Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace is a country house in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England.

The mansion is the residence of the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough and was the scene of numerous political intrigues, such as those that led to the exile of the Marlboroughs, the fall from grace of the Duchess or the irreparable damage to the reputation of its architect, John Vanbrugh (1664-1726).

Origins & History

The estate given to the Duke of Marlborough to build the palace on was Woodstock, which had housed a royal palace since the Middle Ages destroyed during the Civil War (1642-1651). Although the Duke's wife, Sarah Churchill (1660-1744), initially thought that Christopher Wren (1632-1723) should be the architect, the Duke ultimately chose John Vanbrugh (1664-1726).

Conceived in a typical English Baroque style, the palace is more appreciated today than it was in the 1720s, when its construction received unfavorable reviews. The existing combination between family mansion, mausoleum and national monument is totally unique.

Blenheim, one of the largest palaces in the country, was built between 1705 and 1722 on the site formerly occupied by Woodstock Palace.

The origin was a gift to the Duke of Marlborough (1650-1722), from Queen Anne (1665-1714), as a reward for his military victories against France, especially the important battle of Höchstädt, also known as the Battle of Blenheim. In an order of 1705, the Parliamentary Treasurer, Earl Godolphin (1645-1712), appointed Vanbrugh as architect; however, this order did not mention the queen or the Crown, an error that in the future would cause the government to disassociate itself from the expenses of the palace.

Initially, the Duke contributed £60,000, with Parliament paying the rest. The queen then took over the financing until 1712, when the Marlboroughs fell out of favor and the state stopped paying for the construction. Nearly £300,000 had been spent up to that point.

In 1714, when the Marlboroughs returned to England and regained royal favour, the Duke had to bear the expenses personally. In 1716, when construction restarted, resources were limited and thereafter there were "saving lapses" as well as disagreements between the duchess and the architect, who abandoned the project in 1717.

After the duke's death in 1722, his wife took charge of the completion of the palace and parks. Vanbrugh's assistant, Nicholas Hawksmoor (c.1661-1736), continued construction and designed a triumphal arch at the entrance to Woodstock Park. In 1735 details remained unfinished, such as a statue of Queen Anne (1665-1714) in the library, the cost of which was haggled over by the Duchess.

When the 1st Duke of Marlborough (1650-1722) died in 1722, his two sons were already dead, so he was succeeded in his titles by his daughter Henrietta (1681-1733) by Act of Parliament. When she died the titles passed to her nephew Charles Spencer (1706-1758).

Despite not being as wealthy as other British ducal houses, the Spencers led a comfortable lifestyle until the advent of the 5th Duke of Marlborough (1766-1840), who squandered his family's fortune. The duke was forced to sell part of his properties, his library and even a Bocaccio, and when he died in 1840 his family had to leave the palace because of the cost.

By 1870 the Marlboroughs were in serious financial trouble and five years later the 7th Duke (1822-1883) had to sell his jewelery collection. In 1880 the Duke was forced to ask Parliament to remove the protection that was on the palace and its contents and thus be able to sell part of them. His son sold the Sutherland Library, which included 18,000 volumes, and three important paintings: Raphael's Madonna of the Ansidei (for which the highest sum paid for a painting up to that time), a portrait of Charles I by Van Dyck and Rubens, his wife and son by Rubens, now in the Metropolitan Museum of New York.

In 1896, given the financial situation of his family, the IX Duke (1871-1934) decided to marry for economic interests the millionaire American heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt (1877-1964), granddaughter of magnate William Henry Vanderbilt (1821-1885). With the considerable resources from his marriage, the duke began the restoration and redecoration of the palace. New paintings and furniture were purchased and the state rooms and terraces were restored and a fountain was built in imitation of the one in Piazza Navona.

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