Thanks to Suzanne and Alan Whitewood for this report from Dimbola Museum and galleries. Ed
Dimbola Museum and Galleries have a current exhibition detailing the Churchillian connection with Vectis.
Julia Margaret Cameron’s friend, Lord Tennyson, was one of Winston Churchill’s favourite poets and Winston often used quotes from ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’.
140th anniversary of Lord Randolph Churchill
This year marks the 140th anniversary of Lord Randolph Churchill (1849-1895) – father of the statesman Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) – meeting the American Jennie Jerome, whom he married. Members of the Jerome family visited Cowes and in 1866 Leonard Jerome raced his yacht from New York to Cowes.
Ventnor resident Anthony Churchill is the chairman of the organising committee behind the celebrations to be held on the Island. Anthony’s link with another Prime Minister, Sir Edward Heath, is also detailed in the exhibition which is sponsored by the IW County Press. Anthony was a crew member and raced on Sir Edward’s yachts ‘Morning Cloud’ one of which won, on handicap, the Sydney-Hobart Race in 1969.
Churchill family history
John Churchill was the founder of the family’s fortune. His battle victories included Blenheim and Romilles and in gratitude he was created Duke of Marlborough. His gifted land is where Blenheim Palace now stands.
In 1678 John was returned to Parliament as the MP representing Newtown on the Island then one of the Island’s Parliamentary seats.
George Spencer-Churchill 6th Duke of Marlborough owned a two masted schooner named ‘Wyvern’ which he raced around the Island in 1851, competing for the RYS £100 Cup. ‘America’ was victorious and the rest is history with the formation of ‘The America’s Cup’.
Ventnor stays for Winston
As a child Winston stayed at various addresses in Ventnor and was taken for walks on the downs behind the town and through the Landslip to Shanklin.
During WW2 Shanklin Chine was a key terminal for the PLUTO project which was masterminded by Winston.
A visit to the prison
Back in 1910 he visited Parkhurst Prison and returned to the Island that same year to address election meetings in Cowes, Ryde, Newport and Wootton. In 1912 he officially opened Camphill Prison.
Continuing the yachting/boating theme Winston Churchill’s grandson and great grandson (Winston Churchill MP and Randolph) often raced in the Solent. They competed in Cowes Week in their Contessa 32-‘Carolina’ and Rupert Soames, another grandson, purchased a powerboat catamaran from Cheetah Marine, Ventnor, two years ago.
Exhibition runs until September
This is only a glimpse of the exhibition, now open until 1st September, which has been brought together by Anthony and shows some fascinating facts about this well known family.
Full details of Exhibition on Events OnTheWight.
