Editing Blenheim Palace

{{Short description|Country house in Oxfordshire, England}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}}

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'''Blenheim&nbsp;Palace''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|l|ɛ|n|ɪ|m|}} {{Respell|BLEN|im}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/blenheim|title=Blenheim|access-date=23 September 2014|date=n.d.|publisher=Collins Dictionary}}</ref>) is a  [[English country house|country house]] in [[Woodstock, Oxfordshire]], England. It is the seat of the [[Duke of Marlborough (title)|Dukes of Marlborough]]. Originally called Blenheim Castle, it has been known as Blenheim Palace since the 19th century.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Musson |first=Jeremy |title=The Country Houses of Sir John Vanbrugh |date=2008 |publisher=Aurum Press |isbn=978-1-84513-097-8 |location=London |pages=72}}</ref> One of England's largest houses, it was built between 1705 and 1722, and designated a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] in 1987.<ref name="UNESCO">{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/425|title=Blenheim Palace|publisher=[[UNESCO]]|work=[[World Heritage Sites]]|access-date=8 May 2010}}</ref>

The palace is named after the 1704 [[Battle of Blenheim]]. It was originally intended to be a reward to [[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough]] for his military triumphs against the [[Kingdom of France|French]] and [[Electorate of Bavaria|Bavarians]] in the [[War of the Spanish Succession]], culminating in the Battle of Blenheim. The land was given as a gift, and construction began in 1705, with some financial support from [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]]. The project soon became the subject of political infighting, with the Crown cancelling further financial support in 1712, Marlborough's three-year voluntary exile to the Continent, the fall from influence of his duchess, and lasting damage to the reputation of the architect [[John Vanbrugh|Sir John Vanbrugh]].

Designed in the rare, and short-lived, [[English Baroque]] style, the palace receives architectural appreciation as divided today as it was in the 1720s.<ref>Voltaire wrote of Blenheim: "If only the apartments were as large as the walls are thick, this mansion would be convenient enough." [[Joseph Addison]], [[Alexander Pope]], and [[Robert Adam]] (normally an admirer of Vanbrugh's) also all criticised the design.</ref> It is unique in its combined use as a family home, [[mausoleum]] and national [[monument]]. The palace is notable as the birthplace and ancestral home of [[Winston Churchill|Sir Winston Churchill]].

Following the palace's completion, it became the home of the Churchill (later [[Spencer-Churchill family|Spencer-Churchill]]) family for the next 300 years, and various members of the family have wrought changes to the interiors, park and gardens. At the end of the 19th century, the palace was saved from ruin by funds gained from the [[Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough|9th Duke of Marlborough]]'s marriage to American railroad heiress [[Consuelo Vanderbilt]].

==Origins and construction==
=== Churchills ===
[[File:Marlborough-first-duke.JPG|thumb|upright|{{Circa|1705}} [[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough]] by [[Sir Godfrey Kneller]].|alt=A man in robes of the Order of the Garter. The man is wearing white and red clothing, with a mantle adorned with a large badge]]

John Churchill was born in [[Devon]]. Although his family had [[aristocracy|aristocratic]] relations, it belonged to the minor [[gentry]] rather than the upper echelons of 17th-century society. In 1678, Churchill married [[Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough|Sarah Jennings]],<ref>Churchill: ''Marlborough: His Life and Times, Bk. 1'', 129</ref> and in April that year, he was sent by [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] to [[The Hague]] to negotiate a convention on the deployment of the English army in Flanders. The mission ultimately proved abortive. In May, Churchill was appointed to the temporary rank of [[Brigadier-General]] of Foot, but the possibility of a continental campaign was eliminated with the [[Treaties of Nijmegen|Treaty of Nijmegen]].<ref>Chandler: ''Marlborough as Military Commander'', 10</ref>

When Churchill returned to England, the [[Popish Plot]] resulted in a temporary three-year banishment for [[James II of England|James Stuart, Duke of York]]. The Duke obliged Churchill to attend him, first to The Hague, then in [[Brussels]].<ref>Holmes: ''Marlborough: England's Fragile Genius'', 92.</ref> For his services during the crisis, Churchill was made Lord Churchill of [[Eyemouth]] in the [[peerage of Scotland]] in 1682, and the following year appointed colonel of the [[1st The Royal Dragoons|King's Own Royal Regiment of Dragoons]].<ref>Churchill: ''Marlborough: His Life and Times, Bk. 1'', 164</ref>

[[File:Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough by Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough]] 1700 by Sir Godfrey Kneller]]

On the death of Charles II in 1685, his brother, the Duke of York, became [[James II of England|King James II]]. James had been Governor of the [[Hudson's Bay Company]] (today North America's oldest company, established by [[royal charter]] in 1670), and with his succession to the throne, Churchill was appointed the company's third ever governor. He had also been affirmed [[Gentleman of the Bedchamber]] in April, and admitted to the English peerage as Baron Churchill of Sandridge in the county of [[Hertfordshire]] in May. Following the [[Monmouth Rebellion]], Churchill was promoted to [[Major General]] and awarded the lucrative colonelcy of the Third Troop of [[Life Guards (British Army)|Life Guards]].<ref>Holmes: ''Marlborough: England's Fragile Genius'', 126</ref>

When [[William III of England|William, Prince of Orange]], invaded England in November 1688, Churchill, accompanied by some 400 officers and men, rode to join him in [[Axminster]].<ref>Churchill: ''Marlborough: His Life and Times, Bk. 1'', 240</ref> When the King saw he could not even keep Churchill – for so long his loyal and intimate servant – he fled to France.<ref>Holmes: ''Marlborough: England's Fragile Genius'', 194</ref> As part of William III's coronation honours, Churchill was created [[Earl of Marlborough]], sworn to the [[Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council|Privy Council]], and made a Gentleman of the King's Bedchamber.<ref name=stephen>{{cite DNB |last=Stephen |first=Leslie |wstitle=Churchill, John (1650-1722) |display=Churchill, John (1650–1722) |volume=10 |pages=315–341 |short=x |noicon=x}}</ref>

