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Video: Chartwell is put
to bed

It sees thousands of visitors every summer
but when all the tourists have left Chartwell House
in Westerham, that's when the hard work really
begins.

The former home of Sir Winston Churchill is closed over the
winter period to give staff the chance to conserve all of its
priceless artefacts.

It takes a team of five, along with a whole raft of
volunteers, three months of work to keep the historic house in
pristine condition.

There will be ceramics cleaning in Lady Churchill's bedroom,
silver care in the museum room and an expert textile conservator on
hand to carry out specialist work on fabrics and hats from the
collection.

Alice Martin, House and Collections Manager, said there is a lot
to be done: "We have to cover up the house to protect it from dirt,
close off all the light sources and just give it a really good
winter clean."

You can see exactly how the house is put to bed by watching our
video report above.