Yesterday afternoon, I visited a palace less than half an hour from Oxford. Blenheim Palace construction started in 1705 and was finished in 1733. Blenheim is the residence of the Duke of Marlborough, and was a gift from Queen Anne for the 1st Duke’s service at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704.
This house is also famous as being the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, famed British Prime Minister. He was a cousin of the Duke, not in the Duke’s direct lineage himself. But through the years, Churchill spent a good deal of time at Blenheim, even later in life. There was an entire exhibit in the palace on the life and activities of Churchill.
The palace was very grand, large, and expansive. However, the palace and the Dukes of Marlborough have certainly had their fair share of issues and controversy. The building of the palace was quite contentious. The 1st Duke’s wife and the architect frequently fought, and the wife ended up virtually ruining the architect’s future career. The Duke’s wife and Queen Anne also had a great falling out that led to the Duke and Duchess fleeing England for several years until after the Queen was laid to rest. As a consequence of this falling out, Britain did not pay to finish the palace, and the Duke himself was forced to finish the building of the palace.
While Blenheim is a very popular tourist attraction, it still is the home of this family. The current resident is the 11th Duke of Marlborough.