During the [[War of the Spanish Succession]] Churchill gained a reputation as a capable military commander, and in 1702 he was elevated to the dukedom of Marlborough. During the war he won a series of victories, including the [[Battle of Blenheim]] (1704), the [[Battle of Ramillies]] (1706), the [[Battle of Oudenarde]] (1708), and the [[Battle of Malplaquet]] (1709). For his victory at Blenheim, the Crown bestowed upon Marlborough the tenancy of the royal [[Manorialism|manor]] of Hensington (situated on the site of Woodstock) to site the new palace, and [[Parliament of Great Britain|Parliament]] voted a substantial sum of money towards its creation. The rent or ''petit serjeanty'' due to the Crown for the land was set at the [[peppercorn rent]] or [[quit-rent]] of one copy of the French royal flag to be tendered to the Monarch annually on the anniversary of the Battle of Blenheim. This flag is displayed by the Monarch on a 17th-century French writing table in [[Windsor Castle]].<ref name="RCT">{{cite web | url=https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/egallery/object.asp?category=279&object=35489&row=9&detail=about | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829204252/https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/egallery/object.asp?category=279&object=35489&row=9&detail=about| archive-date= 29 August 2017|title=Writing table | publisher=The Royal Collection Trust | work=The Royal Collection | access-date=20 October 2016}}</ref>

Marlborough's wife was by all accounts a cantankerous woman, though capable of great charm. She had befriended the young [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Princess Anne]] and later, when the princess became Queen, the Duchess of Marlborough, as Her Majesty's [[Mistress of the Robes]], exerted great influence over the Queen on both personal and political levels. The relationship between Queen and Duchess later became strained and fraught, and following their final quarrel in 1711, the money for the construction of Blenheim ceased.<ref>Field, p. 229, 251–5, 265, 344</ref> For political reasons the Marlboroughs went into exile on the Continent until they returned the day after the Queen's death on 1 August 1714.<ref name=stephen/>

=== Site ===
[[File:Blenheim PalaceDE.jpg|thumb|An engraving of Blenheim Palace]]

The estate given by the nation to Marlborough for the new house was the [[Manorialism|manor]] of Woodstock, sometimes called the [[Woodstock Palace|Palace of Woodstock]], which had been a royal [[demesne]], in reality little more than a [[medieval deer park|deer park]].<ref name=woodstockpalace>{{cite web |title= Woodstock's lost royal palace |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/oxford/content/articles/2007/10/17/glyme_feature.shtml |publisher=BBC Oxford |access-date=29 November 2010 |first=Simon |last=Pipe |date=23 October 2007}}</ref> Legend has obscured the manor's origins. King [[Henry I of England|Henry I]] enclosed the park to contain the deer. [[Henry II of England|Henry II]] housed his mistress [[Rosamund Clifford]] (sometimes known as "Fair Rosamund") there in a "bower and labyrinth"; a spring in which she is said to have bathed remains, named after her.<ref name=woodstockpalace/>

It seems the unostentatious hunting lodge was rebuilt many times, and had an uneventful history until [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth I]], before her succession, was imprisoned there by her half-sister [[Mary I of England|Mary I]] between 1554 and 1555.<ref name=woodstockpalace/> Elizabeth had been implicated in the [[Thomas Wyatt the younger|Wyatt plot]], but her imprisonment at Woodstock was short, and the manor remained in obscurity until bombarded and ruined by [[Oliver Cromwell]]'s troops during the [[English Civil War|Civil War]].<ref name=woodstockpalace/>

When the park was being re-landscaped as a setting for the house, the 1st Duchess wanted the historic ruins demolished, while Vanbrugh, an early conservationist, wanted them restored and made into a landscape feature. The Duchess, as so often in her disputes with her architect, won the day and the remains of the manor were swept away.<ref name=woodstockpalace/>

=== Architect ===
[[File:John Vanbrugh.jpg|thumb|upright|The architect Sir John Vanbrugh c.1705, in a painting by [[Godfrey Kneller]]]]
The architect selected for the ambitious project was a controversial one. The Duchess was known to favour Sir [[Christopher Wren]], famous for [[St Paul's Cathedral]] and many other national buildings. The Duke however, following a chance meeting at a playhouse, is said to have commissioned Sir [[John Vanbrugh]] there and then. Vanbrugh, a popular dramatist, was an untrained architect, who usually worked in conjunction with the trained and practical [[Nicholas Hawksmoor]]. The duo had recently completed the first stages of the Baroque [[Castle Howard]]. This huge [[Yorkshire]] mansion was one of England's first houses in the flamboyant European [[Baroque]] style. The success of Castle Howard led Marlborough to commission something similar at Woodstock.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.discoverbritainmag.com/the_imaginative_genius_of_sir_john_vanbrugh/|title=The imaginative genius of Sir John Vanbrugh, architect of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard|newspaper=Discover Britain|first=Claire |last=Masset|date=2 February 2015 |access-date=29 July 2018}}</ref>

[[File:Blenheim Palace from the Water Terraces October 2016.jpg|thumb|left|Blenheim Palace ("[[John Vanbrugh]]'s castle air"): west facade showing the unique severe towering stone [[belvedere (structure)|belvederes]] ornamenting the skyline]]
Blenheim, however, was not to provide Vanbrugh with the architectural plaudits he imagined it would. The fight over funding led to accusations of extravagance and impracticality of design, many of these charges levelled by the Whig factions in power. He found no defender in the Duchess of Marlborough. Having been foiled in her wish to employ Wren,<ref>When the Duchess came to build [[Marlborough House]], her London home, in 1706, she employed Sir Christopher Wren. She later dismissed him too, because she felt that the contractors took advantage of him. She personally supervised the completion of the house. See [http://www.georgianindex.net/Prn_Charlotte/MarlboroughHse.html Marlborough House] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170226090033/http://www.georgianindex.net/Prn_Charlotte/MarlboroughHse.html |date=26 February 2017 }}.</ref> she levelled criticism at Vanbrugh on every level, from design to taste. In part their problems arose from what was demanded of the architect. The nation (which was then assumed, by both architect and owners, to be paying the bills) wanted a monument, but the Duchess wanted not only a fitting tribute to her husband but also a comfortable home, two requirements that were not compatible in 18th-century architecture. Finally, in the early days of the building the Duke was frequently away on his military campaigns, and it was left to the Duchess to negotiate with Vanbrugh. More aware than her husband of the precarious state of the financial aid they were receiving, she criticised Vanbrugh's grandiose ideas for their extravagance.<ref>Colvin, p. 850</ref>

Following their final altercation, Vanbrugh was banned from the site. In 1719, whilst the Duchess was away, Vanbrugh viewed the house in secret. However, when Vanbrugh's wife visited the completed Blenheim as a member of the viewing public in 1725, the Duchess refused to allow her even to enter the park.<ref name=dnbv>{{Cite DNB|wstitle=Vanbrugh, John| first=Thomas |last=Seccombe |author-link=Thomas Seccombe|volume=58  |short=x |noicon=x}}</ref>

