morning, scotch and soda before lunch—Johnny Walker Red—and wine and champagne—Pol Roger—at lunch. He napped from three to five, then had wine and champagne with dinner, port with the cheese course, followed by brandy, required to be at least ninety years old, just before bed.

Churchill’s friends joked that he was “easily satisfied by the best.” At Ditchley Park—the inspiration for the fictional Wickwythe Hall—he must have been very satisfied.