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80-460: The Millennium Gate Museum opened July 4, 2008, and cost approximately $ 20 million. CollinsCooperCarusi, Atlanta were the architects of record. Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill was the curator of the period rooms. Tunnell and Tunnell were the landscape architects. The arch had originally been intended for a location in Washington, DC, but failed to gain sufficient official support. The design

160-608: A peer , peeress or noble of the United Kingdom, or one or more of its constituent countries , is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Blenheim Palace Blenheim Palace ( / ˈ b l ɛ n ɪ m / BLEN -im ) is a country house in Woodstock, Oxfordshire , England. It is the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough . Originally called Blenheim Castle, it has been known as Blenheim Palace since

240-482: A proscenium . The line of celebration and honour of his victorious life began with the great column of victory surmounted by his statue and detailing his triumphs, and the next point on the great axis, planted with trees in the position of troops, was the epic Roman style bridge. The approach continues through the great portico into the hall, its ceiling painted by James Thornhill with the Duke's apotheosis , then on under

320-568: A cantankerous woman, though capable of great charm. She had befriended the young Princess Anne and later, when the princess became Queen, the Duchess of Marlborough, as Her Majesty's Mistress of the Robes , exerted great influence over the Queen on both personal and political levels. The relationship between Queen and Duchess later became strained and fraught, and following their final quarrel in 1711,

400-533: A fundraising campaign has been launched for its complete restoration. The organ in the chapel was built circa 1853 by Robert Postill of York : it is notable as a rare unaltered example of this fine builder's work, speaking boldly and clearly into a generous acoustic. Blenheim sits in the centre of a large undulating park, a classic example of the English landscape garden movement and style. When Vanbrugh first cast his eyes over it in 1704 he immediately conceived

480-418: A great triumphal arch, through the huge marble door-case with the Duke's marble effigy above it (bearing the ducal plaudit "Nor could Augustus better calm mankind"), and into the painted saloon, the most highly decorated room in the palace, where the Duke was to have sat enthroned. The Duke was to have sat with his back to the great 30-tonne marble bust of his vanquished foe Louis XIV , positioned high above

560-401: A landscape feature. The Duchess, as so often in her disputes with her architect, won the day and the remains of the manor were swept away. The architect selected for the ambitious project was a controversial one. The Duchess was known to favour Sir Christopher Wren , famous for St Paul's Cathedral and many other national buildings. The Duke however, following a chance meeting at a playhouse,

640-536: A list of 100 Leading Interior Designers by House & Garden magazine. She is the author of several books on the subject, as well as Blenheim and the Churchill Family: A Personal Portrait (2005), an historical and anecdotal account of her family home, Blenheim Palace . She was married to German banker Nathan Gelber from 1980 to 1989, with whom she has sons David Aba Gelber (born 1981) and Maximilian Henry Gelber (born 1985). This biography of

720-556: A member of the viewing public in 1725, the Duchess refused to allow her even to enter the park. Vanbrugh's severe massed Baroque used at Blenheim never truly caught the public imagination, and was quickly superseded by the revival of the Palladian style. Vanbrugh's reputation was irreparably damaged, and he received no further truly great public commissions. For his final design, Seaton Delaval Hall in Northumberland , which

800-484: A rage, insisting that the new masons, carpenters and craftsmen, brought in by the Duchess, were inferior to those he had employed. The master craftsmen he had patronised, however, such as Grinling Gibbons , refused to work for the lower rates paid by the Marlboroughs. The craftsmen brought in by the Duchess, under the guidance of furniture designer James Moore , and Vanbrugh's assistant architect Hawksmoor, completed

880-439: A series of cascades where the river flows in and out. The lake was narrowed at the point of Vanbrugh's grand bridge, but the three small canal-like streams trickling underneath it were completely absorbed by one river-like stretch. Brown's great achievement at this point was to actually flood and submerge beneath the water level the lower stories and rooms of the bridge itself, thus reducing its incongruous height and achieving what

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960-513: A series of Savannah double parlors by century, the enfilade created as a result ends at an exedra cloister with a monumental bronze bust of President George Washington . Beginning with pre-Columbian Native American history and 16th century Spanish settlement of the coast, the 18th Century Georgia Pioneer Gallery focuses on General James Oglethorpe 's creation of the Colony of Georgia . The gallery contains documents and historical artifacts from

