Blenheim Palace is a country house in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough. Originally called Blenheim Castle, it has been known as Blenheim Palace since the 19th century. It was built between 1705 and 1722, and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. It is among England’s largest houses. The palace is notable as the birthplace and ancestral home of Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965).
Blenheim Palace was designed by John Vanbrugh (1664-1726). The English nation presented the site to John Churchill, first Duke of Marlborough, in recognition of his victory in 1704 over French and Bavarian troops (the Battle of Blenheim), a victory which decided the future of the Empire and, in doing so, made him a figure of international importance.
Blenheim Palace sits within a large walled landscape park, the structure by Vanbrugh overlaid by the designs of Lancelot “Capability” Brown (1716-1783), an English gardener and landscape architect, who remains the most famous figure in the history of the English landscape garden style.The Park is considered “a naturalistic Versailles”.
The original landscape set out by Vanbrugh, who regulated the course of the River Glyme, was later modified by Lancelot “Capability” Brown who created two lakes, seen as one of the greatest examples of naturalistic landscape design.
Following the palace’s completion, it became the home of the Churchill (later Spencer-Churchill) family for the next 300 years, and various members of the family have changed the interiors, park and gardens. At the end of the 19th century, the palace was saved from ruin by funds gained from the 9th Duke of Marlborough’s marriage to American railroad heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt.
Blenheim Palace sits on an estate that covers about 2,000 acres (approximately 810 hectares) and has 187 rooms. When I visited earlier this year I could not help but think of Blenheim as a “mini-Versailles”. In contrast, the Palace of Versailles has 2,300 rooms and is located on a 2,000-acre estate, about the same size as Blenheim. Versailles is older. Construction started in 1661, compared with the early 18th century for Blenheim.
Comparisons aside, a visit to Blenheim is a great way to spend a day.
Sources:
- Blenheim Palace – Wikipedia
- The Palace | Blenheim
- Blenheim Palace – UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- Vanity Fair
- The Modern Postcard
- Palace of Versailles – Wikipedia