Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace is one of the biggest British buildings and certainly one of the most famous being the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. Blenheim Palace is the only non-royal residence to receive the title of a palace.

Blenheim Palace was designed by the architect Sir John Vanbrugh who used the magnificent Baroque style and built something unique over the period 1705-1722. The Palace was constructed for John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. He received the land as a reward from Queen Anne after his victory over the French during the Battle of Blenheim in 1704.

The Blenheim Palace was richly decorated with paintings and tapestry honoring the battles of the Duke. Blenheim Palace is a colossal building and required a lot of financial support for its construction which lead to disagreements between the Crown and the Parliament. Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough was too displeased with the palace as it turned to be more of a mausoleum rather than a home. Reconstruction works began after all and were completed the year her husband died. To honor his life, the Duchess ordered a statue of him installed on a forty-one-meter tall column placed in the yard.

The Marlborough family didn’t leave a male heir and hence Blenheim Palace was passed into the hands of the Spencer family who added the name Churchill to their own in 1817. Lord Randolph Churchill was born at Blenheim Palace and in 1874, in this very same palace was born his son - Sir Winston Churchill, later Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Looking at Blenheim Palace one can easily see the refusal of incorporating the models of the French classicism. It is the starting point of the short-lived style of the English Baroque recognizable for its eclecticism and appreciation of nature.