View source for Chequers

{{Short description|Country house of the British Prime Minister}}
{{About|the British Prime Minister's residence|the Brexit white paper|Chequers plan|the board game|Checkers|other uses|Checkers (disambiguation)}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox building
| name             = Chequers
| image            = File:Chequers.jpg
| image_caption    = Chequers, the official country residence of British prime ministers since 1921
| alternate_names  = Chequers Court
| architectural_style = [[Elizabethan architecture|Elizabethan]]
| address          = Missenden Road<br/>[[Aylesbury]]<br/>[[Buckinghamshire]]<br/>HP17 0UZ
| coordinates      = {{Coord|51|44|36|N|0|46|55|W|type:landmark_region:GB|display=title,inline}}
| completion_date  = c. {{Start date and age|1556}}
| client           = William Hawtrey
| owner            = The Chequers Trust
| material         = Red brick with stone dressings and roof tiles
| embedded         = {{Infobox designation list
| embed                   = yes
| designation1            = Grade I Listed Building
| designation1_offname    = Chequers
| designation1_date       = 21 June 1955
| designation1_number     = {{NHLE|num=1125879|short=y}}
| designation2            = National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
| designation2_offname    = Chequers
| designation2_date       = 30 August 1987
| designation2_number     = 1000595
| designation2_free1name  = Grade
| designation2_free1value = I
}}
}}

'''Chequers''' or '''Chequers Court''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|tʃ|ɛ|k|ər|z}} {{Respell|CHEK|ərz}}) is the [[English country house|country house]] of the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|prime minister of the United Kingdom]]. A 16th-century [[manor house]], it lies near the village of [[Ellesborough]], halfway between the towns of [[Princes Risborough]] and [[Wendover]] in [[Buckinghamshire]], at the foot of the [[Chiltern Hills]], {{Convert|40|mi|km|lk=off|abbr=out}} north-west of [[Central London]]. [[Coombe Hill, Buckinghamshire|Coombe Hill]], which is {{Convert|2/3|mile|km|spell=in|adj=pre|of a}} northeast, was once mostly part of the estate.

Chequers has been the country home of the serving prime minister since 1921, when it was given to the nation by [[Arthur Lee, 1st Viscount Lee of Fareham|Viscount Lee of Fareham]] via a [[Deed of Settlement]], given full effect in the [[Chequers Estate Act 1917]]. The house is [[listed Grade I]] on the [[National Heritage List for England]].<ref name="NHLEHouse">{{NHLE|num=1125879|desc=Chequers|access-date=22 December 2016|mode=cs2}}</ref>

==Origin of the name==
Chequers Court takes its name from the Checker family, who owned the estate in the 12th and 13th centuries. Elias del Checker, the first recorded member of the family, was an usher at the [[Exchequer#Exchequer in England and Wales|King's Exchequer]], hence his name: ''del Checker'' (Latinised as ''de [[wikt:scaccarium|Scaccario]]'') means "of the Exchequer" in [[Anglo-Norman French|Anglo-Norman]]. Around 1254 Elias's grandson, Ralf, died without a male heir, causing the estate to pass into the hands of his son-in-law, William de Hauterive (or Hawtrey).<ref>{{cite book|last=Jenkins|first=J. Gilbert|title=Chequers: A History of the Prime Minister's Buckinghamshire Home|date=1967|location=Oxford|publisher=Pergamon Press|pages=9–19|url=https://archive.org/details/chequershistoryo0000jgil/page/9}}</ref>

