The History of Blenheim Palace

Given to the Duke of Marlborough by the Queen Anne, Blenheim's credentials as a palace have always been first rate. Add the finest architects, designers and craftsman - and a substantial sum of money - and it is no surprise that Blenheim Palace remains one of the greatest 18th-century houses in England.

The house that Marlborough built
On 13th August 1704, forces under the command of John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough defended a small village on the River Danube against the forces of Louis X1V.

The following year, a grateful Queen Anne presented the Duke with the Royal Manor of Woodstock in reward for saving Europe from domination by the French. The name of the village? Blindheim or Blenheim. Not only did the Duke and his Duchess Sarah receive the land, but also a generous sum of £240,000 towards the costs of building the house of their dreams. And naturally they named it after the site of Marlborough's famous victory.

It was built between 1705 and 1722 by the great architect Sir John Vanbrugh. However, the Duke fell out of favour with the Queen and the money was not forthcoming, leaving a debt of £45,000 unpaid to masons and other craftsmen. When the Queen died in 1714, the Duke negotiated with the artisans and completed the Palace at his own expense.

Today, Blenheim Palace is home to the 11th Duke of Marlborough and his family and is one of a small number of privately owned estates open to the public.

The park
The land surrounding the house was boggy and riddled with streams, so Vanbrugh designed one of the most substantial ornamental bridges, thought to be the finest in Europe. The Grand Bridge, with its main arch span of 101 feet, had to be finished by Bartholomew Peisley after Vanbrugh's death. When Marlborough died in 1722, a 40-metre high 'Victory' column topped with eagles was placed at the entrance to the Great Avenue.

In 1764, Lancelot 'Capability' Brown arrived to landscape the park. Often accused of sweeping away the old, Brown in fact preserved the Grand Bridge, the vista up to the Column and the Great Avenue. His great achievement was to dam the river Glyme and create an hourglass-shaped lake over which the Bridge passes.

Young love
Although Winston Churchill's own home was to become Chartwell (see The History of Chartwell), he had close affinities with his birthplace. In the summer of 1908, as a young man, he proposed to Miss Clementine Hozier in the Temple of Diana overlooking the lake at Blenheim. They would be together for the rest of Winston's life and are buried in nearby Bladon churchyard along with Winston's parents, Lord and Lady Randolph Churchill.

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