Vanbrugh's severe massed Baroque used at Blenheim never truly caught the public imagination, and was quickly superseded by the revival of the [[Palladian]] style. Vanbrugh's reputation was irreparably damaged, and he received no further truly great public commissions. For his final design, [[Seaton Delaval Hall]] in [[Northumberland]], which was hailed as his masterpiece, he used a refined version of the Baroque employed at Blenheim. He died shortly before its completion.<ref name=dnbv/>

=== Funding the construction ===
[[File:Blenheim Palace Grand Bridge.jpg|thumb|right|The Grand Bridge in Blenheim Park 1722–1724 by Vanbrugh]]
[[File:Entrance to Blenheim Palace Park - geograph.org.uk - 1481987.jpg|thumb|right|The Hensington Gates the main entrance to Blenheim Park 1709 by Hawksmoor]]
The precise responsibility for the funding of the new house has always been a debatable subject, unresolved to this day. The house as a reward was mooted within months of the Battle of Blenheim, at a time when Marlborough was still to gain many further victories on behalf of the country. That a grateful nation led by Queen Anne wished and intended to give their national hero a suitable home is beyond doubt, but the exact size and nature of that house is questionable. A warrant dated 1705, signed by the parliamentary treasurer the [[Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin|Earl of Godolphin]], appointed Vanbrugh as architect and outlined his remit. Unfortunately for the Churchills, nowhere did this warrant mention Queen or Crown.<ref name=bhol>{{cite book |last1=Baggs |first1=A. P.|author-link1= |last2=Blair |first2=W. J. |author-link2= |last3=Chance |first3=Eleanor |author-link3= |last4=Colvin |first4=Christina |author-link4= |last5=Cooper |first5=Janet |author-link5=|last6=Day|first6=C. J.|last7=Selwyn|first7=Nesta|last8=Townley|first8=S. C. |editor-last1=Crossley |editor-first1=Alan|editor-last2=Elrington|editor-first2=C. R. |year=1990 |chapter=Blenheim: Blenheim Palace |chapter-url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/oxon/vol12/pp448-460|title=A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 12, Wootton Hundred (South) Including Woodstock |location=London |publisher=[[British History Online]] |pages=448–460 |isbn=978-0-19-722774-9 |access-date=22 September 2022}}</ref>

The Duke of Marlborough contributed £60,000 to the initial cost when work commenced in 1705, which, supplemented by Parliament, should have built a monumental house. Parliament voted funds for the building of Blenheim, but no exact sum was mentioned nor provision for inflation or over-budget expenses. Almost from the outset, funds were spasmodic. Queen Anne paid some of them, but with growing reluctance and lapses, following her frequent altercations with the Duchess. After their final argument in 1712, all state money ceased and work came to a halt. £220,000 had already been spent and £45,000 was owing to workmen. The Marlboroughs were forced into exile on the continent, and did not return until after the Queen's death in 1714.<ref name=stephen/>

[[File:Blenheim engraving.jpg|thumb|left|An 18th-century [[engraving]] showing The Great Court]]

On their return the Duke and Duchess came back into favour at court. The 64-year-old Duke now decided to complete the project at his own expense. In 1716 work resumed, but the project relied completely upon the limited means of the Duke himself. Harmony on the building site was short-lived, as in 1717 the Duke suffered a severe stroke, and the thrifty Duchess took control. The Duchess blamed Vanbrugh entirely for the growing costs and extravagance of the house, the design of which she had never liked. Following a meeting with the Duchess, Vanbrugh left the building site in a rage, insisting that the new masons, carpenters and craftsmen, brought in by the Duchess, were inferior to those he had employed. The master craftsmen he had patronised, however, such as [[Grinling Gibbons]], refused to work for the lower rates paid by the Marlboroughs. The craftsmen brought in by the Duchess, under the guidance of furniture designer [[James Moore (furniture designer)|James Moore]], and Vanbrugh's assistant architect Hawksmoor, completed the work in perfect imitation of the greater masters.<ref name=bhol/>
{{Quote box
| quote  = "Under the auspices of a munificent sovereign this house was built for John Duke of Marlborough, and his Duchess Sarah, by Sir J Vanbrugh between the years 1705 and 1722, and the Royal Manor of Woodstock, together with a grant of £240,000 towards the building of Blenheim, was given by Her Majesty Queen Anne and confirmed by act of Parliament . . . to the said John Duke of Marlborough and to all his issue male and female lineally descending."
| source = —Plaque above the East gate of Blenheim Palace
| width  = 35%
| align  = right
}}

Following the Duke's death in 1722, completion of the house and its park became the Duchess's driving ambition. Vanbrugh's assistant Hawksmoor was recalled and in 1723 designed the "Arch of Triumph", based on the [[Arch of Titus]], at the entrance to the park from Woodstock. Hawksmoor also completed the interior design of the library, the ceilings of many of the state rooms and other details in numerous other minor rooms, and various outbuildings.<ref name="Green, p. 39">Green, p. 39</ref>

Cutting rates of pay to workmen, and using lower-quality materials in unobtrusive places, the widowed Duchess completed the great house as a tribute to her late husband. The final date of completion is not known, but as late as 1735 the Duchess was haggling with Rysbrack over the cost of Queen Anne's statue placed in the library. In 1732 the Duchess wrote "The Chappel is finish'd and more than half the Tomb there ready to set up".<ref name="Green, p. 39"/>

== Current design and architecture ==
[[File:Blenheim Plan.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Blenheim Palace, unscaled plan of the ''[[piano nobile]]''. An [[enfilade (architecture)|enfilade]] of 9 state rooms runs the length of the southern facade of the palace (marked "N" to "G" at the top of the figure). It is a tribute to the craftsmanship of the carpenters who installed the doors between the rooms that with the keys removed it is possible to look through them all, from one end of the enfilade to the other. Key A: Hall; B: Saloon; C: Green Writing Room; L: Red Drawing Room; M: Green Drawing Room; N: Grand Cabinet; H: Library; J: covered colonnade; K: Birth Room of Sir [[Winston Churchill]]; H2: Chapel; O: Bow room.]]

