Wed 18 Feb
|East Horsley Village Hall
The Paintings & Wit of Winston Churchill and Noel Coward
Winston Churchill and Noel Coward were both keen amateur artists who painted for over forty years and even discussed painting. Winston's wit is the stuff of legends and Noel's is evident in his many plays and musicals. Join us to hear some of their stories.
Time & location
18 Feb 2026, 10:30
East Horsley Village Hall, Kingston Ave, East Horsley, Leatherhead KT24 6QT
About the event
About the event
Winston Churchill and Noel Coward the artists: For over forty years, Winston Churchill was a keen amateur artist. He painted from 1915, right down to his retirement in the 1950s. His landscapes record almost every country which he visited as a distinguished statesman. In Britain he painted at Blenheim, where he was born, at Port Lympne and Trent Park, where he stayed, and at Chartwell, his final home. Abroad, he painted in France and Belgium, from the trenches of World War One, and after that, on the French Riviera. He also painted in Europe, at exotic locations like Morocco and Egypt, and in Canada and the United States.
Churchill discussed painting with Noel Coward, who was another keen amateur artist for over forty years. Indeed, Churchill persuaded Coward to stop using watercolour and convert to full oil painting. In Britain, Coward painted in or near his two Kentish homes: Goldenhurst, and his magnificent house overlooking the sea at St Margaret’s Bay. He painted in Italy, at Venice and Portofino, but also three other Mediterranean locations which have yet to be identified. Perhaps you will be able to identify them? The majority of his paintings are of Jamaica: he retired and had two homes there.
The wit of both Winston Churchill and Noel Coward is very well known. Churchill’s wit is legendary: there are even books about it. Note that his best lines are being saved for the lecture! Coward of course used wit and humour in many of his plays and musicals, as well as in his personal life. Join us to hear a lot more.
About the lecturer
Nicholas Reed is an art historian and archaeologist. In the 1980s he became Founder- Chairman of the Friends of Shakespeare's Globe. In 2005 he was one of two Lecturer Representatives on The Arts Society Advisory Council and also Vice-Chairman of Folkestone. He is the author of four books on the Impressionists in England, and one on Frost Fairs on the Frozen Thames. His latest book My Father, the Man who Never Was, now renamed "Spy Runner", features in his latest lecture
This event is free to members.
Visitors are welcome to join us - £7 on the door.