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"A World Heritage Site" Britain has many fine historic houses, and a visit to Blenheim Palace will be one that stands out. It is one of the largest in Britain, is still in the hands of the original family and it is one of the best examples of a house within a landscape. It is recognised as a world heritage site.
This was a gift, by a grateful nation, for
military triumph against the French and Bavarians, given to John Churchill, the
1st Duke of Marlborough and built between 1705 and 1724. Later it was to be the
birth place and childhood home of the British Prime Minister
Sir
Winston Churchill,
Before this palace was built, it was the manor of Woodstock, sometimes referred to as the Palace of Woodstock. Henry I enclosed the deer park for hunting, Henry II housed his mistress Rosamund Clifford, "Fair Rosamund" there in a "bower and labyrinth"; a spring where she is said to have bathed remains, named after her. Queen Mary imprisoned Princess Elizabeth later to become Elizabeth _ here. It was built upon and changed many times. The manor remained in obscurity until bombarded and ruined by Oliver Cromwell's troops during the Civil War. The remains of the manor existed when the palace was being built and the architect Sir John Vanbrugh wanted to incorporate them into the landscape but the Duchess would not hear of it and they were swept away. The Duchess used to having her own way had wanted the architect Sir Christopher Wren to build the house but the Duke commissioned Sir John Vanbrugh at a chance meeting at the theatre. Sir John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor worked together and had recently created Castle Howard in Yorkshire. Problems over funding, the nation not being as generous as was first suggested, and difficulties between the Duchess and Vanbrugh, with the Duke away on military campaigns made it a difficult project. The Duchess banned Vanbrugh from the site in 1719 and it was finished by Hawksmoor. In the end most of the cost was covered by the Duke not the country.
Blenheim was situated in a large park with undulating ground and a stream through, the mushy brook was crossed by a mammoth bridge (above on left) that contained over 30 rooms. Later in 1764 the 4th Duke employed Capability Brown to remodel the landscape, this involved a lot of landscaping, and the formation of lakes by damming the stream. Several lower room levels of the bridge were flooded, reducing its effective height, making it fit within the new landscape. Money problems existed for most of the time and by the time the 9th Duke inherited the family was almost bankrupt, and his solution was to negotiate a marriage. American railroad heiress and renowned beauty Consuelo Vanderbilt. The price paid was $2,500,000 in 50,000 shares of the capital stock of the Beech Creek Railway Company with a minimum 4% dividend guaranteed by the New York Central Railroad Company. The couple were given a further annual income each of $100,000 for life. The bride later claimed she had been locked in her room until she agreed to the marriage. The contract was signed in the vestry of St.Thomas Episcopal Church, New York immediately after the wedding vows had been made. In the carriage leaving the church, Marlborough told Consuelo he loved another woman. However he now had the funding he needed to maintain the house and to live well. The honeymoon was a trip around Europe buying items for the depleted palace. At this time the palace had a staff of 40 inside, and 50 outside. Today the palace and grounds are open to the public, can be hired for events, is used in many films and while the Duke retains final control over all matters in the running of the palace, the day-to-day control of commercial aspects are outsourced to Sodexho Prestige, a division of the French company Sodexho. Like his forebears John George Vanderbilt Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough, lives for part of the year in the palace, with his family occupying the same suite of rooms as the 1st Duke and Duchess. He has been married 4 times, and had 6 children, 4 survive. After his death the title goes to his oldest son, but the control of Blenheim and the Trust goes directly to his grandson George John Godolphin Spencer-Churchill, Earl of Sunderland (born 28 July 1992) now aged 16, who is in line, after his father, to the Dukedom of Marlborough.
Annually they host the
Blenheim Palace
International Horse Trials
.
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