Here’s what you need to know about Chequers country estate - where Boris Johnson is recovering from coronavirus
This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is recuperating at his official country retreat after being discharged from hospital on Sunday (12 Apr).
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdMr Johnson spent three nights in intensive care at St Thomas’ Hospital in central London after his coronavirus symptoms worsened.
Having now been discharged, he is taking some time off from the top job and recovering at the Chequers estate, with Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State Dominic Raab deputising in his absence.
Where is the Chequers estate?
Chequers is a country residence in the Chiltern Hills, close to the village of Ellesborough in Buckinghamshire, around 40 miles north west of central London.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdWho owns the estate?
The house and its 1,000 acre estate was bequeathed to the nation in 1917 by Sir Arthur Lee to whoever holds the office of Prime Minister.
The property is used as a retreat from the bustle of Downing Street, with Lloyd George being its first prime ministerial occupant in 1921.
It is run and managed by an independent trust and is maintained by an endowment administered by the trustees.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe Trust also receives an annual grant-in-aid from public funds towards maintenance and staffing costs, amounting to £882,000 in 2018/19.
What is the estate used for?
The estate was intended to draw the Prime Minister away from Downing Street to spend two days a week “in the high and pure air of the Chiltern hills and woods”, according to the Chequers Estate Act 1917.
The thinking behind the Act was that it would better the health of the country’s rules, enabling Prime Minister's to better run the country.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdHow long will Boris Johnson be staying?
The Prime Minister will spend time at the Buckinghamshire mansion while he recovers from a seven-night spell in hospital with coronavirus.
Speaking of his experience, Mr Johnson admitted “things could have gone either way”, after being treated in intensive care for three nights.
He has since been reunited with his pregnant fiancee Carrie Symonds as he takes some time to recuperate.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdWho else has stayed at Chequers?
The Chequers estate has been the site of many historical moments, including playing host to Sir Winston Churchill.
Churchill wrote some of his most famous radio speeches during his stay amid the Second World War, penning the words in the mansion’s Hawtrey room.
Former Prime Minister David Cameron described the estate as a “good place for thinking away from London” to French president Francois Hollande during a visit in 2015.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdMore recently, the estate was used by former Prime Minister Theresa May as the location for a crunch 2018 Cabinet meeting to agree her new Brexit proposals.
In the following days, senior ministers - including then Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson- resigned after disagreeing with the plans.
Visitors have also included the Queen, US President Donald Trump, and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, along with a string of celebrities, such as Elton John, David Bowie and Bryan Adams.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad#HealthHeroes
Show your support for the incredible work being done by those working on the frontline of the coronavirus crisis. Join our Facebook group and follow the dedicated Instagram page to read stories of everyday heroism and share your own messages.
A message from the Editor
Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.
In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this website, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdOur journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.
With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.
Thank you, and stay safe.