1040-406: A smaller but nearly identical layout of rooms, which were the suites of the Duke and Duchess themselves. Thus, the bow room corresponds exactly to the saloon in terms of its importance to the two smaller suites. Blenheim Palace was the birthplace of the 1st Duke's famous descendant, Winston Churchill , whose life and times are commemorated by a permanent exhibition in the suite of rooms in which he

1120-694: A substantial sum of money towards its creation. The rent or petit serjeanty due to the Crown for the land was set at the peppercorn rent or quit-rent of one copy of the French royal flag to be tendered to the Monarch annually on the anniversary of the Battle of Blenheim. This flag is displayed by the Monarch on a 17th-century French writing table in Windsor Castle . Marlborough's wife was by all accounts

1200-457: A typically grandiose plan: through the park trickled the small River Glyme , and Vanbrugh envisaged this marshy brook traversed by the "finest bridge in Europe". Thus, ignoring the second opinion offered by Sir Christopher Wren, the marsh was channelled into three small canal -like streams and across it rose a bridge of huge proportions, so huge it was reported to contain some 30-odd rooms. While

1280-402: A vast anteroom to the saloon. The saloon was also to have been painted by Thornhill, but the Duchess suspected him of overcharging, so the commission was given to Louis Laguerre . This room is an example of three-dimensional painting, or trompe l'œil , "trick-the-eye", a fashionable painting technique at the time. The Peace Treaty of Utrecht was about to be signed, so all the elements in

1360-459: Is an English interior decorator and founder of Woodstock Designs. Lady Henrietta is the youngest child and only daughter of the 11th Duke of Marlborough by his first wife Susan Mary, daughter of Michael Hornby . She is the great-granddaughter of Consuelo Vanderbilt and the step-sister of Christina Onassis through her father's second marriage to Tina Onassis , former wife of Aristotle Onassis . Her name has been more than once included in

1440-420: Is by Gibbons, the other three were copied indistinguishably by the Duchess's cheaper craftsmen. The third remarkable room is the long library designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor in 1722–1725, (H) , 183 ft (56 m) long, which was intended as a picture gallery. The ceiling has saucer domes , which were to have been painted by Thornhill, had the Duchess not upset him. The palace, and in particular this room,

1520-458: Is embellished with sculptural allegory by Scottish sculptor Alexander Stoddart , telling the story of peaceful accomplishment of the last 2000 years. Stoddart's Peace and Justice Gates flanking the arch were given the 2006 Palladio Prize for best American design of a public space. The arch inscription reads, in Latin: "This American monument was built to commemorate all peaceful accomplishment since

1600-415: Is obtained to the raised colonnade which leads to the chapel (H) . The chapel is perfectly balanced on the eastern side of the palace by the vaulted kitchen. This symmetrical balancing and equal weight given to both spiritual and physical nourishment would no doubt have appealed to Vanbrugh's renowned sense of humour, if not the Duchess'. The distance of the kitchen from even the private dining room ("O" on

1680-459: Is regarded by many as the epitome of an English landscape. Brown also grassed over the great parterre and the Great Court. The latter was re-paved by Duchêne in the early 20th century. The 5th Duke was responsible for several other garden follies and novelties. Sir William Chambers , assisted by John Yenn , was responsible for the small summerhouse known as "The Temple of Diana" down by

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1760-584: Is said to have commissioned Sir John Vanbrugh there and then. Vanbrugh, a popular dramatist, was an untrained architect, who usually worked in conjunction with the trained and practical Nicholas Hawksmoor . The duo had recently completed the first stages of the Baroque Castle Howard . This huge Yorkshire mansion was one of England's first houses in the flamboyant European Baroque style. The success of Castle Howard led Marlborough to commission something similar at Woodstock. Blenheim, however,

1840-512: Is the finest view in England Lady Randolph Churchill On the death of the 1st Duke in 1722, as both his sons were dead, he was succeeded by his daughter Henrietta . This was an unusual succession and required a special Act of Parliament, as only sons can usually succeed to an English dukedom. When Henrietta died, the title passed to Marlborough's grandson Charles Spencer, Earl of Sunderland , whose mother

