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Blenheim Palace

(vero;2022-July-16)

Blenheim Palace is located a few miles west of the city of Oxford. It is home to the Dukes of Marlborough and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. Click here to plan your visit: access, tickets booking, opening times, etc.

We visited twice and have created three galleries:

July 2022 - the palace and the gardens
July 2023 - the palace (with a hint of royalty), the grounds, Bladon and Churchill's grave
The Butterfly House located in the walled garden: really worth a visit.

We also have a blog entry with some impressions from our first visit and background information about the palace and the Spencer Churchill family.

July 2022 - the palace and the gardens

The first courtyard, now occupied by offices, the palace shop, toilets and several restaurants. The arch under the clock tower leads to the great court and the palace.

In the great court, view of the palace from the west. The archway under the clock tower on the left leads to the first courtyard, the entrance portico with the columns and the triangular pediment leads to the great hall of the palace. Click here for a 360° view of the great court. This photo is a panorama, click the cross on the right below the photo (or press F if watching on a desktop) to expand it to its real size and use the bottom scroll bar to navigate through it.

The entrance to the house leading to the great hall on the north facade. The pediment is inscribed with the coat of arms of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. On top of the pediment is a statue of Minerva goddess of war and above she seems framed by two French captives. Sculptures of war trophies are at the bottom of the stairs.

Ceiling of the entrance portico. The blue eyes are the ones of Gladys, second wife of the 9th Duke of Marlborough, before them but only half visible are the brown eyes of the Duke himself.

The great hall with its high ceiling and Corynthian columns. Click here for a 360° view of the great hall.

Close-up of the ceiling of the great hall. On the centre right the kneeling John Churchill dressed as a Roman general with a blue top presents the plan of the battle of Blenheim to the enthroned figure of Britannia wearing a red feathered helmet. She rewards him with a victor's laurels crown while Fame trumpets the achievements of the Duke above the building and on the very top Clio, the muse of History, writes down with a feather the year of the battle with the mention "Anno Memorabile 1704".

Portrait of Lady Anne Churchill, the third child and second daughter of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough and the 1st Duchess Sarah Churchill. Her son Charles became 3rd Duke of Marlborough. Portrait by Sir Godfrey Kneller.

Portrait of Alexandra Mary Cadogan (1900-1961), daughter of Henry Arthur Cadogan, Viscount Chelsea, and granddaughter of George Henry Cadogan, 5th Earl Cadogan. She was the first wife of John Albert, 10th Duke of Marlborough (1897-1972) with whom she had five children. Painting by Count Pallastrelli di Celleri.

The China ante room. It contains a collection of Sèvres and Meissen porcelain which were given as a gift to the 3rd Duke of Marlborough from the King of Poland, Augustus III in exchange for a pack of staghounds. There is also a nice display of Persian pottery. Click here for a 360° view of the China ante room.

The green drawing room. Click here for a 360° view of the green drawing room.

Painting of Van Dyck in the red drawing room representing Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford (1593-1641) with his secretary Sir Philip Mainwaring (1589-1661). On the left of the fireplace is a handle to ring the bell for the servants. Each room had one of those and experienced servants could tell from the tone of the bell in which room they were needed without having to go to the main bell board to check. Click here for a 360° view of the red drawing room.

Detail of one of the ceiling corners in the red drawing room.

The green writing room with a tapestry depicting the Battle of Blenheim (13 August 1704). It shows John Churchill on the white horse and in the red coat receiving the surrender of the French Duke of Tallard who was the commander of the defeated Franco-Bavarian army. Click here for a 360° view of the green writing room.

Detail of the tapestry of the Battle of Blenheim (13 August 1704) in the red writing room (see previous picture). It shows Tallard raising his hat as sign of surrender to John Churchill. Tallard was made prisoner and taken back to England where he stayed on parole in Chatsworth, Derbyshire (halfway between Manchester and Nottingham) until November 1711.

The saloon, originally designed as a grand reception room to celebrate the 1st Duke’s achievements has been transformed into a dining room and is still used by the Spencer-Churchill family for their X-Mas celebrations. Surprisingly, after all the display of military valour in the other rooms, this one is dedicated to Peace. The huge murals on the wall have been painted in trompe l'oeil style and are the work of French painter Louis Laguerre. They are populated by representatives of different nations, all gathered here to celebrate peace. Click here for a 360° view of the saloon.

Ceiling of the saloon by Louis Laguerre. It shows the goddess of Peace dressed in a white robe halting John Churchill's arm (with a red cape) as he is in full swing of a battle. Framing the ceiling on top of the walls are representatives of nations of the whole world.

