Editing Blenheim Palace (section)

==History==
=== Failing fortunes ===
{{Quote box
| quote  = ...as we passed through the entrance archway and the lovely scenery burst upon me, [[Lord Randolph Churchill|Randolph]] said with pardonable pride: This is the finest view in England
| source = [[Jennie Jerome|Lady Randolph Churchill]]
| width  = 25%
| align  = right
}}
[[File:Woodstock Gate, Blenheim Palace.jpg|thumb|Woodstock gate to park, 1723 by Nicholas Hawksmoor]]
On the death of the 1st Duke in 1722, as both his sons were dead, he was succeeded by his daughter [[Henrietta Godolphin, 2nd Duchess of Marlborough|Henrietta]]. This was an unusual succession and required a special Act of Parliament,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blenheimpalaceeducation.com/history/duchess2.htm |title=2nd Duchess of Marlborough |publisher=Blenheimpalaceeducation.com |access-date=12 February 2010 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820093459/http://www.blenheimpalaceeducation.com/history/duchess2.htm |archive-date=20 August 2008 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> as only sons can usually succeed to an English dukedom. When Henrietta died, the title passed to Marlborough's grandson [[Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough|Charles Spencer, Earl of Sunderland]], whose mother was Marlborough's second daughter [[Anne Churchill|Anne]].<ref>{{cite DNB|wstitle=Spencer, Charles (1706-1758)|volume=53}}</ref>

The 1st Duke, as a soldier, was not a rich man and what fortune he possessed was mostly used for finishing the palace. In comparison with other British ducal families, the Marlboroughs were not very wealthy. Yet they existed quite comfortably until the time of the [[George Spencer-Churchill, 5th Duke of Marlborough|5th Duke of Marlborough]] (1766–1840), a [[spendthrift]] who considerably depleted the family's remaining fortune. He was eventually forced to sell other family estates, but Blenheim was safe from him as it was [[entail]]ed. This did not prevent him from selling the Marlboroughs' [[Giovanni Boccaccio|Boccaccio]] for a mere £875 and his own library in over 4000 lots. On his death in 1840, his profligacy left the estate and family with financial problems.<ref>{{cite book|first=Mary|last=Soames|author-link=Mary Soames|year=1987|title=The Profligate Duke: George Spencer Churchill, Fifth Duke of Marlborough, and His Duchess|publisher=Harper-Collins|isbn=978-0002163767}}</ref>

By the 1870s, the Marlboroughs were in severe financial trouble and in 1875 the [[John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough|7th Duke]] sold the ''Marriage of [[Cupid and Psyche]]'', together with the famed [[Marlborough gems]], at auction for £10,000. However, this was not enough to save the family. In 1880, the 7th Duke was forced to petition Parliament to break the protective entail on the Palace and its contents. This was achieved under the [[Blenheim Settled Estates Act 1880]] and the door was now open for wholesale dispersal of Blenheim and its contents.<ref>Purcell, p. 251</ref><ref>Until the 1880s, the [[Fee tail|Law of Entail]] severely restricted the ability of an individual to sell an inherited property, including books. The restriction could only be circumvented by resorting to, expensive, private civil legislation, as was the Blenheim Settled Estates Act 1880. The [[Settled Land Acts|Settled Land Act 1882]] made the provisions contained in the Blenheim Act more easily and widely available.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/search/archives/8a1d95ac-75e8-3bc4-bfc5-f64ef3660fa7|first1=Jo|last1=Klett|first2=John|last2=Hodgson|title=Catalogue of the Sunderland Library|publisher=University of Manchester Library via Jisc|access-date=5 September 2022}}</ref> The first victim was the great Sunderland Library which was sold in 1882, including such volumes as ''The Epistles of Horace'', printed at [[Caen]] in 1480, and the works of [[Josephus]], printed at [[Verona]] in 1648. The 18,000 volumes raised almost £60,000. The sales continued to denude the palace: [[Raffaello Santi|Raphael]]'s ''[[Ansidei Madonna]]'' was sold for £70,000; [[Van Dyck]]'s [[Equestrian Portrait of Charles I]] realised £17,500; and finally, the "pièce de résistance" of the collection, [[Peter Paul Rubens]]' ''Rubens, His Wife Helena Fourment, and Their Son Peter Paul, and Their Son Frans (1633–1678)'', which had been given by the city of [[Brussels]] to the 1st Duke in 1704, was also sold, and is now in the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] in New York City.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437532 |title=Rubens, His Wife Helena Fourment (1614–1673), and Their Son Frans (1633–1678)|publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art |access-date=9 January 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1981.238/|title=Rubens, His Wife Helena Fourment (1614–1673)|publisher=Metropolitan Museum|access-date=30 July 2018}}</ref>