1920-512: The King's Own Royal Regiment of Dragoons . On the death of Charles II in 1685, his brother, the Duke of York, became King James II . James had been Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company (today North America's oldest company, established by royal charter in 1670), and with his succession to the throne, Churchill was appointed the company's third ever governor. He had also been affirmed Gentleman of

2000-578: The 19th century. One of England's largest houses, it was built between 1705 and 1722, and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. The palace is named after the 1704 Battle of Blenheim . It was originally intended to be a reward to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough for his military triumphs against the French and Bavarians in the War of the Spanish Succession , culminating in

2080-482: The 1st Duke, another enemy of the Duchess, although she tolerated him in the household because he could play a good hand at cards. To the right of the doorway leading into the first stateroom, Laguerre included the French spies, said to have big ears and eyes because they may still be spying. Of the four marble door-cases in the room displaying the Duke's crest as a prince of the Holy Roman Empire , only one

2160-547: The American Indian, Spanish, British Colonial, and American Revolutionary periods. The 19th and 20th Century galleries narrate the story of Atlanta's and Georgia's early history. The exhibition features photographs and artifacts from twenty of Atlanta's pioneering families. In partnership with Georgia Tech 's Interactive Media Technology Center, the museum has created the 21st Century Interactive Gallery, allows visitors to explore Atlanta and how philanthropy has changed

2240-499: The Battle of Blenheim. The land was given as a gift, and construction began in 1705, with some financial support from Queen Anne . The project soon became the subject of political infighting, with the Crown cancelling further financial support in 1712, Marlborough's three-year voluntary exile to the Continent, the fall from influence of his duchess, and lasting damage to the reputation of the architect Sir John Vanbrugh . Designed in

2320-903: The Bedchamber in April, and admitted to the English peerage as Baron Churchill of Sandridge in the county of Hertfordshire in May. Following the Monmouth Rebellion , Churchill was promoted to Major General and awarded the lucrative colonelcy of the Third Troop of Life Guards . When William, Prince of Orange , invaded England in November 1688, Churchill, accompanied by some 400 officers and men, rode to join him in Axminster . When

2400-453: The Duchess. After their final argument in 1712, all state money ceased and work came to a halt. £220,000 had already been spent and £45,000 was owing to workmen. The Marlboroughs were forced into exile on the continent, and did not return until after the Queen's death in 1714. On their return the Duke and Duchess came back into favour at court. The 64-year-old Duke now decided to complete the project at his own expense. In 1716 work resumed, but

2480-401: The Duke of the time is said to have frequently sat at the organ bench and pretended to play the organ to his guests and they would applaud at the end. This practice is said to have been halted abruptly when the player started before the Duke had reached the organ. This famous instrument is regularly maintained and is played by visiting organists throughout the year, but its condition is declining:

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2560-599: The King saw he could not even keep Churchill – for so long his loyal and intimate servant – he fled to France. As part of William III's coronation honours, Churchill was created Earl of Marlborough , sworn to the Privy Council , and made a Gentleman of the King's Bedchamber. During the War of the Spanish Succession Churchill gained a reputation as a capable military commander, and in 1702 he

2640-476: The Rhodes-Robinson home designed by Philip T. Shutze and Edward Vason Jones . The museum property is also offered for rent for private events, photography, and film production. 33°47′28″N 84°23′59″W  /  33.79107°N 84.39975°W  / 33.79107; -84.39975 Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill Lady Henrietta Mary Spencer-Churchill (born 7 October 1958)

2720-438: The birth of Jesus Christ in the year of our Lord, MM." The response to the museum was mixed, with critics claiming that the design was inappropriate to the site, but the building is gaining acceptance over time. The names of the 10 winners of the 2000 Millennium Gate Design Competition are carved into the base of the monument: The Museum houses 12,000 sq ft (1,100 m) of gallery space. They are arranged in

