The National Trust has launched a £7.1m appeal to "reinvigorate the memory of Sir Winston Churchill" and acquire hundreds of historic and personal objects at his home in Chartwell, Kent.

The former Prime Minister's home has been open to the public for over 50 years - an anniversary the Trust is using as an opportunity to call on its members, charitable institutions and public bodies for donations.

Priority "objects of cultural importance” that the Trust hopes to acquire, include Churchill’s Nobel Prize in literature, a wooden speech box, a House of Commons birthday book, a mini paint box, medallions, hairbrushes, an armchair, Antwerp painting and lion sculpture.

Dame Helen Ghosh, director-general for the National Trust said the appeal was “one of the biggest ever made” by the Trust, to safeguard a collection of this kind.

“We hope that our members and supporters, public bodies and charitable institutions will help us to do this and to keep Churchill’s memory alive at the home he loved,” she said.

Katherine Barnett, Chartwell’s house and collections manager said the collection “tells us about Sir Winston Churchill the man”.

“It is crucial that we do all we can to ensure these heirlooms stay here where he hoped they would remain. A successful appeal will not only allow us to secure these items but will enable us to tell Churchill’s story in new and dynamic ways as part of our wider plans for Chartwell so that one of our greatest Britons remains accessible to people of all ages,” she said.

The Trust confirmed it is aiming to raise the money by January 2017 “to secure the collection and enable the wider project work to begin”.