Vanbrugh planned Blenheim in [[perspective (visual)|perspective]];   that is, to be best viewed from a distance. As the site covers some seven acres (28,000 m<sup>2</sup>) this is also a necessity.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/home-and-garden/architecture/inside-blenheim-palace-a-dwelling-fit-for-a-duke/article32103309/|title=Inside Blenheim Palace, a dwelling fit for a duke|date=28 September 2016|newspaper=Globe and Mail|access-date=29 July 2018}}</ref>

[[File:Ranken Blenheim.jpg|thumb|Grand salon, Blenheim Palace, c. 1918, [[William Bruce Ellis Ranken]]]]

The plan of the palace's principal block (or [[corps de logis]]) is a rectangle (''see plan'') pierced by two courtyards; these serve as little more than [[light well]]s. Contained behind the southern facade are the principal [[state apartment]]s; on the east side are the suites of private apartments of the Duke and Duchess, and on the west along the entire length of the ''[[piano nobile]]'' is given a long gallery originally conceived as a picture gallery, but is now the library. The corps de logis is flanked by two further service blocks around square courtyards (''not shown in the plan''). The east court contains the kitchens, laundry, and other domestic offices, the west court adjacent to the chapel the stables and indoor riding school.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=TicgAQAAMAAJ|title=Blenheim Palace|publisher=Country Life|volume=132|year=1962|page=1031}}</ref>

The three blocks together form the "Great Court" designed to overpower the visitor arriving at the palace. [[Pilaster]]s and pillars abound, while from the roofs, themselves resembling those of a small town, great statues in the [[Renaissance]] manner of [[St. Peter's Basilica|St Peter's]] in Rome gaze down on the visitor below, who is rendered inconsequential. Other assorted statuary in the guise of martial trophies decorate the roofs, most notably [[Britannia]] standing atop the entrance [[pediment]] in front of two reclining chained French captives sculpted in the style of [[Michelangelo]],<ref>[https://www.flickr.com/photos/browniebear/5371207646/ The arms of the Duke of Marlborough with the statue of Britannia above] Compare with figures on Tomb of Giuliano de Medici, New Sacristy, San Lorenzo, Florence (Category:Tomb of Giuliano de' Medici); figures above Moses and the Brazen Serpent, Sistine Chapel ceiling (File:Michelangelo Buonarroti 024.jpg); Monument of the Four Moors, of Ferdinando I de Medici, Leghorn by Pietro Tacco (File:Livorno, Monumento dei quattro mori a Ferdinando II (1626) - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto, 13-4-2006 01.jpg); Coin of Marcus Aurelius, RIC III 1188, White Mountain Collection (File:Marcus Aurelius Dupondius 177 2020304.jpg)</ref>  and the English lion devouring the French cock, on the lower roofs. Many of these are by such masters as [[Grinling Gibbons]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.countrylifeimages.co.uk/Image.aspx?id=45fc4503-0db6-4b17-92f4-b50261f01a49&rd=2%7C%20grinling%20gibbons%7C%7C1%7C20%7C25%7C150|title=Blenheim Palace 12342|publisher=Country Life Picture Gallery|access-date=29 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180730050352/http://www.countrylifeimages.co.uk/Image.aspx?id=45fc4503-0db6-4b17-92f4-b50261f01a49&rd=2%7C%20grinling%20gibbons%7C%7C1%7C20%7C25%7C150|archive-date=30 July 2018}}</ref>

In the design of great 18th-century houses comfort and convenience were subservient to magnificence, and this is certainly the case at Blenheim. This magnificence over creature comfort is heightened as the architect's brief was to create not only a home but also a national monument to reflect the power and civilisation of the nation. To create this monumental effect, Vanbrugh chose to design in a severe Baroque style, using great masses of stone to imitate strength and create shadow as decoration.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://patrickbaty.co.uk/2011/01/14/blenheim-palace/|title=Blenheim Palace|publisher=Patrick Baty|access-date=29 July 2018}}</ref>

[[File:Blenheim Palace IMG 3649.JPG|thumb|right|upright|The architect slightly tapered the sides of the east gate to create an illusion of even greater height, the wrought iron gates date from the 1840s.]]

The solid and huge entrance [[portico]] on the north front resembles more the entrance to a [[wikt:pantheon|pantheon]] than a family home. Vanbrugh also liked to employ what he called his "castle air", which he achieved by placing a low [[tower]] at each corner of the central block and crowning the towers with vast [[belvedere (structure)|belvederes]] of massed stone, decorated with curious [[finial]]s (disguising the chimneys). Coincidentally these towers, which hint at the [[pylon (architecture)|pylons]] of an [[Egyptian temple]], further add to the heroic pantheonesque atmosphere of the building.<ref>Games, p. 334</ref>

There are two approaches to the palace's grand entrance, one from the long straight drive through [[wrought iron]] gates directly into the Great Court; the other, equally if not more impressive, betrays Vanbrugh's true vision: the palace as a [[bastion]] or [[citadel]], the true monument and home to a great warrior. Piercing the windowless, city-like curtain wall of the east court is the great East Gate, a monumental [[triumphal arch]], more Egyptian in design than [[Roman architecture|Roman]]. An [[optical illusion]] was created by tapering its walls to create an impression of even greater height. Confounding those who accuse Vanbrugh of impracticality, this gate is also the palace's [[water tower]]. Through the arch of the gate one views across the courtyard a second equally massive gate, that beneath the clock tower,<ref>This clock tower, completed in 1710 at a cost of £1,435, was despised by the 1st Duchess, who referred to it as "A great thing where the Clock is, and which is Called a Tower of great Ornament (''sic'')".</ref> through which one glimpses the Great Court.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/clock-tower-blenheim-palace-woodstock-england-news-photo/926836986#/clock-tower-blenheim-palace-woodstock-england-picture-id926836986|title=Clock Tower, Blenheim Palace|publisher=Getty Images|access-date=29 July 2018|archive-date=30 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180730020854/https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/clock-tower-blenheim-palace-woodstock-england-news-photo/926836986#/clock-tower-blenheim-palace-woodstock-england-picture-id926836986|url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:Blenheim Palace facade October 2016.jpg|left|thumb|The pediment over the south portico is a complete break from the convention. The flat top is decorated by a trophy bearing the marble bust of Louis XIV in the centre was looted by [[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough|Marlborough]] from [[Tournai]] in 1709, weighing 30 tons. The positioning of the bust was an innovative new design in the decoration of a pediment.]]
This view of the Duke as an [[omnipotent]] being is also reflected in the interior design of the palace, and indeed its axis to certain features in the park. It was planned that when the Duke dined in state in his place of honour in the great saloon, he would be the climax of a great procession of architectural mass aggrandising him rather like a [[proscenium]]. The line of celebration and honour of his victorious life began with the great column of victory surmounted by his statue and detailing his triumphs, and the next point on the great axis, planted with trees in the position of troops, was the epic Roman style bridge. The approach continues through the great portico into the hall, its ceiling painted by [[James Thornhill]] with the Duke's [[apotheosis]], then on under a great triumphal arch, through the huge marble door-case with the Duke's marble [[effigy]] above it (bearing the ducal plaudit "Nor could Augustus better calm mankind"), and into the painted saloon, the most highly decorated room in the palace, where the Duke was to have sat enthroned.<ref>Mavor, p. 23</ref>