2800-441: The bridge was indeed an amazing wonder, in this setting it appeared incongruous, causing Alexander Pope to comment: "the minnows, as under this vast arch they pass, murmur, 'how like whales we look, thanks to your Grace.'" Horace Walpole saw it in 1760, shortly before Capability Brown 's improvements: "the bridge, like the beggars at the old duchess's gate, begs for a drop of water and is refused." Another of Vanbrugh's schemes

2880-702: The central bay, with its back to the water terraces, the Norwich firm of Norman & Beard moved it to the northwestern end of the library in 1902 and made a few tonal additions and, the following year, cleaned it. No further changes were made until 1930, when the Willis firm lowered the pitch to modern concert pitch : a Welte automatic player was added in 1931, with 70 rolls cut by Marcel Dupré , Joseph Bonnet , Alfred Hollins , Edwin Lemare and Harry Goss-Custard also being supplied. This remained in use for some time:

2960-407: The central block, but none are designed on the same scale of magnificence as the palace. James Thornhill painted the ceiling of the hall in 1716. It depicts Marlborough kneeling to Britannia and proffering a map of the Battle of Blenheim. The hall is 67 ft (20 m) high, and remarkable chiefly for its size and for its stone carvings by Gibbons , yet in spite of its immense size it is merely

3040-461: The city over time. The Millennium Gate features three period rooms: an 18th-century Colonial study from Georgia's Declaration of Independence signer Lyman Hall 's Midway, Georgia , the 19th century office of Coca-Cola magnate Thomas K. Glenn during his tenure as president of Atlantic Steel and the Trust Company of Georgia simultaneously, and the 20th century drawing room of Pink House,

3120-409: The clock tower, through which one glimpses the Great Court. This view of the Duke as an omnipotent being is also reflected in the interior design of the palace, and indeed its axis to certain features in the park. It was planned that when the Duke dined in state in his place of honour in the great saloon, he would be the climax of a great procession of architectural mass aggrandising him rather like

3200-560: The cost of Queen Anne's statue placed in the library. In 1732 the Duchess wrote "The Chappel is finish'd and more than half the Tomb there ready to set up". Vanbrugh planned Blenheim in perspective ; that is, to be best viewed from a distance. As the site covers some seven acres (28,000 m ) this is also a necessity. The plan of the palace's principal block (or corps de logis ) is a rectangle ( see plan ) pierced by two courtyards; these serve as little more than light wells . Contained behind

3280-578: The country. That a grateful nation led by Queen Anne wished and intended to give their national hero a suitable home is beyond doubt, but the exact size and nature of that house is questionable. A warrant dated 1705, signed by the parliamentary treasurer the Earl of Godolphin , appointed Vanbrugh as architect and outlined his remit. Unfortunately for the Churchills, nowhere did this warrant mention Queen or Crown. The Duke of Marlborough contributed £60,000 to

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3360-543: The design of great 18th-century houses comfort and convenience were subservient to magnificence, and this is certainly the case at Blenheim. This magnificence over creature comfort is heightened as the architect's brief was to create not only a home but also a national monument to reflect the power and civilisation of the nation. To create this monumental effect, Vanbrugh chose to design in a severe Baroque style, using great masses of stone to imitate strength and create shadow as decoration. The solid and huge entrance portico on

3440-418: The east court is the great East Gate, a monumental triumphal arch , more Egyptian in design than Roman . An optical illusion was created by tapering its walls to create an impression of even greater height. Confounding those who accuse Vanbrugh of impracticality, this gate is also the palace's water tower . Through the arch of the gate one views across the courtyard a second equally massive gate, that beneath

3520-405: The former royal manor, and the trysts of Henry II which had taken place there, causing the 1st Duchess to remark, "If there were obelisks to bee made of all what our Kings have done of that sort, the countrey would bee stuffed with very odd things" ( sic ). The obelisk was never realised. Following the 1st Duke's death, the Duchess concentrated most of her considerable energies on the completion of

3600-418: The heroic pantheonesque atmosphere of the building. There are two approaches to the palace's grand entrance, one from the long straight drive through wrought iron gates directly into the Great Court; the other, equally if not more impressive, betrays Vanbrugh's true vision: the palace as a bastion or citadel , the true monument and home to a great warrior. Piercing the windowless, city-like curtain wall of