These sums of money, vast by the standards of the day, failed to cover the debts and the maintenance of the great palace remained beyond the Marlboroughs' resources. These had always been small in relation to their ducal rank and the size of their house. The British agricultural depression, which started in the 1870s, added to the family's problems. When the [[Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough|9th Duke]] inherited in 1892, the land was generating dwindling income.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.blenheimpalace.com/worldheritagesite/downloads/WHSMP-Web-version-with-maps.pdf|publisher=Blenheim Palace|title=Revised Management Plan|page=26|year=2017|access-date=30 July 2018}}</ref>

=== 9th Duke of Marlborough ===
[[File:Duke Marlborough Singer Sargent.jpg|thumb|upright|Charles, 9th Duke of Marlborough with his family in 1905 by [[John Singer Sargent]]]]
[[File:Formal Garden, Blenheim Palace. - geograph.org.uk - 138113.jpg|thumb|right|upright|The water terraces on the west side of the Palace, created 1925–31 by [[Achille Duchêne]]]]
[[Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough|Charles, 9th Duke of Marlborough]] (1871–1934) can be credited with saving both the palace and the family. Inheriting the near-bankrupt dukedom in 1892, he was forced to find a quick and drastic solution to the problems. Prevented by the strict social dictates of late 19th-century society from earning money, he was left with one solution: he had to marry into money. In November 1895 he coldly and openly without love married the American railroad heiress [[Consuelo Vanderbilt]].{{sfnp|Tintner|2015|p=144|ps=}}{{sfnp|Cooper|2014|pp=128–130|ps=}}

The marriage was celebrated following lengthy negotiations with her divorced parents: her mother, [[Alva Vanderbilt]], was desperate to see her daughter a duchess, and the bride's father, [[William Kissam Vanderbilt|William Vanderbilt]], paid for the privilege. The final price was $2,500,000 (${{Inflation|US|2.5|1895|r=1|fmt=c}} million today) 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|New York Central Railroad Company]]. The couple were given a further annual income each of $100,000 for life.{{sfnp|Tintner|2015|p=144|ps=}}{{sfnp|Cooper|2014|pp=128–130|ps=}}

The teenage Consuelo had been locked in her room by her mother until she agreed to the marriage. The marriage settlement was actually signed in the vestry of [[Saint Thomas Church (New York City)|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, and would never return to America, as he "despised anything that was not British".{{sfnp|Tintner|2015|p=144|ps=}}{{sfnp|Cooper|2014|pp=128–130|ps=}}

The replenishing of Blenheim began on the honeymoon itself, with the replacement of the Marlborough gems. Tapestries, paintings and furniture were bought in Europe to fill the depleted palace. On their return, the Duke began an exhaustive restoration and redecoration of the palace. The staterooms to the west of the saloon were redecorated with gilt [[boiseries]] in imitation of [[Palace of Versailles|Versailles]]. Vanbrugh's subtle rivalry to Louis XIV's great palace was now completely undermined, as the interiors became mere [[pastiche]]s of those of the greater palace.<ref name="Henrietta"/>

While this redecoration may not have been without fault (and the Duke later regretted it), other improvements were better received. Another problem caused by the redecoration was that the state and principal bedrooms were now moved upstairs, thus rendering the staterooms an [[enfilade (architecture)|enfilade]] of rather similar and meaningless [[drawing room]]s. On the west terrace, the French landscape architect [[Achille Duchêne]] was employed to create a water garden. On a second terrace below this were placed two great fountains in the style of [[Bernini]], scaled models of those in the [[Piazza Navona]] which had been presented to the 1st Duke.<ref name="Henrietta"/>

[[File:VanderbiltConsuelo.JPG|thumb|right|[[Consuelo Vanderbilt|Consuelo, Duchess of Marlborough]]]]

Blenheim was once again a place of wonder and prestige. However, Consuelo was far from happy; she records many of her problems in her cynical and often less than candid biography ''The Glitter and the Gold'' (1956). In 1906 she shocked society and left her husband. They divorced in 1921. She married a Frenchman, [[Jacques Balsan]] in 1921. She died in 1964, having lived to see her son become Duke of Marlborough. She frequently returned to Blenheim, the house she had hated and yet saved, albeit as the unwilling sacrifice.<ref name="Henrietta"/>

