Winston Churchill's velvet slippers to be sold at auction

A pair of velvet slippers that belonged to Sir Winston Churchill could fetch up to £15,000 at auction.

The shoes, which are monogrammed with his initials WSC, date back to the 1950s.

Churchill was regularly photographed wearing them during his second spell as prime minister from 1951-55.

Katherine Carter, property curator at Chartwell, his country home in Kent, said: "You can imagine him relaxing round the house in those slippers."

"There's lots of photographs of him wearing them, often accompanied by one of his siren suits. They would have become an ensemble together," she added.

The slippers, which are due to be sold on 9 March by Sussex auctioneers Bellmans, were made by N. Tuczek of Mayfair, a well-known shoemaker of the time.

They have leather soles and a leather lining, and are 29cm long.

There are some signs of wear around the heels, but they are described by the auctioneers as being "wonderful quality".

Julian Dineen, from Bellmans, said: "You can just imagine that they would have been very comfortable things for Churchill to wear, and very smart indeed.

"Churchill himself touched these, he held these, he wore these, so to be sat here holding the very thing that Churchill held and wore himself, I think really makes people feel connected to the man."

A monogrammed brandy balloon glass, also owned by Churchill circa 1960, is due to be auctioned alongside the slippers for an estimated £10,000.

Both pieces were auctioned for the first time by Churchill's family in 1998, when the present owner purchased them.

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