3680-412: The initial cost when work commenced in 1705, which, supplemented by Parliament, should have built a monumental house. Parliament voted funds for the building of Blenheim, but no exact sum was mentioned nor provision for inflation or over-budget expenses. Almost from the outset, funds were spasmodic. Queen Anne paid some of them, but with growing reluctance and lapses, following her frequent altercations with

3760-430: The interior design of the library, the ceilings of many of the state rooms and other details in numerous other minor rooms, and various outbuildings. Cutting rates of pay to workmen, and using lower-quality materials in unobtrusive places, the widowed Duchess completed the great house as a tribute to her late husband. The final date of completion is not known, but as late as 1735 the Duchess was haggling with Rysbrack over

3840-524: The kitchens, laundry, and other domestic offices, the west court adjacent to the chapel the stables and indoor riding school. The three blocks together form the "Great Court" designed to overpower the visitor arriving at the palace. Pilasters and pillars abound, while from the roofs, themselves resembling those of a small town, great statues in the Renaissance manner of St Peter's in Rome gaze down on

3920-460: The lake, where in 1908 Winston Churchill proposed to his future wife. The extensive landscaped park, woodlands and formal gardens of Blenheim are Grades I listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens . Blenheim Park is a Site of Special Scientific Interest . ...as we passed through the entrance archway and the lovely scenery burst upon me, Randolph said with pardonable pride: This

4000-410: The manor's origins. King Henry I enclosed the park to contain the deer. Henry II housed his mistress Rosamund Clifford (sometimes known as "Fair Rosamund") there in a "bower and labyrinth"; a spring in which she is said to have bathed remains, named after her. It seems the unostentatious hunting lodge was rebuilt many times, and had an uneventful history until Elizabeth I , before her succession,

4080-484: The money for the construction of Blenheim ceased. For political reasons the Marlboroughs went into exile on the Continent until they returned the day after the Queen's death on 1 August 1714. The estate given by the nation to Marlborough for the new house was the manor of Woodstock, sometimes called the Palace of Woodstock , which had been a royal demesne , in reality little more than a deer park . Legend has obscured

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4160-472: The next 300 years, and various members of the family have wrought changes to the interiors, park and gardens. At the end of the 19th century, the palace was saved from ruin by funds gained from the 9th Duke of Marlborough 's marriage to American railroad heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt . John Churchill was born in Devon . Although his family had aristocratic relations, it belonged to the minor gentry rather than

4240-441: The north front resembles more the entrance to a pantheon than a family home. Vanbrugh also liked to employ what he called his "castle air", which he achieved by placing a low tower at each corner of the central block and crowning the towers with vast belvederes of massed stone, decorated with curious finials (disguising the chimneys). Coincidentally these towers, which hint at the pylons of an Egyptian temple , further add to

4320-416: The occupier of the suite, thus the most private. One of the small rooms between the bedroom and the internal courtyard was intended as a dressing room. This arrangement is reflected on the other side of the saloon. The state apartments were intended for use by only the most important guests such as a visiting sovereign. On the left (east) side of the plan on either side of the bow room (marked "O") can be seen

4400-399: The painting represent the coming of peace. The domed ceiling is an allegorical representation of Peace: John Churchill is in the chariot, he holds a zigzag thunderbolt of war, and the woman who holds back his arm represents Peace. The walls depict all the nations of the world who have come together peacefully. Laguerre also included a self-portrait placing himself next to Dean Jones, chaplain to

4480-488: The palace itself, and the park remained relatively unchanged until the arrival of Capability Brown in 1764. The 4th Duke employed Brown who immediately began an English landscape garden scheme to naturalise and enhance the landscape, with tree planting and man-made undulations. However, the feature with which he is forever associated is the lake, a huge stretch of water created by damming the River Glyme and ornamented by

4560-400: The palace of honouring the Duke did not reach its apotheosis until the dowager duchess's death in 1744. Then, the Duke's coffin was returned to Blenheim from its temporary resting place, Westminster Abbey , and husband and wife were interred together and the tomb erected and completed. Now Blenheim had indeed become a pantheon and mausoleum. Successive Dukes and their wives are also interred in

