Touring Churchill’s England: rituals of kinship and belonging

Abstract

Drawing upon the insights to be gained from material culture studies, this article examines the role of objects as identity markers, specifically those displayed at Chartwell, the former home of Sir Winston Churchill. Theoretically grounded in the psychological dynamics of nationness, it argues that both man and house personify characteristics of Englishness. The artefacts inside the house resemble a forest of symbols depicting those aspects of the nation considered worthy of reverence. Recognition of these symbols takes place within three realms: imagination, memory and emotion. Within these realms lies the potential to rekindle the national self-confidence and unity that Churchill is deemed to represent.