==History==
The current house was built by another William Hawtrey around 1565, possibly by reconstructing an earlier building.{{Sfn|Williamson|Pevsner|2003|p=234}} A reception room in the house bears his name today. Soon after its construction, Hawtrey acted as a custodian at Chequers for [[Lady Mary Grey]], younger sister of [[Lady Jane Grey]] and great-granddaughter of [[Henry VII of England|King Henry VII]].<ref>{{Cite book |first=Lady Georgina |last=Bertie |date=1845 |title=Five generations of a loyal house. Pt. 1, containing the lives of R. Bertie and his son Peregrine, lord Willoughby |p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=x1MBAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA40 40]}}</ref> Lady Mary had married without the monarch's consent, and as punishment was banished from court by [[Elizabeth I of England|Queen Elizabeth I]] and kept confined.<ref>{{Harvnb|Hawtrey|1903|pp=30–31}}.</ref> Lady Mary remained at Chequers for two years. The room where she slept from 1565 to 1567 remains in its original condition.{{Sfn|Major|2001|p=27}}

Through descent in the female line and marriages, the house passed through several families: the Wooleys, the Crokes and the Thurbanes. In 1715 the owner of the house married [[John Russell (colonial administrator)|John Russell]], a grandson of [[Oliver Cromwell]]. The house is known for this connection to the Cromwells, and still contains a large collection of Cromwell memorabilia.

In the 19th century the Russells (by now the [[Greenhill-Russell Baronets|Greenhill-Russell]] family) employed Henry Rhodes to make alterations to the house in the [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] style.{{Sfn|Williamson|Pevsner|2003|p=234}} The [[Tudor architecture|Tudor]] panelling and windows were ripped out, and [[battlement]]s with [[pinnacle]]s installed. Towards the end of the 19th century, the house passed through marriage to the Astley family. Between 1892 and 1901 Bertram Astley restored the house to its Elizabethan origins, with advice from [[Reginald Blomfield]].{{Sfn|Williamson|Pevsner|2003|p=234}} The restoration and design work was completed by the architect John Birch.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Birch (Architect.) |first=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sioOAAAAQAAJ&q=john+birch+architect |title=The Architecture of the Stables and Country Mansions |date=1883 |publisher=William Blackwood & Sons}}</ref>

===20th century===
[[File:Chequers. - geograph.org.uk - 136199.jpg|thumb|left|Chequers viewed from the rear in 2006]]
{{quote box|width=25em|align=right|quote=It is not possible to foresee or foretell from what classes or conditions of life the future wielders of power in this country will be drawn. Some may be as in the past men of wealth and famous descent; some may belong to the world of trade and business; others may spring from the ranks of the manual toilers. To none of these [...] could the spirit and anodyne of Chequers do anything but good. [...], the better the health of our rulers the more sanely will they rule and the inducement to spend two days a week in the high and pure air of the Chiltern hills and woods will, it is hoped, benefit the nation as well as its chosen leaders.|source=–Lee's rationale for the gift, set out in the [[Chequers Estate Act 1917]]<ref name=":0"/>}}
{{quote box|width=25em|align=right|quote=This house of peace and ancient memories was given to England as a thank-offering for her deliverance in the great war of 1914–1918 as a place of rest and recreation for her Prime Ministers for ever.|source=–Inscription in a [[stained glass]] window in the long gallery of the house commissioned by Lord and Lady Lee}}

In 1909 the house was taken on a long lease by [[Arthur Lee, 1st Viscount Lee of Fareham|Arthur Lee]] and his wife Ruth (an American heiress). Lee immediately re-engaged Blomfield to undertake a restoration of the interior.{{Sfn|Major|2001|p=75}} At the same time, [[Henry Avray Tipping]] undertook the design of several [[walled garden]]s from 1911 to 1912.<ref name="NHLEGarden">{{NHLE|num=1000595|desc=Chequers|access-date=22 December 2016|mode=cs2}}</ref> In 1912, after the death of the last of the house's ancestral owners Henry Delaval Astley, Ruth Lee and her sister purchased the property and later gave it to Arthur Lee.{{Sfn|Lee|1974|pp=167–68}}

