Bonhams 1793 : CHURCHILL, Sir WINSTON (1874-1965, statesman, Prime Minister, war leader, and author)

The Garter Stall Plate for the highest honour accepted by arguably the greatest Englishman of the twentieth century, the Most Noble Order of the Garter. A unique and extraordinary item of Churchilliana.

The stall plate was made by the firm William Soper and Son. Due to the shortness of time prior to the Installation, Soper had been unable to finish enamelling the plate to the standard they would have wished, so after it had been temporarily placed in Sir Winston's stall (or seat) in St. George's Chapel for the ceremony of his installation it was returned to Soper for the finishing touches to be made. It is understood that Sir Winston was approached to finance the finishing but declined to do so. A plate of more modest manufacture now marks the stall once occupied by the present plate and Sir Winston.

The Order of the Garter, England's highest order of knighthood, consists of only twenty-four Knights at any one time, other than the sovereign and the Prince of Wales. Each Knight has his seat or stall in St. George's Chapel at Windsor on which his stall plate is mounted.