The Duke was to have sat with his back to the great 30-tonne marble bust of his vanquished foe [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]], positioned high above the south portico. Here the defeated King was humiliatingly forced to look down on the great [[parterre]] and spoils of his conqueror (rather in the same way as severed heads were displayed generations earlier). The Duke did not live long enough to see this majestic tribute realised, and sit enthroned in this architectural vision. The Duke and Duchess moved into their apartments on the eastern side of the palace, but the entirety was not completed until after the Duke's death.<ref>Holmes: ''Marlborough: England's Fragile Genius'', p. 477</ref>

The palace has been [[Listed building#England and Wales|Grade I listed]] on the [[National Heritage List for England]] since August 1957.<ref name=NHLEHouse>{{NHLE|num=1052912|desc=Blenheim Palace|access-date=16 October 2017|mode=cs2}}</ref>

===Palace chapel===
The palace chapel, as a consequence of the Duke's death, now obtained even greater importance. The design was altered by the Marlboroughs' friend the [[Earl of Godolphin]], who placed the high altar in defiance of religious convention against the west wall, thus allowing the dominating feature to be the Duke's gargantuan tomb and [[sarcophagus]]. Commissioned by the Duchess in 1730, it was designed by [[William Kent]], and statues of the Duke and Duchess depicted as [[Julius Caesar|Caesar]] and Caesarina adorn the great sarcophagus. In [[bas relief]] at the base of the tomb, the Duchess ordered to be depicted the surrender of [[Camille d'Hostun, duc de Tallard|Marshal Tallard]]. However, the theme throughout the palace of honouring the Duke did not reach its apotheosis until the dowager duchess's death in 1744. Then, the Duke's coffin was returned to Blenheim from its temporary resting place, [[Westminster Abbey]], and husband and wife were interred together and the tomb erected and completed.<ref name="Henrietta">Henrietta Spencer-Churchill</ref> Now Blenheim had indeed become a pantheon and mausoleum. Successive Dukes and their wives are also interred in the vault beneath the chapel. Other members of family are interred in [[St Martin's Church, Bladon|St. Martin's parish church]]yard at [[Bladon]], a short distance from the palace.<ref>Vanderbilt Balsan.</ref>

== Interior ==
[[File:Blenheim palace, Oxfordshire (19001949811).jpg|thumb|left|upright|Great Hall ceiling, The Duke of Marlborough presenting the plan for the battle of Blenheim to [[Britannia]], painted 1716 for £978 by Sir James Thornhill]]
[[File:Blenheim Palace Chapel.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Tomb of the 1st Duke of Marlborough in the palace chapel 1733, cost £2,200 designed by [[William Kent]] sculpted by [[John Michael Rysbrack]]]]
[[File:Blenheim Ceiling 2017.jpg|thumb|left|upright|The Triumph of the Duke of Marlborough, Saloon ceiling c.1720 by Louis Laguerre]]
[[File:Blenheim Palace 6-2008 3.jpg|thumb|right|Library by Nicholas Hawksmoor 1722–1725, with pipe organ at the far end 1890–1891]]
[[File:Blenheim Palace, interior 06.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Saloon with murals c.1720 cost £500 by Louis Laguerre]]
[[File:ENG Woodstock Blenheim Palace 034.jpg|thumb|left|upright|The Temple of Diana 1772–1773 by Willam Chambers]]
The internal layout of the rooms of the central block at Blenheim was defined by the court [[etiquette]] of the day. State apartments were designed as an axis of rooms of increasing importance and public use, leading to the chief room. The larger houses, like Blenheim, had two sets of state apartments each mirroring each other. The grandest and most public and important was the central saloon ''("B" in the plan'') which served as the communal state dining room. To either side of the saloon are suites of state apartments, decreasing in importance but increasing in privacy: the first room ''("C")'' would have been an [[audience]] chamber for receiving important guests, the next room ''("L")'' a private withdrawing room, the next room ''("M")'' would have been the bedroom of the occupier of the suite, thus the most private.<ref name=floorplan>{{cite web|url=https://cdn.thehandbook.com/app/uploads/2014/10/Blenheim-Floor-Plans.pdf|title=Blenheim Palace: Floorplans|access-date=29 July 2018|archive-date=30 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180730020956/https://cdn.thehandbook.com/app/uploads/2014/10/Blenheim-Floor-Plans.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

One of the small rooms between the bedroom and the internal courtyard was intended as a dressing room. This arrangement is reflected on the other side of the saloon. The state apartments were intended for use by only the most important guests such as a visiting sovereign. On the left (east) side of the plan on either side of the bow room ''(marked "O")'' can be seen a smaller but nearly identical layout of rooms, which were the suites of the Duke and Duchess themselves. Thus, the bow room corresponds exactly to the saloon in terms of its importance to the two smaller suites.<ref name=floorplan/>

Blenheim Palace was the birthplace of the 1st Duke's famous descendant, [[Winston Churchill]], whose life and times are commemorated by a permanent exhibition in the suite of rooms in which he was born ''(marked "K" on the plan)''. Blenheim Palace was designed with all its principal and secondary rooms on the ''piano nobile'', thus there is no great staircase of state: anyone worthy of such state would have no cause to leave the ''piano nobile''. Insofar as Blenheim does have a grand staircase, it is the series of steps in the Great Court which lead to the North Portico. There are staircases of various sizes and grandeur in the central block, but none are designed on the same scale of magnificence as the palace. [[James Thornhill]] painted the ceiling of the hall in 1716. It depicts Marlborough kneeling to [[Britannia]] and proffering a map of the Battle of Blenheim. The hall is {{convert|67|ft|m|abbr=on}} high, and remarkable chiefly for its size and for its stone carvings by [[Grinling Gibbons|Gibbons]], yet in spite of its immense size it is merely a vast [[Antechamber|anteroom]] to the saloon.<ref name=floorplan />