The first state room. When Queen Anne granted the estate of Blenheim to the 1st Duke she remained owner of the land, the Duke being thus only leaseholder, and she stipulated that the peppercorn rent for this contract shall consist in the Duke and all his successors presenting the Monarch on or before each August 13th with a replica of the French standard captured at the battle of Blenheim. Failure to do so would cancel the grant and remove all rights of the Marlborough to the estate of Blenheim. This explains the presence of the white standard with the three fleurs-de-lys hanging from the mantelpiece. Over the fireplace is a portrait of Consuelo Vanderbilt the first wife of the 9th Duke. Theirs was a loveless and unhappy marriage; the Duke who was in great financial difficulties is said to have told Consuelo before the wedding that he was only marrying her to save a Blenheim in bad need of maintenance… The tapestry on the left depicts a scene of the Battle of Malplaquet (1709) and the one on the right shows the Duke forcing the lines of Brabant. There are some flags seized on the battle field and a set of matching red armchairs and sofas (see next picture).

Red armchair in the first state room, part of a suite with matching sofas (see previous picture). A panel in the room mentioned that their design was the idea of the first Duchess Sarah who had them covered with a luxurious red fabric on which were printed several faces of Louis XIV with sun rays radiating around his head. This meant that when sitting on those chairs people had their behind on the face of you know who! Vengeance is sweet it seems, although the face looks quite young on the fabric: Louis XIV was 66 at the time of the Battle of Blenheim… The fabric of the chair on this picture is worn-out and one could mistake the Sun King for Jesus, although the face on the arm is still quite good to see.

The first state room with the cradle Consuelo's mother offered to her daughter after her marriage to the 9th Duke. A panel in the room mentioned that the cradle is still being used for the family's babies. The tapestry depicts the siege of Lille (1708). Click here for a 360° view of the first state room.

The second state room with the portrait of a sitting Louis XIV hanging over the fireplace. The tapestry is depicting the siege of Bouchain (1711), the last major victory of John Churchill. Click here for a 360° view of the second state room. This photo is a panorama, click the cross on the right below the photo (or press F if watching on a desktop) to expand it to its real size and use the bottom scroll bar to navigate through it.

The third state room. It was the state bedchamber and is now often referred to as the ‘Boulle Room’ because of the fine display of Boulle style furniture. The tapestry is depicting the battle of Oudenarde fought in 1708. Click here for a 360° view of the third state room.

The long library with a statue of Queen Anne commissioned by the 1st Duchess Sarah. Sarah had been very close to the future Queen Anne in her youth and rose to be one of the most influential women of her time once her friend became Queen (1702). At some point however the two diverged significantly and the relationship broke in 1710 when Abigail Masham, who had been introduced to the Queen by Sarah became the new favourite. State funding was lost for Blenheim as a consequence and the building works came to a halt while the disgraced Marlborough left England and travelled in Europe. Queen Anne died in August 1714 and her successor King George being a personal friend they regained the royal favour and returned to Britain, resuming work on the palace. The Duke died in 1722 and although she never liked Blenheim (she described it as a great heap of stones) Sarah continued the building works. The statue on the picture has been made well after Queen Anne's death, like an afterthought and belated thank of Sarah to her former friend and benefactor. The inscription reads: to the memory of Queen Anne under whose auspices John Duke of Marlborough conquered and to whose munificence he and his posterity with gratitude owe the possession of Blenheim AD MDCCXXXX.VI (June 1740).

Perspective of the long library with the monumental pipe organ at its end and rows of books along the side walls. Originally created as a picture gallery it was converted to a library by the 9th Duke; it contains over 10,000 volumes. Click here for a 360° view of the long library.

The pipe organ in the long library, said to be the largest pipe organ in private ownership. It was built in 1891 by the famous London firm of Henry Willis & Sons at a cost of £3,669 (the equivalent of £518,135 today). The palace organises regularly organ recitals open to the public.

The birth room of Winston Churchill (1874-1965) although he was not born in this bed as the room was not a bedroom at the time. Paintings by Winston Churchill are hanging on the wall.

Bust of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius.

The Spencer-Churchill family coat of arms on the iron gate to the park. The motto "Fiel pero desdichado" is Spanish for "Faithful though Joyless". "Desdichado" means without happiness or without joy alluding to the first Duke's father Winston who was a royalist and faithful supporter of the king during the English Civil War but was not compensated for his losses after the restoration. Charles II knighted Winston Churchill and other Civil War royalists but did not compensate them for their wartime losses thereby inducing Winston to adopt the motto. It is unusual for the motto of an Englishman of the era to be in Spanish rather than Latin and it is not known why this is the case (copied from this Wikipedia article). Graphic © Saltspan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Inside the palace's stables: the office of the stable master. There are no horses in the stables any more but one can still marvel at the spacious tiled boxes where the horses were kept. Horses have always been important at Blenheim as work, race or hunting horses. The palace organises every year in September the three-day Blenheim International Horse Trials

View of the west front of the palace from the lower water terrace. The water terraces took six years to build (1925-1931) during the stewardship of the 9th Duke of Marlborough. Click here for a 360° view of them.

The upper water terrace on the west side of the palace.

Statue in the upper water terrace. The photo is misleading: it is quite small, a feature which stresses its elegance.