After his divorce the Duke married again, to an American former friend of Consuelo, [[Gladys Deacon]], who was of an artistic disposition, and a painting of her eyes remains on the ceiling of the great north portico (''see secondary lead image''). A lower terrace was decorated with [[sphinxes]] modelled on Gladys and executed by W. Ward Willis in 1930. Before her marriage, while staying with the Marlboroughs, she caused a diplomatic incident by encouraging the young [[Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany]] to form an attachment with her.<ref name="Henrietta"/>

The prince had given her an heirloom ring, which the combined diplomatic services of two empires were charged to recover. After her marriage, Gladys was in the habit of dining with the Duke with a revolver by the side of her plate. Tiring of her, the Duke was temporarily forced to close Blenheim, and turn off the utilities to drive her out. They subsequently separated but did not divorce. The Duke died in 1934. His widow died in 1977.<ref name="Henrietta"/>

=== 10th Duke of Marlborough ===
The 9th Duke was succeeded by his and Consuelo Vanderbilt's eldest son, [[John Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough|John, 10th Duke of Marlborough]] (1897–1972), who married to the Hon. Alexandra Mary Cadogan in 1920. Together they had two sons and three daughters. She died in 1961, and after eleven years as a widower he remarried at the age of 74 to [[Laura Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough|(Frances) Laura Charteris]], formerly the wife of the 2nd [[Viscount Long]] and the 3rd [[Earl of Dudley]], and granddaughter of the 11th [[Earl of Wemyss]]. The marriage was short-lived, however; the Duke died just six weeks later, on 11 March 1972. The bereaved Duchess complained of "the gloom and inhospitality of Blenheim" after his death and soon moved out. In her autobiography, ''Laughter from a Cloud'' (1980), she referred to Blenheim Palace as "The Dump". She died in London in 1990.<ref name="Henrietta"/>

=== Second World War ===
The coming-out party held for the 17 year-old [[John_Spencer-Churchill,_10th_Duke_of_Marlborough#Personal_life|Lady Sarah Consuelo Spencer-Churchill]] at Blenheim Palace on 7 July 1939 was considered to be the highlight of the [[Social season (United Kingdom)|social season]], and in hindsight has been styled by some as "the last season ever".<ref>Anne de Courcy. ''1939: The Last Season'' (1989)</ref> There were over 700 guests, including [[Winston Churchill]], [[Anthony Eden]] and the young [[John F. Kennedy]],<ref>Nicholas Shakespeare. ''Ian Fleming: The Complete Man'' (2023). pp. 200–201</ref> the house and gardens were lit up and visible for miles, and the [[Ambrose (bandleader)|Ambrose]] band played in a pavilion as the guests danced on the vast lawn into the early morning.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/29/books/chapters/0429-1st-olso.html|title='Troublesome Young Men'|first=Lynne|last=Olson|work=The New York Times |date=29 April 2007|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> Socialite [[Henry Channon|Henry (Chips) Channon]] noted in his diary: “I have seen much, travelled far and am accustomed to splendour, but there has never been anything like tonight”.<ref>Henry (Chips) Cannon, ed. Simon Heffer. ''The Diaries 1939–42'' (2021), p. 594, 1039, 7/7/1939</ref>

During the war the 10th Duke welcomed the boys from Malvern College as evacuees. In September 1940, the [[MI5|Security Service]] (MI5) was allowed to use the palace as its base until the end of the war.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mi5.gov.uk/mi5-in-world-war-ii|title=MI5 In World War II – MI5 – The Security Service|website=www.mi5.gov.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Andrew|first=Christopher|title=The Defence of the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5|page=[https://archive.org/details/defenceofrealmau0000andr/page/217 217]|publisher=Allen Lane|year=2009|isbn=978-0-713-99885-6|url=https://archive.org/details/defenceofrealmau0000andr/page/217}}</ref>

===11th Duke of Marlborough===
[[John Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough]], {{postnominals|size=100%|sep=,|country=GBR|JP|DL}} (13 April 1926 – 16 October 2014) was a [[Peerages in the United Kingdom|British peer]]. He was the elder son of the [[John Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough|10th Duke of Marlborough]] and his wife, the Hon. Alexandra Mary Hilda Cadogan. He was known as "Sunny" after his courtesy title of [[Earl of Sunderland]]. He was ranked 224th in the ''[[Sunday Times Rich List]]'' 2004, with an estimated wealth of £185&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite book|title=Sunday Times Rich List|date=18 April 2004|publisher=The Sunday Times}}</ref>

In 1972, on inheriting the Dukedom of Marlborough, he assumed the management of Blenheim Palace and the Blenheim estate. To fund the maintenance of the house, he opened it to visitors and as a film set, and established a number of businesses, including a garden furniture company and a water bottling plant.<ref>{{cite news|author=Dennis Barker|title=The Duke of Marlborough obituary|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/oct/16/the-duke-of-marlborough|work=The Guardian|date=16 October 2014}}</ref>

