Blenheim Place is one of the largest houses in England. It was built between 1705 and 1722. Queen Anne donated the property and partially funded the house to the 1st Duke of Marlborough, John Churchill, as a reward for his military achievements against France in the War of the Spanish Succession. It has been described as the English answer to Versailles.
These photos were taken from the back of the house.
The building of the house was a dramatic undertaking with volatile arguments between John Churchill's wife Sarah (by all accounts, a formidable character) and the architect John Vanbrugh. In the 2018 film "The Favourite", Sarah is portrayed by Rachel Weisz (Olivia Colman plays Queen Anne). I saw the film and liked it very much but I need to revisit it. To my knowledge, the film doesn't have anything to do with the events of Blenheim Palace.
One of the most striking features are the six eyes that adorn the ceiling of the entryway. They were added by the second wife of the 9th Duke of Marlborough, Gladys Deacon. The blue eyes are a replica of her eyes (no one knows about the brown eyes). It is an unexpected jolt to look up and see them.
The more elaborate interiors -
I'm always intrigued by the ceilings -
The tour of the house was fascinating and worth the visit. Before the tour, however, the gardens and exterior had been a disappointment. And part of that was due to the extreme heat, with very little shade. Upon arriving, it was a long walk from the parking lot to the entrance. After going through the entry gate, a huge courtyard led to a view of endless scaffolding and a sea of chairs being set up for an upcoming concert (Katy Perry, Alanis Morisette, Michael Buble).
Despite the grand architecture, this entry court was very unappealing with no shade or greenery to be seen (maybe potted plants were moved away for the construction).
If you plan to explore the grounds, be prepared for a lot of walking. The formal gardens surrounding the house are impressive, but you cannot walk among them. Venturing out into the Capability Brown landscape was a hot and thankless experience. I heard that the walled garden was the thing to see and after endless walking in the hot sun, I was rewarded with this -
A newly renovated "Secret Garden" on the way back to the house was nicer and a refreshing respite from the heat, but still not worth the walk -
This was a puzzling scene - a big bed of cannas surrounded by starts of what looked like privet. It finally occurred to me that this is probably going to be sheared and shaped into a topiary-like design -
The house tour was definately worth the visit. I'm sure the gardens would have been more fun had it been a cloudy day.
Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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