The saloon was also to have been painted by Thornhill, but the Duchess suspected him of overcharging, so the commission was given to [[Louis Laguerre]]. This room is an example of three-dimensional painting, or ''[[Trompe-l'œil|trompe l'œil]]'', "trick-the-eye", a fashionable painting technique at the time. The [[Treaty of Utrecht|Peace Treaty of Utrecht]] was about to be signed, so all the elements in the painting represent the coming of peace. The domed ceiling is an allegorical representation of Peace: John Churchill is in the chariot, he holds a zigzag thunderbolt of war, and the woman who holds back his arm represents Peace. The walls depict all the nations of the world who have come together peacefully. Laguerre also included a self-portrait placing himself next to Dean Jones, chaplain to the 1st Duke, another enemy of the Duchess, although she tolerated him in the household because he could play a good hand at cards. To the right of the doorway leading into the first stateroom, Laguerre included the French spies, said to have big ears and eyes because they may still be spying. Of the four marble door-cases in the room displaying the Duke's [[crest (heraldry)|crest]] as a prince of the [[Holy Roman Empire]], only one is by Gibbons, the other three were copied indistinguishably by the Duchess's cheaper craftsmen.<ref name=floorplan />

The third remarkable room is the long library designed by [[Nicholas Hawksmoor]] in 1722–1725, ''(H)'', {{convert|183|ft|m|abbr=on}} long, which was intended as a picture gallery. The ceiling has [[saucer dome]]s, which were to have been painted by Thornhill, had the Duchess not upset him. The palace, and in particular this room, was furnished with the many valuable artefacts the Duke had been given, or sequestered as the [[Prize of war|spoils of war]], including a fine art collection. Here in the library, rewriting history in her own indomitable style, the Duchess set up a larger than life statue of Queen Anne, its base recording their friendship.<ref name=floorplan />

From the northern end of the library—in which is housed the largest pipe organ in private ownership in Europe, built by England's great organ builder [[Henry Willis & Sons]]—access is obtained to the raised [[colonnade]] which leads to the chapel ''(H)''. The chapel is perfectly balanced on the eastern side of the palace by the vaulted kitchen. This symmetrical balancing and equal weight given to both spiritual and physical nourishment would no doubt have appealed to Vanbrugh's renowned sense of humour, if not the Duchess'. The distance of the kitchen from even the private dining room ''("O" on the plan)'' was obviously of no consideration, hot food being of less importance than to avoid having to inhale the odour of cooking and proximity of servants.<ref name=floorplan />

==Pipe organs==
The Long Library organ was built in 1891 by the famous London firm of [[Henry Willis & Sons]] at a cost of £3,669.<ref name="Long Library organ">{{Cite web|url=https://www.npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=N09565|title=The National Pipe Organ Register – Blenheim Palace: the Long Library|website=www.npor.org.uk}}</ref> It replaced a previous organ built in 1888 by [[Abbott and Smith|Isaac Abbott of Leeds]], which was removed to St Swithun's church, [[Hither Green]].<ref name="Abbott organ">{{Cite web|url=https://www.npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=N09564|title=The National Pipe Organ Register – Blenheim Palace: the Long Library, Abbott organ|website=www.npor.org.uk}}</ref> Originally erected in the central bay, with its back to the water terraces, the [[Norwich]] firm of [[Norman & Beard]] moved it to the northwestern end of the library in 1902 and made a few tonal additions and, the following year, cleaned it.<ref name="Long Library organ"/> No further changes were made until 1930, when the Willis firm lowered the pitch to modern [[concert pitch]]: a [[Welte-Mignon|Welte]] automatic player was added in 1931, with 70 rolls cut by [[Marcel Dupré]], [[Joseph Bonnet]], [[Alfred Hollins]], [[Edwin Lemare]] and Harry Goss-Custard also being supplied.<ref name="Long Library organ"/> This remained in use for some time: the Duke of the time is said to have frequently sat at the organ bench and pretended to play the organ to his guests and they would applaud at the end. This practice is said to have been halted abruptly when the player started before the Duke had reached the organ. This famous instrument is regularly maintained and is played by visiting organists throughout the year, but as of 2013 its condition is declining: a fundraising campaign has been launched for its complete restoration.<ref name="Organ Appeal">{{cite web|title=Blenheim Palace Organ Appeal|url=http://www.blenheimpalace.com/index/restoration-projects/607.html|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116095010/http://www.blenheimpalace.com/index/restoration-projects/607.html|archive-date=16 January 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

The organ in the chapel was built circa 1853 by Robert Postill of [[York]]:<ref name=organ>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=N09566|title=The National Pipe Organ Register – Blenheim Palace: Blenheim Palace Chapel|website=www.npor.org.uk}}</ref> it is notable as a rare unaltered example of this fine builder's work, speaking boldly and clearly into a generous acoustic.<ref name=organ/>

== Park and gardens ==
[[File:Blenheim3.jpg|thumb|left|Blenheim Palace, looking across the east facade's Italian garden to the orangery, which both adorns and disguises the walls of the domestic east court. The East gate is seen rising above.]]
[[File:A new and accurate plan of Blenheim Palace - L'Art de Créer les Jardins (1835), pl. 1 - BL.jpg|thumb|Blenheim Palace Park and gardens in 1835]]

Blenheim sits in the centre of a large undulating park, a classic example of the [[English garden|English landscape garden]] movement and style. When Vanbrugh first cast his eyes over it in 1704 he immediately conceived a typically grandiose plan: through the park trickled the small [[River Glyme]], and Vanbrugh envisaged this [[marsh]]y brook traversed by the "finest bridge in Europe". Thus, ignoring the second opinion offered by Sir Christopher Wren, the marsh was channelled into three small [[canal]]-like streams and across it rose a bridge of huge proportions, so huge it was reported to contain some 30-odd rooms. While the bridge was indeed an amazing wonder, in this setting it appeared incongruous, causing [[Alexander Pope]] to comment: "the minnows, as under this vast arch they pass, murmur, 'how like whales we look, thanks to your Grace.'"<ref>Bingham, p. 201</ref>