He was also active in a range of organisations, including the Thames and Chilterns Tourist Board and [[Oxford United Football Club]]. He served as vice-president of the [[Witney (UK Parliament constituency)|Witney]] Conservative Association, the local party of [[David Cameron]]. He died in 2014 at the age of 88.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/oct/16/duke-of-marlborough-dies-at-88/ |title=Duke of Marlborough dies at 88 |newspaper=The Guardian|date=October 16, 2014|agency=[[Press Association]]}}</ref>

=== The palace today ===
[[File:Lower formal gardens, Blenheim Palace - geograph.org.uk - 1433093.jpg|thumb|The "Bernini Fountain", a scaled copy of the fountain in Rome's [[Piazza Navona]] given to the 1st Duke, was placed on the second terrace by Duchêne.]]
[[File:Blenheim Palace, Italian Garden. - geograph.org.uk - 138121.jpg|thumb|The Italian Garden on the east side of the Palace 1908–10 by Duchêne fountain added in 1910 by American sculptor Waldo Story]]
The palace remains the home of the Dukes of Marlborough, the present incumbent of the title being [[James Spencer-Churchill, 12th Duke of Marlborough|Charles James (Jamie) Spencer-Churchill, 12th Duke of Marlborough]]. Charles James succeeded to the Dukedom upon his [[John Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough|father 11th Duke of Marlborough]]'s death on 16 October 2014.<ref>{{cite news|author=Raynor, G. |work= [[The Daily Telegraph]] |title=Former drug addict and ex-convict Jamie Blandford becomes 12th Duke of Marlborough after father dies |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/11168207/Former-drug-addict-and-ex-convict-Jamie-Blandford-becomes-12th-Duke-of-Marlborough-after-father-dies.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/11168207/Former-drug-addict-and-ex-convict-Jamie-Blandford-becomes-12th-Duke-of-Marlborough-after-father-dies.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live| access-date= 17 October 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref> {{As of|2016|10}}, the Marlboroughs still have to tender a copy of the French royal flag to the Monarch on the anniversary of the Battle of Blenheim as rent for the land that Blenheim Palace stands on.<ref name="OS">{{cite web | url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/getoutside/guides/facts-about-blenheim-palace/ | title=Interesting Facts About Blenheim Palace | publisher=Ordnance Survey | work=#GetOutside | access-date=20 October 2016}}</ref>

The palace, park, and gardens are open to the public on payment of an entry fee (maximum {{GBP|32}}, {{As of|2022|09||lc=y}}).<ref name=prices>{{cite web |title=Tickets & Booking |url=https://www.blenheimpalace.com/tickets-booking/ |publisher=The Blenheim Palace Heritage Foundation Charity |access-date=22 September 2022 |date=2022}}</ref> Several tourist entertainment attractions separate from the palace are the Formal and Walled Gardens, Marlborough Maze and the Butterfly House. The palace is linked to the Walled Garden by a miniature railway, the [[Blenheim Park Railway]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Visit and Explore |url=https://www.blenheimpalace.com/visitus/ |publisher=The Blenheim Palace Heritage Foundation Charity |date=2022|access-date=22 September 2022}}</ref> 

The public have free access to about five miles (8&nbsp;km) of [[Rights of way in England and Wales|public rights of way]] through the Great Park area of the grounds, which are accessible from Old Woodstock and from the [[Oxfordshire Way]], and which are close to the Column of Victory.<ref>See Ordnance Survey maps via map sources: {{coord|51.852|N|1.372|W|region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(SP433173)}}</ref>

Lord Edward Spencer-Churchill, the brother of the current Duke, wished to feature a contemporary art programme within the historic setting of the palace where he spent his childhood. He founded [[Blenheim Art Foundation]] (BAF), a non-profit organisation, to present large-scale contemporary art exhibitions.<ref>{{cite web|title = Lawrence Weiner American artist and founding figure of Conceptual Art to be next artist at Blenheim Art Foundation |publisher= FAD Magazine|url = http://fadmagazine.com/2015/07/23/lawrence-weiner-american-artist-and-founding-figure-of-conceptual-art-to-be-next-artist-at-blenheim-art-foundation/|access-date = 2 October 2015|first = Mark|last = Westall|date= 23 July 2015}}</ref> BAF launched on 1 October 2014 with the UK's largest ever exhibition by [[Ai Weiwei]].<ref>{{cite web|title = Ai Weiwei prepares for Blenheim Palace show but must keep his distance|url = https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/aug/28/ai-weiwei-blenheim-palace-show-3d-computer-model|website = The Guardian|access-date = 2 October 2015|first = Maev|last = Kennedy|date = 28 August 2014}}</ref> The foundation was conceived to give a vast number of people access to innovative contemporary artists working in the context of this historic palace.<ref>{{cite web|title = Lawrence Weiner. Within a Realm of Distance|date = 27 July 2015|url = http://wsimag.com/art/16850-lawrence-weiner-within-a-realm-of-distance|access-date = 2 October 2015}}</ref> 