4640-497: The palace, but the entirety was not completed until after the Duke's death. The palace has been Grade I listed on the National Heritage List for England since August 1957. The palace chapel, as a consequence of the Duke's death, now obtained even greater importance. The design was altered by the Marlboroughs' friend the Earl of Godolphin , who placed the high altar in defiance of religious convention against

4720-431: The plan) was obviously of no consideration, hot food being of less importance than to avoid having to inhale the odour of cooking and proximity of servants. The Long Library organ was built in 1891 by the famous London firm of Henry Willis & Sons at a cost of £3,669. It replaced a previous organ built in 1888 by Isaac Abbott of Leeds , which was removed to St Swithun's church, Hither Green . Originally erected in

4800-407: The project relied completely upon the limited means of the Duke himself. Harmony on the building site was short-lived, as in 1717 the Duke suffered a severe stroke, and the thrifty Duchess took control. The Duchess blamed Vanbrugh entirely for the growing costs and extravagance of the house, the design of which she had never liked. Following a meeting with the Duchess, Vanbrugh left the building site in

4880-481: The rare, and short-lived, English Baroque style, architectural appreciation of the palace is as divided today as it was in the 1720s. It is unique in its combined use as a family home, mausoleum and national monument . The palace is notable as the birthplace and ancestral home of Sir Winston Churchill . Following the palace's completion, it became the home of the Churchill (later Spencer-Churchill ) family for

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4960-547: The said John Duke of Marlborough and to all his issue male and female lineally descending." —Plaque above the East gate of Blenheim Palace Following the Duke's death in 1722, completion of the house and its park became the Duchess's driving ambition. Vanbrugh's assistant Hawksmoor was recalled and in 1723 designed the "Arch of Triumph", based on the Arch of Titus , at the entrance to the park from Woodstock. Hawksmoor also completed

5040-402: The south portico. Here the defeated King was humiliatingly forced to look down on the great parterre and spoils of his conqueror (rather in the same way as severed heads were displayed generations earlier). The Duke did not live long enough to see this majestic tribute realised, and sit enthroned in this architectural vision. The Duke and Duchess moved into their apartments on the eastern side of

5120-427: The southern facade are the principal state apartments ; on the east side are the suites of private apartments of the Duke and Duchess, and on the west along the entire length of the piano nobile is given a long gallery originally conceived as a picture gallery, but is now the library. The corps de logis is flanked by two further service blocks around square courtyards ( not shown in the plan ). The east court contains

5200-461: The upper echelons of 17th-century society. In 1678, Churchill married Sarah Jennings , and in April that year, he was sent by Charles II to The Hague to negotiate a convention on the deployment of the English army in Flanders. The mission ultimately proved abortive. In May, Churchill was appointed to the temporary rank of Brigadier-General of Foot, but the possibility of a continental campaign

5280-570: The vault beneath the chapel. Other members of family are interred in St. Martin's parish churchyard at Bladon , a short distance from the palace. The internal layout of the rooms of the central block at Blenheim was defined by the court etiquette of the day. State apartments were designed as an axis of rooms of increasing importance and public use, leading to the chief room. The larger houses, like Blenheim, had two sets of state apartments each mirroring each other. The grandest and most public and important

5360-415: The visitor below, who is rendered inconsequential. Other assorted statuary in the guise of martial trophies decorate the roofs, most notably Britannia standing atop the entrance pediment in front of two reclining chained French captives sculpted in the style of Michelangelo , and the English lion devouring the French cock, on the lower roofs. Many of these are by such masters as Grinling Gibbons . In

5440-417: The west wall, thus allowing the dominating feature to be the Duke's gargantuan tomb and sarcophagus . Commissioned by the Duchess in 1730, it was designed by William Kent , and statues of the Duke and Duchess depicted as Caesar and Caesarina adorn the great sarcophagus. In bas relief at the base of the tomb, the Duchess ordered to be depicted the surrender of Marshal Tallard . However, the theme throughout

5520-469: The work in perfect imitation of the greater masters. "Under the auspices of a munificent sovereign this house was built for John Duke of Marlborough, and his Duchess Sarah, by Sir J Vanbrugh between the years 1705 and 1722, and the Royal Manor of Woodstock, together with a grant of £240,000 towards the building of Blenheim, was given by Her Majesty Queen Anne and confirmed by act of Parliament . . . to

