Too many palaces can send you into a furniture-wax coma, but as a sightseeing experience and in simple visual grandeur, this palace is among Europe’s finest.
The Duke of Marlborough’s home – one of the largest in England – is still lived in. The 2,000 acre yard, well designed by Lancelot “Capability” Brown, is as majestic to some as the palace itself.
John Churchill, first duke of Marlborough, achieved Europe-wide renown with his stunning victory over Louis XIV of France’s armies at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704. This was a major turning point in the War of the Spanish Succession – one of Louis’s repeated attempts to gain hegemony over the continent. A thankful Queen Anne rewarded Churchill by building him this nice home, perhaps the finest Baroque building in England. Eleven dukes of Marlborough later, the palace is as impressive as ever. In 1874, a later John Churchill’s American daughter-in-law, Jennie Jerrome, gave birth at Blenheim to another historic baby in that line… and named him Winston.
Once you enter the main courtyard, you have six options available to you (tickets may vary): The state rooms, the Winston Churchill Exhibition, a skippable multi-media exhibit (according to our patron saint Mr. Steves ) called the Untold Story, the private apartment tour, the gardens, and the Churchill’s Destiny exhibit. We took in the state rooms, the Winston Churchill Exhibition, and the Gardens.
The State rooms are the fancy halls the dukes use to impress visiting dignitaries. These most sumptuous rooms in the palace are ornamented with fine porcelain, gilded ceilings, portraits of past dukes, photos of the present duke’s family, and “chaperone” sofas designed to give courting couples just enough privacy… but not too much.
Enjoy a series of 10 Brussels tapestries that commemorate military victories of the First Duke of Marlborough, including the Battle of Blenheim. After winning that pivotal conflict, he scrawled a quick note on the back of a tavern bill notifying the queen of his victory.
Most rooms have interesting signage that you can review on this self-guided tour. Some of them get quite “quirky” – for example, in exchange for this fine palace, the duke still pays “rent” to the Queen in the form of one ornamental flag per year.
The tour finishes with the remarkable “long library” – with its tiers of books and stuccoed ceilings. You leave the tour by exiting through the chapel.
Winston Churchill Exhibition
This is a fascinating display of letters, paintings, and other artifacts of the great statesman who was born here.
This was certainly a highlight of our visit. The exhibit gives you an appreciation for this amazing leader and how blessed Britain was to have him when it did. We’ll get a chance to learn more about him in London when we visit the Churchill war rooms.
You are able to observe up close lots of intimate artifacts from his life.
You leave the exhibit seeing Churchill’s favorite morning room, where he read the newspapers, had his breakfast, and if the light was right did some painting.
The Gardens
The palace’s expansive gardens stretch nearly as far as the eye can see in every direction.
We entered out of the exhibit into the Water Terraces. Out behind the Italian gardens, we were surprised by a cricket match that was being held. It was a joy to watch a little of it – although I have very little understanding of the rules and how it works. But it was a beautiful day, and it made for a wonderful ending to our visit to Blenheim Palace.
