Butterflies are back in force at Sir Winston Churchill’s Chartwell. In 2009, the National Trust rebuilt the butterfly hut and gardener Stephen Humphrey took charge of raising butterflies. Nigel Guest, a Chartwell volunteer, immediately reported “a terrific year for butterflies.” For his report and color photos of Churchill’s favorite species see BBC Radio Kent, “Churchill’s Butterfly House at Chartwell.”
David Riddle, a National Trust volunteer at Chartwell, gave me the background of the “Butterfly House” Churchill established to propagate the insects on the grounds of his home:
The Butterfly House was first used as a game larder between 1869 and 1889 by the Colquhoun family, who owned Chartwell between 1830 and 1922, when Churchill bought the estate.…
The Hudson Institute economist Irwin Stelzer penned an interesting article on trade: “Trump girds for War with EU.” I sent it around to colleagues, praising it for properly attributing an alleged Churchill quote:
No one doubts that Trump is gearing up to launch a tariff battle with the European Union. For one thing, he is set to sign a deal ending the trade battle with China, and would not be fighting a two-front war should he take on Europe which, he tweeted last week, “has taken advantage of the U.S.…
A friend sends a letter from a planning firm, “reaching out” to his homeowners association. The planners seek a consultant contract. They promise “awesome” results. Their proposals are so full of jargon that my friend wondered what Churchill would make of it. The letter contains many sentences Churchill would have deplored:
“The committee tasked us with the planning and completion of an inclusive and productive process.”
“General understanding offers guidance for the implementation committee.”
And: “An outward and honest marketing position achieves awesome goals…”
“Tasked,” of course, is a new verb, converted from the noun “task” by modern Newspeak.…
John Fleet is a filmmaker who has produced an excellent documentary on Winston Churchill and Alexander Korda. Their collaboration in movie making, though not widely known, was substantial. A trailer for “Churchill and the Movie Mogul” may viewed online. For the full lecture, including Q&A—or the option of reading a transcript—click here.
A Treat Instead of a TreatmentWe always begin watching any new film about Churchill with trepidation. After the skewed portraits in the television series The Crown, the fake history about postwar India in Viceroy’s House, and the absurdities of Churchill played by Brian Cox, we are fearful of having sit through another slapdash, ill-researched portrait.…
Excerpted from “Churchill, Shakespeare and Henry V.” Lecture at “Churchill and the Movies,” a seminar sponsored by the Center for Constructive Alternatives, Hillsdale College, 25 March 2019. For the complete video, click here.
Shakespeare’s Henry: Parallels and InspirationsAbove all and first, the importance of Henry V is what it teaches about leadership. “True leadership,” writes Andrew Roberts, “stirs us in a way that is deeply embedded in our genes and psyche.…If the underlying factors of leadership have remained the same for centuries, cannot these lessons be learned and applied in situations far removed from ancient times?”…
So they go on in strange paradox, decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all-powerful to be impotent. So we go on preparing more months and years—precious, perhaps vital, to the greatness of Britain—for the locusts to eat. —Churchill, House of Commons, 12 November 1936
Brexit BedlamFor me the most adroit analysis of Britain’s Brexit Bedlam we can read to date was by Andrew Roberts in the Sunday Telegraph. You can register for free to read the article.…
In 1927, Winston Churchill wrote to his wife Clementine, “I am becoming a film fan.” He had projection equipment installed at Chequers, the country home of British prime ministers, in 1943, and at his family home Chartwell in 1946. “Churchill and the Movies” is the fourth and final event of the Center for Constructive Alternatives in the 2018-19 academic year. We will view and discuss two films widely regarded as Churchill’s favorites, and two Churchill biographic movies in their historical context.
Hillsdale’s Center for Constructive Alternatives (CCA) is the sponsor of one of the largest college lecture series in America.…