[[Horace Walpole]] saw it in 1760, shortly before [[Capability Brown]]'s improvements: "the bridge, like the beggars at the old duchess's gate, begs for a drop of water and is refused."<ref>Walpole to George Montagu, 19 July 1760. Walpole was not pleased with "Vanbrugh's quarries", with the inscriptions glorifying Marlborough "and all the old flock chairs, wainscot tables, and gowns and petticoats of queen Anne, that old Sarah could crowd among blocks of marble. It looks like the palace of an auctioneer, that has been chosen king of Poland."</ref> Another of Vanbrugh's schemes was the great [[parterre]], nearly half a mile long and as wide as the south front. Also in the park, completed after the 1st Duke's death, is the ''Column of Victory''. It is {{convert|134|ft|m|abbr=on}} high and terminates a great [[avenue (landscape)|avenue]] of elms leading to the palace, which were planted in the positions of Marlborough's [[troops]] at the Battle of Blenheim. Vanbrugh had wanted an [[obelisk]] to mark the site of the former royal manor, and the trysts of Henry II which had taken place there, causing the 1st Duchess to remark, "If there were obelisks to bee made of all what our Kings have done of that sort, the countrey would bee stuffed with very odd things" (''sic''). The obelisk was never realised.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://baffledspirit.blogspot.com/2015/05/blenheim-part-ii-vision-and-egos.html?m=0|title=Blenheim Part II Vision and egos|date=7 May 2015|publisher=Record of a Baffled Spirit|access-date=29 July 2018}}</ref>

[[File:Blenheim Column of Victory.JPG|thumb|upright|The Column of Victory in the Palace grounds, 1727–1730 designed by [[Henry Herbert, 9th Earl of Pembroke]]]]
[[File:Blenheim Palace Park & Lake (6093445394).jpg|thumb|left|The Great Lake c. 1764–1774 by Capability Brown]]
[[File:Blenheim cascade.jpg|thumb|left|The cascade where the water flows out of the Great Lake]]

Following the 1st Duke's death, the Duchess concentrated most of her considerable energies on the completion of the palace itself, and the park remained relatively unchanged until the arrival of Capability Brown in 1764. The 4th Duke employed Brown who immediately began an [[English garden|English landscape garden scheme]] to naturalise and enhance the landscape, with tree planting and man-made undulations. However, the feature with which he is forever associated is the lake, a huge stretch of water created by damming the River Glyme and ornamented by a series of [[Fan waterfalls|cascades]] where the river flows in and out. The lake was narrowed at the point of Vanbrugh's grand bridge, but the three small canal-like streams trickling underneath it were completely absorbed by one river-like stretch. Brown's great achievement at this point was to actually flood and submerge beneath the water level the lower stories and rooms of the bridge itself, thus reducing its incongruous height and achieving what is regarded by many as the epitome of an English landscape. Brown also grassed over the great parterre and the Great Court. The latter was re-paved by [[Achille Duchêne|Duchêne]] in the early 20th century. The 5th Duke was responsible for several other [[Folly#Follies in 18th-century French and English gardens|garden follies]] and novelties.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fabulousfollies.net/oxfordshire.html|title=Oxfordshire|publisher=Fabulous Follies|access-date=29 July 2018}}</ref>

[[Sir William Chambers]], assisted by [[John Yenn]], was responsible for the small summerhouse known as "The Temple of Diana" down by the lake, where in 1908 Winston Churchill proposed to his future wife.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/articles/Winston-Churchill-anniversary-a-preview-of-the-ChurchillExhibition-at-Blenheim-Palace/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/articles/Winston-Churchill-anniversary-a-preview-of-the-ChurchillExhibition-at-Blenheim-Palace/ |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=On the trail of Winston Churchill at Blenheim and beyond|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=23 January 2015|access-date=29 July 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

The extensive landscaped park, woodlands and formal gardens of Blenheim are Grades I listed on the [[Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England|Register of Historic Parks and Gardens]].<ref name=NHLEGarden>{{NHLE|num=1000434|desc=Blenheim Palace|access-date=16 October 2017|mode=cs2}}</ref> [[Blenheim Park]] is a [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteDetail.aspx?SiteCode=S1001566&SiteName=&countyCode=34&responsiblePerson=&SeaArea=&IFCAArea= |title=Designated Sites View: Blenheim Park |series=Sites of Special Scientific Interest|publisher=Natural England|access-date=12 March 2020}}</ref>

==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}}

==See also==
* [[Blenheim Palace in film and media]]
* [[List of Baroque residences]]
* ''[[Noble Households]]'' – book with Blenheim Palace inventory of 1740

