A new plaque has been unveiled honouring Sir Winston Churchill’s contribution to Epping, a town that was “central” to his life.

Epping Town Council revealed the iconic blue plaque at Marks and Spencer in the High Street on Thursday (February 4), adding to a brass plaque which is already in place.

The wartime Prime Minister was MP for Epping between 1924 and 1945, and spoke to the people of the town from outside the Victoria Buildings, now Marks and Spencer.

The town council installed the plaque after a request from member of the public David Lodge.

When told of plans for the plaque Sir Nicholas Soames, Churchill’s grandson, said: “The Churchill family are very touched that Epping should have marked my Grandfather in this way and I hope it will bring pleasure to your local residents and to visitors.

“My Grandfather was proud to be a member of Parliament in your part of the world and I am very grateful to you.”

Current Epping Forest MP Eleanor Laing was unable to attend as she was in the House of Commons, but she said: “It is a great privilege to represent in Parliament the seat held for such a long time by Winston Churchill and we all really appreciate the Churchill family’s continued interest in and support for the Epping Forest constituency.

“Winston’s inspirational speeches saw our country through its darkest hours during the Second World War.

“It is not difficult to imagine him standing right here in the middle of Epping, rousing his audience with his great rhetoric.

“I am so pleased that this new plaque has been put up.

“It is important that future generations learn about what Winston Churchill stood for and it is great to celebrate the central role that Epping played in his life.”

Town mayor councillor Michael Wright unveiled the plaque on Thursday, and spoke to members of the public and officials.

He thanked Marks and Spencer, before adapting one of Churchill’s most famous lines for the occasion.

He said: “It gives me the greatest pleasure to unveil this blue plaque to Sir Winston Churchill, to make sure our history is marked for future generations.

“Never has so much been owed by so many to one man.”