Churchill’s Statue: Feet In Two Countries

Outside the British Embassy on Washington’s Embassy Row is Winston Churchill, a statue with a foot in two countries. Churchill’s father was the Duke of Marlborough. But his mother was an American from Brooklyn, NY. So, when it came time to commemorate Churchill’s life, planting a bronze foot in both countries was an ideal way to recognize both the British-American alliance that was key to winning WWII in Europe as well as the former prime minister’s ancestry. On his 89th birthday when he learned where the statue would be placed Churchill said, “I feel it will rest happily and securely on both feet.”

The statue was unveiled by Secretary of State Dean Rusk in 1966, a year after Churchill’s death. Done by William McVey, it shows Churchill striding forward with a cigar in one hand and his V for victory salute in the other. The statue stands on soil from three significant places in his life: Blenheim Palace, where he was born; Chartwell, his home in Kent, and Brooklyn, his mother’s birthplace.

During a speech to a joint session of Congress the day after Christmas in 1941 Churchill wryly commented “I cannot help reflecting that if my father had been American and my mother British, instead of the other way around, I might have got here on my own.” In 1963 Congress and the president made him an honorary US citizen. He is one of only two people granted this honor while still alive (the other is Mother Teresa).

Duration
2 hours
Group Size
2 to 6

Above It All - Washington National Cathedral

Washington National Cathedral is a Gothic masterpiece. Perched on a hill overlooking the city it is the second largest cathedral in the country and the 6th largest in the world. It is a living work of art filled with stained-glass, hand-carved wood, and wrought iron. While a modern structure (finished in 1990) it is constructed in the old-world way and has no structural steel.

Duration
2 hours 30 minutes
Group Size
1 to 6

Hidden on Capitol Hill

Few people think beyond the Capitol when they think of the Hill. This tour takes you to the heart of a neighborhood with a fascinating history that still speaks to us today. Learn about these famous locations from a former Capitol Hill resident.

Duration
2 hours 30 minutes
Group Size
1 to 6

Embassy Row: Divinity & Diplomats

Most Embassy Row tours don’t venture far beyond Dupont Circle. But ours does. We see it all from top to bottom. This stretch of Massachusetts Avenue used to be called Millionaires Row where Gilded Age robber-barons built grand mansions. Today those mansions house most of Washington’s embassies, along with private clubs and statues of world heroes such as Mandela, Gandhi, and Churchill – and we will be right in the heart of it.