== Footnotes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== References ==
* {{cite book|last=Bingham|first= Jane|title=The Cotswolds: A Cultural History|publisher=Signal Books|year=2015|isbn= 978-1909930223}}
* {{cite book |last=Colvin |first=Howard |author-link1=Howard Colvin |title=A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600–1840 |year=2007 |publisher=Yale University Press |location=New Haven, Conn. |isbn=978-0-300-12508-5 |edition=4th}}
* {{citation |last=Cooper |first=Dana |title=Informal Ambassadors: American Women, Transatlantic Marriages, and Anglo-American Relations, 1865–1945. |publisher=The Kent State University Press |year=2014 |isbn=9781612778365 |url-access=subscription  |via=[[Project MUSE]] |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/books/9781612778365}}
* {{Cite book | author=Cropplestone, Trewin | title=World Architecture | year=1963 | publisher=[[Hamlyn (publishers)|Hamlyn]] | location=London }}
* {{Cite book | author=Dal Lago, Adalbert | title=Ville Antiche | year=1966 | publisher=[[RCS MediaGroup|Fratelli Fabbri Editori]] | location=Milan }}
* {{Cite book|last1=Downes|first1=Kerry |author-link1=Kerry Downes| title=Hawksmoor | year=1979 | publisher=[[Thames & Hudson]] | location=London }}
* {{Cite book |last1=Downes|first1=Kerry |author-link1=Kerry Downes| title=Sir John Vanbrugh: A Biography | url=https://archive.org/details/sirjohnvanbrughb0003down | url-access=registration | year=1987 | publisher=[[Sidgwick & Jackson]] | location=London | isbn=9780283994975 }}
* {{cite book | author=Field, Ophelia|title=The Favourite: Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough| url=https://archive.org/details/favouritesarahdu00fiel| url-access=registration|location=London|publisher=Hodder and Stoughton|year=2002|isbn=0-340-76808-8}}
* {{cite book |author=Games, Stephen |title=Pevsner: The Complete Broadcast Talks: Architecture and Art on Radio and Television, 1945–1977 |publisher=Routledge |year=2014 |isbn=978-1409461975}}
* {{Cite book | author=Girouard, Mark | author-link=Mark Girouard | title=Life in the English Country House | url=https://archive.org/details/lifeinenglishcou0000giro | url-access=registration | year=1978 | publisher=[[Yale University Press]] | location=New Haven | isbn=9780300022735 }}
* {{Cite book | author=Green, David Brontë | title=Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire | year=1982 |orig-year=1950| publisher=Alden Press | location=Oxford }}
* {{Cite book |last1=Halliday|first1=F. E.|author-link1=F. E. Halliday | title=An Illustrated Cultural History of England | year=1967 | publisher=Thames & Hudson | location=London }}
* {{Cite book | author=Harlin, Robert | title=Historic Houses | year=1969 | publisher=[[Condé Nast Publications]] | location=London }}
* {{cite book |last1=Mavor |first1=William Fordyce |author-link1=William Fordyce Mavor| title=Blenheim, a poem|publisher=Gale Ecco|year=2010|isbn=978-1170457344|orig-year=1787}}
* {{Cite book | author=Pevsner, Nikolaus| author-link=Nikolaus Pevsner |author2=Sherwood, Jennifer| title=The Buildings of England: Oxfordshire | year=1974 | publisher=[[Penguin Books]] | location=Harmondsworth | isbn=0-14-071045-0 | pages=459–475}}
* {{cite book| last = Purcell | first= Mark | title = The Country House Library | location = New Haven, US and London | publisher = [[Yale University Press]] | year = 2019 | isbn = 978-0-300-24868-5}}
* {{Cite book | author=Spencer-Churchill, The Lady Henrietta |author-link1=Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill| title=Blenheim and the Churchill Family – A personal portrait of one of the most important buildings in Europe | year= 2013 | publisher=CICO Books | isbn=978-1782490593 }}
* {{cite book |last=Tintner |first=Adeline R. |title=Edith Wharton in Context: Essays on Intertextuality |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UQThCQAAQBAJ&pg=PR4 |year=2015 |publisher=University of Alabama Press |isbn=978-0-8173-5840-2}}
* {{Cite book |author=Turner, Roger |author-link=Roger Turner (garden designer) |title=Capability Brown and the Eighteenth century English Landscape |year=1999 |edition=2nd |publisher=Phillimore |location=Chichester }}
* {{Cite book |author=Vanderbilt, Arthur II |title=Fortune's Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt |year=1989 |publisher=[[Penguin Group#Imprints|Michael Joseph]] |location=London}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Vanderbilt Balsan|first1=Consuelo|author-link1=Consuelo Vanderbilt | title=The Glitter and the Gold: The American Duchess—In Her Own Words |orig-year=1953 |year=2012|publisher=St. Martin's Press | location=New York | isbn=978-1250017185 }}
* {{Cite book | author=Watkin, David |author-link1=David Watkin (historian)| title=English Architecture | year=1979 | publisher=Thames & Hudson | location=London }}

==Further reading==
* {{cite news |last1=Conniff |first1=Richard |title=The House that John Built |url=http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/journeys/01/feb01/feature_full_page_1.html |work=Smithsonian Journeys |date=February 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021002170207/http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/journeys/01/feb01/feature_full_page_1.html |archive-date=2 October 2002}}
* [[John Cornforth (historian)|Cornforth, John]] (2004). ''Early Georgian Interiors''. New Haven, Conn.; London: Yale University Press for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art. pp.&nbsp;275–9. {{ISBN|978-0-30-010330-4}}. {{OCLC|938151474}}.
* Murdoch, Tessa (ed.) (2006). ''[[Noble Households]]: Eighteenth-Century Inventories of Great English Houses. A Tribute to [[John Cornforth (historian)|John Cornforth]]''. Cambridge: [[John Adamson (publisher)|John Adamson]], pp.&nbsp;273–83. {{ISBN|978-0-9524322-5-8}}. {{OCLC|78044620}}.
* {{cite book|last=Scholl |first=Andreas| title=Die antiken Skulpturen in Farnborough Hall sowie in Althorp House, Blenheim Palace, Lyme Park und Penrice Castle |series=Corpus Signorum Imperii Romani Great Britain | volume=3, 7 |location=Mainz |publisher=Philipp von Zabern |year=1995 | isbn=3-8053-1738-7}}
* {{cite web|last1=Wallechinsky |first1=David |last2=Wallace|first2=Irving |title=Excesses of the Rich and Wealthy: The Vanderbilts |url=http://www.trivia-library.com/c/excesses-of-the-rich-and-wealthy-the-vanderbilts.htm |website=The People's Almanac |date=1981}}

== External links ==
{{Commons and category}}
{{Wikisource|Text on the Column of Victory in the grounds of Blenheim Palace}}
* {{Official website}}
* [https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/private-lives/yourcountry/collections/churchillexhibition/churchill-and-ww2/sir-winston-churchill/ Churchill by Oswald Birley – UK Parliament Living Heritage]
* [https://blenheimartfoundation.org.uk/ Blenheim Art Foundation]
* [https://www.cotswoldswebsite.com/blenheimpalace/ Blenheim Palace] at Cotswolds Website
* {{cite web |title=Blenheim Palace, Blenheim, Oxfordshire Gallery |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/photos/results/?searchType=HE+Archive+New&search=Blenheim+Palace&filteroption=images |website=[[Historic England Archive]]}}
* {{cite web |title=Blenheim Palace (Blenheim House) (Blenheim Castle) (Woodstock Manor) |url=https://www.thedicamillo.com/house/blenheim-palace-blenheim-house/?search_ref=fc613a4c0cabed06645389e011e3e693 |website=The DiCamillo Companion}}

{{Dukes of Marlborough}}
{{Treasure Houses of England}}
{{Winston Churchill}}
{{West Oxfordshire}}
{{Museums and galleries in Oxfordshire}}
{{World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom}}
{{Authority control}}{{Coord|51.8413626656391|-1.36094830755894|format=dms|region:GB-OXF_source:wikidata_type:landmark|display=title}}

[[Category:1722 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Baroque palaces in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Birthplaces of individual people]]
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[[Category:Houses completed in 1722]]
[[Category:Houses in Oxfordshire]]
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[[Category:Museums established in 1950]]
[[Category:Nicholas Hawksmoor buildings]]
[[Category:Palaces in England]]
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[[Category:Winston Churchill]]
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