During the [[First World War]] the house became a hospital and then a [[convalescent home]] for officers. After the war, Chequers became a private home again (now furnished with many 16th-century antiques and tapestries and the Cromwellian antiquities), and the childless Lees formed a plan. While previous prime ministers had always belonged to the landed classes, the post-First World War era was bringing in a new breed of politician. These men did not have the spacious [[Stately homes|country houses]] of previous prime ministers in which to entertain foreign dignitaries or a tranquil place to relax from the affairs of state. After long discussions with Prime Minister [[David Lloyd George]], Chequers was given to the nation as a country retreat for the serving prime minister under the [[Chequers Estate Act 1917]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Chequers Estate Act 1917 |url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo5/7-8/55/schedule/data.htm |access-date=7 April 2020 |website=www.legislation.gov.uk}}</ref>  

The Lees, by this time Lord and Lady Lee of Fareham, left Chequers on 8 January 1921 after a final dinner at the house. A political disagreement between the Lees and Lloyd George soured the handover, which went ahead nonetheless.{{Sfn|Major|2001|p=99}}

The property houses one of the largest collections of art and memorabilia pertaining to Oliver Cromwell in the country. It also houses many other national antiques and books, held in the famous "[[Long gallery|long room]]", including a diary of [[Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson|Horatio Nelson]] and the [[Chequers Ring#History|Chequers Ring]], one of the few surviving pieces of jewellery worn by Elizabeth I. The collection is not open to the public.

Nearby [[Coombe Hill, Buckinghamshire|Coombe Hill]] was part of the estate until the 1920s, when it was given to the [[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust]]. Coombe Hill and the Chequers Estate are part of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, designated in 1965. The landscaped park, woodlands and formal gardens surrounding Chequers are listed Grade II on the [[Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England|Register of Historic Parks and Gardens]].<ref name=NHLEGarden/>

During the early part of the [[Second World War]] it was considered that security at Chequers was inadequate to protect the prime minister, [[Sir Winston Churchill]]. Therefore, he used [[Ditchley]] in [[Oxfordshire]] until late 1942, by which time the approach road, clearly visible from the sky, had been [[Military camouflage|camouflaged]] and other security measures had been put in place.<ref>[http://www.ditchley.co.uk/page/75/winston-churchill.htm Winston Churchill] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714025856/http://www.ditchley.co.uk/page/75/winston-churchill.htm |date=14 July 2011}}</ref><ref>[http://www.winstonchurchill.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=410 History Lives at Ditchley and Bletchley – The Churchill Centre] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061016033318/http://www.winstonchurchill.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=410 |date=16 October 2006}}</ref>

Chequers under [[Neville Chamberlain]] had one telephone, in the kitchen, but Churchill "at once installed a whole battery on his desk and had them in constant use", according to [[Charles Portal, 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford|Lord Portal of Hungerford]], who served as [[Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom)|Chief of the Air Staff]] during the Second World War.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Roberts |first=Andrew |author-link=Andrew Roberts (historian) |title=Masters and Commanders: The Military Geniuses who Led the West to Victory in World War II |date=2009 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-0-1410-2926-9 |location=London |page=36}}</ref>

===21st century===
[[File:Gesprek minister-president Cameron.jpg|thumb|[[David Cameron]] and Dutch prime minister [[Mark Rutte]] in the great hall, 2014]]
On 1 June 2007 the Chequers estate was designated as a protected site under Section 128 of the [[Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005]]. This specifically criminalised [[Trespass in English law|trespass]] into the estate.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-05-22 |title=Home Office Circular 018 / 2007 (Trespass on protected sites – sections 128–131 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005) |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trespass-on-protected-sites-sections-128-131-of-the-serious-organised-crime-and-police-act-2005 |access-date=2017-07-18 |website=GOV.UK |publisher=Home Office |language=en}}</ref>

In July 2018 Prime Minister [[Theresa May]] held a [[Cabinet of the United Kingdom|Cabinet]] meeting at Chequers to settle the details of [[Brexit|Britain's exit from the European Union]], the end result of which was the "[[The future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union|Chequers plan]]".<ref>{{cite web |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-44749993 |title=At-a-glance: The new UK Brexit plan agreed at Chequers |date=2018-07-07 }}</ref>

