Absolute Touring

Blenheim Palace grounds

Blenheim Palace across the lake

• Designed by the architect Sir John Vanbrugh, the palace was as a gift from a grateful nation to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, for his victory at the battle of Blenheim (originally Blindheim) in 1704, over the forces of Louis XIV of France
• Estate was financed originally with £240,000 (£27 million by today’s value) given by Queen Anne in 1705; however, the price almost doubled before the palace was finished in 1722
• The scale was vast: Vanbrugh estimated that 1500 men were working on the site in the summer of 1705
• The stone for the palace had to be brought from over twenty quarries: at Taynton 136 carters were hauling stone in 1706
• Capability Brown, the celebrity gardener to the nobility, created the lake and gardens in the 1760s. On top of a hill stands the obelisk of victory, some 40m high
• Sir Winston Churchill, renowned Prime Minister of Britain through World War II, was born here. He is buried in the churchyard at nearby Bladon
• Surrounding the estate is a dry-stone wall extending nine miles, and within the grounds are planted some 500,000 trees.
• Today Blenheim Palace is home to the 11th Duke and the estate is a major commercial enterprise – even with its own sawmill
• www.blenheimpalace.com

Back to Location List

Approx 15 minutes northwest of Oxford