The curator and historian at Chartwell, a stately manor in the Kent Downs and the former family home of Sir Winston Churchill, Katherine Carter talks to Steven Gale about her book Churchill's Citadel, bringing to life the pivotal years he spent at the house before the Second World War, and revealing how intimate gatherings at his country retreat shaped the man who would lead Britain through its darkest hour.

Katherine Carter has managed the house and collections at Chartwell for more than a decade. A commentator and adviser on the life and legacy of Sir Winston Churchill, she lectures internationally and appears frequently in print and broadcast media. Churchill's Citadel is her first book.