Head of a female sphinx in the upper water terrace. There are two sphinx sculptures and their heads were modelled after Gladys Deacon, the 9th Duke's second wife. Behind it is the small statue pictured in the previous photo.

Water feature in the lower water terrace

The south facade of the palace. On top is a statue of Louis XIV taken as spoil of war in the Belgian city of Tournai. Behind us is the south lawn where there was a game of cricket the day we visited. Click here for a 360° view of the south lawn.

The east facade and the Italian garden with topiary in the form of birds.

The Italian garden fronting the east facade of the palace.

An impressive tree somewhere in the park.

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July 2023 - the palace (with a hint of royalty), the grounds, Bladon and Churchill's grave

Taking advantage of our annual pass we returned to Blenheim in July 2023. This visit had a different feel: we had more time to explore the grounds and walked to the village of Bladon to see Churchill's grave. The palace visit in itself was a nice surprise: for once, we could admire the newly renovated chapel which was closed during our first visit and foremost, 2023 being the year of King Charles III's coronation, there was an exhibition in all state rooms showing artefacts documenting the close relationship which has existed since the 1st Duke and still exists up to these days between the Dukes of Marlborough and the sovereigns of the United Kingdom.

The great court with the entrance to the palace.

The famous Blenheim despatch which launched John Churchill's ascent to fame and wealth.

Queen Anne's grant of land to John Churchill.

9th Duke of Marlborough looking at each other in eternity (theirs was a loveless and unhappy marriage; wed in 1895, they separated in 1906 and divorced in 1921).

George Spencer Churchill, 5th Duke of Marlborough (1766—1840).

Gwendoline Churchill (1885-1941) painted by Sir William Orpen. She was the daughter of the 7th Earl of Abingdon and the wife of Jack Churchill (1880-1947), younger brother of Winston Churchill. She introduced Winston to painting in 1915 to help with his mental health and they holidayed together frequently.

Portraits in the green drawing room. Click here for a 360° view of the green drawing room.

The medal of the 4th Duke of Marlborough (1739—1817) by King George IV.

The letter granting the Order of the Garter to George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough.

Quite a mouthful: the complete title of George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough.

The first state room. The tapestry on the left depicts a scene of the Battle of Malplaquet (1709) and the one on the right shows the Duke forcing the lines of Brabant. In the bottom left hand corner is the letter granting the Order of the Garter to Charles Spencer Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough (1871—1934) by King Edward VII in 1902.

Detail of the tapestry hanging in the first state room (Battle of Malplaquet - 1709)

The first state room. The scene in the room is a reenactment of the coronation of Queen Anne: Sarah, 1st Duchess of Marlborough had been chosen as one of the maids of honour holding the canopy over the Queen.

As with the many Spencer Churchill before him, John Spencer Churchill (1897—1972), 10th Duke of Marlborough had close links to the royal family and was a good friend of King Edward VIII. This photo is from a photo album from the family.

The Reading Evening Gazette announcing the abdication of Edward VIII (December 11th 1936).

Followed by an invitation to attend the coronation of Edward VIII's brother, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (Queen Mum).

And as time goes by, another invitation to another coronation: the one of Queen Elizabeth II. No doubt that the current 12th Duke of Marlborough has been invited to King Charles III's coronation in May 2023.

The letter of Queen Elizabeth II inviting the 10th Duke to her coronation.

The long library with the statue of Queen Anne at its end and rows of books along the side walls. Click here for a 360° view of the long library.

Originally created as a picture gallery it was converted to a library by the 9th Duke; it contains over 10,000 volumes.

The newly renovated chapel of the palace. The huge funeral marble monument depicts the 1st Duke as a Roman general, along with the 1st Duchess Sarah and their two sons.

A ghost of the past standing at a window of the palace.

The western facade of the palace with the upper water terrace.

Strolling through the grounds of Blenheim is pleasant and should not be missed. There are some incredible trees to be seen.

We walked through the grounds to the village of Bladon, just outside the park. This is where Sir Winston Churchill and his wife Clementine lay among others of the Spencer Churchill family. Their grave is the white one.

The Churchill memorial window in the church of Bladon. The left side depicts St Martin of Tours (c316-397), the patron saint of the church. The right side depicts St Alban, who lived in the 4th century and who became the first English Christian martyr.

Detail of the Churchill memorial window. If you look closely around the borders, you will see symbols which relate directly to Sir Winston Churchill. Check if you can find (among others) a gas mask, a tank, the man smoking his famous cigar, a polo player, his Order of the Garter, two men fencing, a soldier helmet, a pen and ink, a bow tie, a colour palette, the V sign of Victory, his favourite Champagne and a glass, his car, his Nobel prize medal for literature, etc.

The grounds are peppered with impressive and beautiful groups of trees.

If you haven't done so already, just have a look at our blog entry containing some impressions from our first visit and background information about the palace and the Spencer Churchill family.

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