In September 2019, following the opening of [[Maurizio Cattelan]]'s show "Victory is not an option", the palace was the scene of a robbery when thieves entered the palace at night time and stole an 18-carat golden toilet, valued at £4.8 million, which had been installed by the artist in one of the bathrooms.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.dezeen.com/2019/09/16/maurizio-cattelan-gold-toilet-blenheim-palace-news/ |title=$5 million solid gold toilet stolen in "surreal" Blenheim Palace heist |date=16 September 2019 |publisher=De Zeen |access-date=29 April 2022}}</ref> In April 2024 one of those responsible pleaded guilty to the theft at [[Oxford Crown Court]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/apr/02/man-pleads-guilty-to-oxfordshire-theft-of-48m-golden-toilet |last=Badshah |first=Nadeem |title=Man pleads guilty to theft of £4.8m gold toilet from Blenheim Palace |date= 2 April 2024 |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=3 April 2024}}</ref> During the trial of the other men involved, at Oxford Crown Court, the court was told that the toilet was probably broken up and had not been recovered.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn04xkx43pjo|title=Blenheim Palace £4.8m gold toilet stolen in minutes, court hears|date=24 February 2025|website=BBC News}}</ref> On 18 March 2025 one man was found guilty of planning the burglary, a second man was convicted of conspiring to sell the gold, while a third man was cleared of the same charge.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj3nrrmk04mo|title=Gold toilet: Two men guilty over £4.8m Blenheim Palace heist|date=18 March 2025|website=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Staff |date=2025-03-18 |title=Man found guilty over £4.8m Oxfordshire gold toilet heist |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/mar/18/man-found-guilty-over-48m-oxfordshire-gold-toilet-heist |access-date=2025-03-18 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

{{Anchor|Filming location}}Blenheim Palace is a frequent location for [[Filming location|filming]]. A survey in 2021 noted that Blenheim made 71 appearances in film and television, more than for any other [[English country house]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Blenheim Palace makes most TV and film appearances |url=https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/19097592.blenheim-palace-makes-tv-film-appearances/ |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=[[Oxford Mail]] |date=21 February 2021 |language=en}}</ref> The site offers a tour of the various filming locations.<ref name="UltimateMoviePalace">{{Cite web |title=Blenheim... the ultimate movie palace |url=http://www.henleylife.co.uk/henley-life/blenheim-the-ultimate-movie-palace-109.html |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=www.henleylife.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2020-01-08 |title=Go 'on location' with Blenheim Palace's new film trail |url=https://www.groupleisureandtravel.com/news-and-views/go-on-location-with-blenheim-palaces-new-film-trail/8381.article |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811164319/https://www.groupleisureandtravel.com/news-and-views/go-on-location-with-blenheim-palaces-new-film-trail/8381.article |archive-date=2020-08-11 |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=Group Leisure and Travel |language=en}}</ref>

In March 2024, it was announced that Blenheim Palace would be the venue for the [[4th European Political Community Summit|4th summit]] of the [[European Political Community]] on 18 July 2024.<ref name="pressrelease">{{Cite web |date=19 March 2024|title=UK to host European Political Community meeting in July 2024 at Blenheim Palace|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-to-host-european-political-community-meeting-in-july-2024-at-blenheim-palace|access-date=19 March 2024|website=GOV.UK|language=en-UK|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240319171732/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-to-host-european-political-community-meeting-in-july-2024-at-blenheim-palace|archive-date=19 March 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=19 March 2024|title=UK at last confirms European Political Community summit date|url=https://www.politico.eu/article/european-political-community-summit-date-confirmed-uk-blenheim-palace-summit-ukraine/|access-date=19 March 2024|website=[[Politico]]|language=en-UK|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240319164835/https://www.politico.eu/article/european-political-community-summit-date-confirmed-uk-blenheim-palace-summit-ukraine/|archive-date=19 March 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{wide image|Blenheim Palace panorama.jpg|800px|align-cap=center|A panoramic view of Blenheim Palace}}