Hastings Winkle Club
Category
Gold
Date
Unknown
Materials
Gold
Measurements
15 x 20 x 20 mm
Order this imageCollection
Chartwell, Kent
NT 1102834.1
Caption
The Winkle Club of Hastings was founded in 1900 by a group of local fishermen. To this day, every member (or ‘Winkler’) is obliged to carry a winkle shell with them, which they must produce when asked by a fellow member to ‘winkle up’. Failure to do so results in a fine (£1 at the time of going to print), with all funds raised going to local causes. In 1955, the year after he retired from his second term as prime minister, Sir Winston Churchill (1874–1965) was invited to become a member of the club. At a time when he was offered countless honours from organisations around the world, many requests had to be declined. When the invitation from the Winkle Club arrived, however, he accepted straight away, saying: ‘This is one thing I want to do.’ Traditionally, members of the club carried either a hollow winkle or one filled with wax. Befitting his status as a ‘Distinguished Member’, however, Churchill’s was made from solid gold.
Summary
A model of a Winkle in gold, set with the initials "H.W.C." Hastings Winkle Club.
Provenance
This is Sir Winston Churchill’s Golden Winkle and can be found in the Museum Room at Chartwell. The Winkle Club was set up in Hastings in 1900 by a group of local fisherman who wanted to help raise money for the poor children in Hastings and the surrounding area at Christmas. The winkle is a small shell and had to be carried by all club members and failure to do so or produce it when challenged to “Winkle Up” by another member, resulted in a fine. These fines began at one penny and went towards helping the poor children. Sir Winston Churchill was invited to join The Winkle Club in 1955 and although previously declining many invitations from other organisations, claiming that he was now an old man, upon receiving this invitation declared, “This is one thing I want to do.” Churchill became a member on 7 September 1955 during a visit to Hastings with Field Marshall Lord Montgomery. In fact during this visit Montgomery was the first to challenge Churchill to “Winkle Up!” He is one of the few members to receive a Golden Winkle. Sir Winston Churchill was not the only famous Winkler however and others include Prince Edward VIII, Field Marshall Montgomery, Sir Norman Wisdom and Richard Dimbleby with Queen Elizabeth II and the Queen Mother as honorary members.
Marks and inscriptions
"H.W.C."