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Stroll the grounds of Blenheim Palace and step into the lives of 18th-century English nobility. While England has hundreds of stately homes, few can compare with this one in size or magnificence.
The buildings and courts cover seven acres. Queen Anne presented John, Duke of Marlborough, with the land and resources to build Blenheim in gratitude for his military accomplishments. Funds ran short during construction, however, when Queen Anne's favor drifted from the Marlborough family. Although somewhat resentful about paying for his own reward, the Duke contributed funds and the palace was finished.
Blenheim, constructed between 1705 and 1722, was named for Marlborough's greatest triumph the Battle of Blenheim, fought in Germany in 1704. When the masons at Blenheim were at their busiest, an army of men and horses brought in the stone from more than twenty quarries. Blenheim claims added notoriety as the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.
The English passion for gardens is evident at Blenheim. Although several garden styles have been maintained, the current Water Terrace Garden was designed and completed between 1925 and 1932. The ninth Duke of Marlborough commissioned the work in an effort to re-create the original concept of the ornamental garden. Garden fashions of that period dictated everything within sight of the house should be formal and symmetrical.
Blenheim's garden is a perfectly pruned maze of hedges interspersed with statuary ponds and fountains. The hedges resemble delicate filigree work, blending to form scroll-like patterns. The key to the garden design lies in the Bernini river-gods fountain on the second terrace, a scale model for the famous fountain in Rome's Piazza Navona.
The Palace has been called a supreme example of the English baroque style of architecture, credited to the architect, Sir John Vanburgh. The structure is arranged around three sides of an immense courtyard, known as The Great Court. The Great Court is unquestionably a dramatic and breathtaking introduction to the treasures inside the palace.
Blenheim contains outstanding 18th-century tapestries depicting the military exploits of the first Duke of Marlborough. Victorious campaigns are captured in meticulous detail. One scene shows Marshall Tallard's surrender to Marlborough at the Battle of Blenheim and the siege at Lille. Another tapestry portrays Marlborough's approach to the hilltop fortress at Schellenberg.
The Duke himself commissioned his imposing series of colorful tapestries. Woven in Brussels beginning in 1703, they appear as gigantic still-life photos, spanning entire walls. The longer you study the tapestries, the more intricate detail you find.
The greatest artisans and craftsmen of the day produced the interior decorations at Blenheim. Besides the tapestries, numerous family portraits line the walls. The talents of famous artists such as Van Dyck, Reynolds and
Knellers are represented. Each room on the guided tour displays rare pieces of porcelain, Venetian glass, period furnishings and fine sculptures. The library, 180 feet in length, contains a exquisite statue of Queen Anne.
A must-see is Churchill's birth room. Winston Churchill, one time heir to the dukedom, was born prematurely on November 30, 1874, while his mother was attending a party at the palace. His birth room has personal relics including clothing and locks of his curly hair. "At Blenheim," Churchill once said, "I took two very important decisions: to be born and to marry." (He proposed to his wife in the Temple of Diana on the grounds.) "I am happily content with the decisions I took on both those occasions."
Blenheim Palace is in Woodstock, north of Oxford, England.
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