Resident of Churchill's estate makes emotional return

The last living pre-World War II resident of the family home of Sir Winston Churchill is to make an emotional return to help launch a new display celebrating the work of her father at the estate.

The father of Gwen Hibbert, née Hill, was Albert Hill, who worked as the Churchills' head gardener at Chartwell, in Kent, from 1927 until 1944.

On Thursday, 97-year-old Hibbert will unveil a new display telling the story of her father in her birthplace and childhood home, Garden Cottage.

Chartwell curator, Katherine Carter, said that having Hibbert at the estate will be "truly special".

She added: "The staff at Chartwell were witnesses to history, but also had their own extraordinary stories to tell, and we're thrilled to be sharing these stories."

Hill was in his mid-20s when he moved into Garden Cottage with his family in the summer of 1927, and Gwen was born the following year.

When World War II broke out in 1939, the Churchills relocated to London but the Hill's remained at Chartwell.

Above the age limit for military conscription, Hill continued to manage the 80 acres of garden and woodland, and supplied the now-departed Churchills with flowers, fruit, vegetables, eggs and honey.

During the war, the Hill family moved into rooms on the lower ground floor in the main house.

Hibbert said: "The reason they wanted us in there was because my father was an ARP [Air Raid Precautions] warden and they said that if any incendiaries dropped on Chartwell, he would be able to go up and put them out… and we stayed there for two years and lived in Chartwell itself."

Hill developed leukaemia and died in June 1944.

Carter added: "We are so grateful to Gwen for kindly sharing her memories with us and allowing us to use her beautiful family photographs to show this lesser-known side of life at Chartwell."

Hibbert will unveil the display in Garden Cottage Tearoom just after 11:00 BST, with the space set to be open daily until 4 October before reopening in the spring.

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