In April 2020 Prime Minister [[Boris Johnson]] chose to recover at Chequers after being hospitalised at [[St Thomas' Hospital]], London, with respiratory complications from [[COVID-19]] that necessitated three nights in [[Intensive care medicine|intensive care]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-04-12 |title=Coronavirus: Boris Johnson says "It could have gone either way" |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-52262012 |website=BBC News}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Chequers from the Ridgeway - geograph.org.uk - 7679904.jpg|View of Chequers from the [[The Ridgeway|Ridgeway]]
File:Prime Minister Edward Heath, Queen Elizabeth II, President Richard Nixon, and Pat Nixon at Chequers.jpg|[[Edward Heath]] and [[Elizabeth II]] with [[Richard Nixon|Richard]] and [[Pat Nixon]], 1970
File:George H. W. Bush and Margaret Thatcher at Chequers.jpg|[[Margaret Thatcher]] and [[George H. W. Bush]], 1984
File:Vladimir Putin 21 December 2001-1.jpg|[[Tony Blair]] and [[Vladimir Putin]] with their wives, 2001
File:Prime Minister Sunak greets President of Ukraine Zelenskyy at Chequers.jpg|[[Rishi Sunak]] and [[Volodymyr Zelenskyy]], 2023
File:Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets Irish Taoiseach (53863886983).jpg|[[Sir Keir Starmer]] meets Irish Taoiseach [[Simon Harris]], 2024
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[10 Downing Street]], the prime minister's London office and official residence of the [[First Lord of the Treasury|first lord of the treasury]]
* [[Chevening]], the [[Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs|foreign secretary]]'s country residence
* [[Dorneywood]], another country house used by high-ranking British officials
* [[Camp David]], the country retreat of the [[president of the United States]]
* [[Harrington Lake]], the country retreat of the [[Prime Minister of Canada|prime minister of Canada]]
* [[List of official residences]]

==References==
'''Notes'''
{{Reflist}}

'''Bibliography'''
* {{Cite book |last=Hawtrey |first=Florence Molesworth |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OggOMSdinLsC&q=%22sir+francis+wolley%22&pg=PA31 |title=The History of the Hawtrey Family |publisher=George Allen |date=1903 |volume=I |location=London}}
* {{Cite book |last=Lee |first=Arthur |author-link=Arthur Lee, 1st Viscount Lee of Fareham |title=A Good Innings; The Private Papers of Viscount Lee of Fareham |publisher=J. Murray |date=1974 |isbn=0-7195-2850-X |editor-last=Clark, Alan |editor-link=Alan Clark |location=London}}
* {{Cite book |last=Major |first=Norma |author-link=Norma Major |title=Chequers: The Prime Minister's Country House and its History |publisher=Little, Brown and Company |date=2001 |isbn=0-3168-5844-7 |location=London}}
* {{Cite book |last=Williamson |first=Elizabeth |title=Buckinghamshire |last2=Pevsner |first2=Nikolaus |author-link2=Nikolaus Pevsner |publisher=Yale University Press |date=2003 |isbn=0-3000-9584-8 |series=The Buildings of England}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category inline|Chequers}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1565 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Buildings of the Government of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Chiltern Hills]]
[[Category:Country houses in Buckinghamshire]]
[[Category:Elizabethan architecture]]
[[Category:Gardens by Henry Avray Tipping]]
[[Category:Government buildings in England]]
[[Category:Grade I listed houses in Buckinghamshire]]
[[Category:Grade II listed parks and gardens in Buckinghamshire]]
[[Category:Houses completed in 1565]]
[[Category:Official residences in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Prime ministerial homes in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Reginald Blomfield buildings]]
[[Category:Wycombe District]]