5600-495: Was born (marked "K" on the plan) . Blenheim Palace was designed with all its principal and secondary rooms on the piano nobile , thus there is no great staircase of state: anyone worthy of such state would have no cause to leave the piano nobile . Insofar as Blenheim does have a grand staircase, it is the series of steps in the Great Court which lead to the North Portico. There are staircases of various sizes and grandeur in

5680-411: Was demanded of the architect. The nation (which was then assumed, by both architect and owners, to be paying the bills) wanted a monument, but the Duchess wanted not only a fitting tribute to her husband but also a comfortable home, two requirements that were not compatible in 18th-century architecture. Finally, in the early days of the building the Duke was frequently away on his military campaigns, and it

5760-485: Was elevated to the dukedom of Marlborough. During the war he won a series of victories, including the Battle of Blenheim (1704), the Battle of Ramillies (1706), the Battle of Oudenarde (1708), and the Battle of Malplaquet (1709). For his victory at Blenheim, the Crown bestowed upon Marlborough the tenancy of the royal manor of Hensington (situated on the site of Woodstock) to site the new palace, and Parliament voted

5840-597: Was eliminated with the Treaty of Nijmegen . When Churchill returned to England, the Popish Plot resulted in a temporary three-year banishment for James Stuart, Duke of York . The Duke obliged Churchill to attend him, first to The Hague, then in Brussels . For his services during the crisis, Churchill was made Lord Churchill of Eyemouth in the peerage of Scotland in 1682, and the following year appointed colonel of

5920-495: Was furnished with the many valuable artefacts the Duke had been given, or sequestered as the spoils of war , including a fine art collection. Here in the library, rewriting history in her own indomitable style, the Duchess set up a larger than life statue of Queen Anne, its base recording their friendship. From the northern end of the library—in which is housed the largest pipe organ in private ownership in Europe, built by England's great organ builder Henry Willis & Sons —access

6000-466: Was hailed as his masterpiece, he used a refined version of the Baroque employed at Blenheim. He died shortly before its completion. The precise responsibility for the funding of the new house has always been a debatable subject, unresolved to this day. The house as a reward was mooted within months of the Battle of Blenheim, at a time when Marlborough was still to gain many further victories on behalf of

6080-592: Was imprisoned there by her half-sister Mary I between 1554 and 1555. Elizabeth had been implicated in the Wyatt plot , but her imprisonment at Woodstock was short, and the manor remained in obscurity until bombarded and ruined by Oliver Cromwell 's troops during the Civil War . When the park was being re-landscaped as a setting for the house, the 1st Duchess wanted the historic ruins demolished, while Vanbrugh, an early conservationist, wanted them restored and made into

6160-423: Was left to the Duchess to negotiate with Vanbrugh. More aware than her husband of the precarious state of the financial aid they were receiving, she criticised Vanbrugh's grandiose ideas for their extravagance. Following their final altercation, Vanbrugh was banned from the site. In 1719, whilst the Duchess was away, Vanbrugh viewed the house in secret. However, when Vanbrugh's wife visited the completed Blenheim as

6240-494: Was not to provide Vanbrugh with the architectural plaudits he imagined it would. The fight over funding led to accusations of extravagance and impracticality of design, many of these charges levelled by the Whig factions in power. He found no defender in the Duchess of Marlborough. Having been foiled in her wish to employ Wren, she levelled criticism at Vanbrugh on every level, from design to taste. In part their problems arose from what

6320-399: Was the central saloon ("B" in the plan ) which served as the communal state dining room. To either side of the saloon are suites of state apartments, decreasing in importance but increasing in privacy: the first room ("C") would have been an audience chamber for receiving important guests, the next room ("L") a private withdrawing room, the next room ("M") would have been the bedroom of

6400-457: Was the great parterre , nearly half a mile long and as wide as the south front. Also in the park, completed after the 1st Duke's death, is the Column of Victory . It is 134 ft (41 m) high and terminates a great avenue of elms leading to the palace, which were planted in the positions of Marlborough's troops at the Battle of Blenheim. Vanbrugh had wanted an obelisk to mark the site of

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