Winston Churchill's funeral service was held at St Paul's Cathedral

The former prime minister was buried on 30 January 1965, having died aged 90.

The barge, called the Havengore, is now based on the River Medway in Kent where it is used for educational visits.

On Sunday, the anniversary of the funeral, it will leave Chatham Maritime for the Thames where it will play a key part in a ceremony on Monday.

Iron Curtain

The Havengore carried Churchill's coffin from Tower Pier to Festival Pier during the state funeral, which was watched on television by 350 million people worldwide and attended by 110 world leaders.

The barge was built in the 1950s by Tough's Boatyard in Teddington, the same firm Churchill had commissioned for boats used in the evacuation of Dunkirk, during World War II.

The 87ft craft was restored in the late 1990s and has taken part in various events marking the 60th anniversary of significant dates in the war.

It displays copies of Churchill's correspondence to other key figures and from September will take them to countries previously beyond the "Iron Curtain".