Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace was built as a gift to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough following his victory at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession. It is also the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945.

I first read about Blenheim Palace in one of Bill Bryson’s books; I think it was “Notes From A Small Island”. What fascinated me the most was not the Palace itself, but its grounds, the work of one Lancelot “Capability” Brown.

Thankfully, Blenheim Palace is just 20 minutes down the road from where I live, so in June this year I brought my family along for a visit. One good thing about the venue is that they let you upgrade your day ticket into an Annual Pass for free, an offer that we gratefully accepted. I even managed to squeeze in another visit in July, having convinced a few friends to accompany me for a walk around the grounds.

Below are some pictures from my two trips to Blenheim Palace:

View of the East Gate with its tapering walls, an optical illusion of sorts designed to give the impression of greater height.
The Palace Entrance.
The Great Hall ceiling showing the Duke of Marlborough presenting the plan for the Battle of Blenheim to Britannia.
The Blenheim Despatch a hastily scribbled note by the Duke of Marlborough on the back of an old tavern bill, telling his wife Sarah “I have not time to say more but to beg you will give my duty to the Queen and let her know that her Army has had a glorious victory.”
Statue of Queen Anne in the Long Library. The Duchess actually had a public spat with the Queen, but sought to rewrite history by erecting this statue in the library.
The Gilded Cage, a sculpture by Ai Weiwei in the garden. The duck in the picture kept on following me everywhere for some reason.
The Duke & Duchess of <insert imaginary place name here>.
Winton Churchill’s favourite fruit cake.
Into the Marlborough Maze.
Roses in the Rose Garden.
Grand Cascade & Pump House.
Standing in front of the south portico which is topped by a bust of Louis XIV that was looted by the Duke of Marlborough from Tournai in 1709.
View of Blenheim Palace from the South Lawn.

And finally, a gallery of miscellaneous pictures taken during those visits:

Published by Imran Idris

I am a husband, father, son, neurologist, neuroscientist-in-training, Tolkien-fan, and owner of two toy wombats named Mulder and Scully.