Blenhiem Palace

Home to the Dukes of Marlborough and birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.

Blenheim Palace is one of the few privately owned historic houses entitled a Palace and, though an extremely large building, not quite the largest. It is, however, quite deliberately magnificent and built for the first Duke of Marlborough, in gratitude for the great victory at Blindheim, a village in Bavaria.

Five rooms intimately connected with Sir Winston Churchill are shown in a special exhibition. The rest of the house is very grand and includes The Great Hall, The State Rooms, The Long Library, and the famous tapestries were woven to illustrate Marlborough's victories against the French.

In 1764, Capability Brown landscaped the Park, with lake and trees. The Great Court was refurbished and the Italian Garden developed by the 9th Duke, more recently, the Arboretum and the Rose Garden have been restored, and the great Marlborough Maze, the world's largest, opened to the public. There is much else to enjoy: Butterfly House, Motor Launch, Adventure Area, Nature Trail, even a train. The town of Woodstock, at the gates of Blenhiem, has old coaching inns and many interesting shops.