Amazing story of stained glass owned by Winston Churchill to feature on Antiques Roadshow
AN antiques buff has revealed the amazing story behind a piece of stained glass once owned by Sir Winston Churchill.
George Grimes shared the shield’s fascinating journey ahead of an appearance on BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, saying: “This glass has seen so much.”
After sitting in the walls of Parliament for almost 100 years, it came into Churchill’s possession when the Palace of Westminster was bombed during the Blitz.
Mr Grimes began a collection of items made from the rubble, like the shield, after seeing an ashtray made from the attack debris as a child.
The porter said: “The whole thing for me, is great. I will keep it as it’s absolutely beautiful.
“They made so much stuff and I’ve collected a lot of it, I’ve got a huge collection.
“I started in the mid 1990s – my grandmother had an ashtray and it always made a mark on me.”
On what it’s like to have something owned by such a famous man in his house, he said: “It’s very surreal, as i’m an ordinary guy.
“Churchill was like royalty, he was like a god.”
He decided to take it onto Antiques Roadshow to see how much the piece would be worth.
The collector said: “It was really quite exciting, Fiona Bruce is wonderful.”
‘THIS GLASS HAS SEEN SO MUCH’
The colourful glass – which features a lion and a coronet – was first installed in the Houses of Parliament when it was rebuilt in the 1840s.
Mr Grimes’ enthusiasm for the history of the item bubbled over as he imagined the moment Prince Albert and Queen Victoria would have walked past it on opening day.
It remained in St Stephen’ Hall until May, 1940, when a bomb from the Nazis in the Blitz seriously damaged Parliament.
Churchill made a tearful tour with Guy Eden, lobby correspondent for the Express, through the destruction the following day.
Mr Grimes, 53, said the Prime Minister at the time sobbed as he told Mr Eden the rubble should be re-purposed to make objects to sell to fund the war effort.
Stone, wood, lead and brass were used to make ashtrays, bookends and figurines – which made their way into many Brit’s homes.
Mr Grimes’ grandparents owned an ashtray, which he remembers them keeping next to a Churchill Toby Jug.
BRITISH HISTORY RE-PURPOSED
It inspired him to start his own collection of objects made from the rubble of Parliament, and now has dozens of items on display in his house.
A number of stained glass shards were pulled from the wreckage and 12 shields were made to be presented to a chosen few.
Mr Grimes, from West London, said: “He [Churchill] received two, they were given out in pairs.”
Mr Eden, Churchill’s favourite reporter, was eventually given one of the former PM’s priceless shields – and is the very same in Mr Grimes’ possession today.
He bought the historical item for £500 in 2013, after Mr Eden’s niece, Carol Devlin, auctioned it online.
Mr Grimes revealed he didn’t believe the story behind the glass shield at first, but when it didn’t sell he asked for the paperwork to prove the unbelievable tale.
He realised what a find it was and snapped the glass up, before proudly displaying the shield in a frame and deciding to see how much it would be worth on Antiques Roadshow.
- Antiques Roadshow is on Sunday’s at 8pm on BBC One and is available on BBC iPlayer.
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