Sir Winston Churchill, the great war leader and politician, bred butterflies at his family home in Kent
Churchill's love of butterflies began when he was at prep school in the 1880s
In 1924 Churchill bought Chartwell near Westerham and he lived there until the end of his life
Churchill bought Chartwell for its magnificent views over the Weald of Kent
In 1939, "just as the storm clouds were gathering over the world", Churchill telephoned leading butterfly breeding expert L Hugh Newman for advice on setting up a butterfly house
The Second World War prevented him realising his dream but after the war he converted his summerhouse into a butterfly house
The National Trust decided to re-establish Churchill's butterfly house at Chartwell - Gardener Stephen Humphrey took on the project
A Comma caterpillar in one of the breeding cages - once butterflies they are then released into the garden
Churchill also sought advice on which plants to grow to attract butterflies and planted buddleia borders
Visitors to Chartwell can follow in Churchill's footsteps along his butterfly walk where the borders may be the oldest surviving examples of such planting in the country
Churchill's gardens attract species including the Common Blue, the Meadow Brown and this one, the Gatekeeper
The butterfly walk attracts other insects into the garden too
The team at Chartwell only breed butterflies which are found naturally in the area
The gardens at Chartwell are open from Wednesday to Sunday each week. For more information call 01732 866368
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