A pair of Sir Winston Churchill glass decanters, by Garrard & Co.,1974

A pair of Sir Winston Churchill glass decanters, by Garrard & Co.,1974. These lead crystal decanters are numbers 27 and 28 in a limited edition of 100 Churchill decanters made by Orrefors for Garrard & Co.  Each is oviform and gilt-engraved with a depiction of Churchill as a Knight of the Garter, flanked by four heralds on one side and the legend ‘To commemorate the centenary of the birth of Sir Winston Spencer Churchill 1874-1974’ on the other.  The base is etched “Garrard & Co. Ltd. The Crown Jewellers, 112 Regent Street, London W1“, “No. 27” and “No 28”.  The removable circular stoppers bear the Churchill coat of arms.  Both decanters are in their original brown presentation cases.

Provenance: Sir James Gomer Berry, 1^st Viscount Kemsley, thence by descent

Major Hon Denis Gomer Berry 

Richard Gomer Berry, 3rd Viscount Kemsley

Kemsley and Churchill.  Churchill’s financial situation was often unstable and in 1938 he was almost forced to sell his home, Chartwell, Kent.  The house had five reception rooms, nineteen bed and dressing rooms, eight bathrooms and eighty acres of land.  Wealthy friends, including Viscount Kemsley, bought Chartwell for the National Trust in 1946 on the condition that Churchill and his family could continue to live there.  It was presented to the public in 1966, one year after Churchill’s death.