Blenheim Palace is said to be Britain's greatest palace and it isn't even a royal palace! Blenheim Palace is a country house in Woodstock (no, not that Woodstock), in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough and is the only non-royal, non-episcopal country house in England that actually holds the title of palace. And it is likely you have seen it already.
It is one of the buildings that people would most associate with the pomp and circumstance of imperial Britain. For those who would like to visit the real palace residence of the Queen, you can visit Buckingham Palace in the summer months. Alternatively, for those who would like to visit a living castle, visit Warwick Castle first built by William the Conqueror.
About Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace was built between 1705 and 1722 and is today designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today is something of a unique structure in England and has the combined use as a family home, mausoleum, and a national monument (not to mention a filming location).
- Listed: UNESCO Site Since 1987
The land was given as a gift to John Church - the 1st Duke of Marlborough - for his military victories in the War of the Spanish Succession. It was partially financed by Queen Anne. Although political infighting saw the Crown withdraw support and Marlborough voluntarily exiling himself to Europe for a time.
England and the United Kingdom are old countries and have never truly had a redefining revolution. So many of the customs and traditions today seem strange to us today. The Marlboroughs still have to tender a copy of the French royal flag to the British King or Queen on every anniversary of the Battle of Blenheim as rent for the land the palace is built on.
The palace and the Duke family were saved from financial ruin by Charles, 9th Duke of Marlborough marrying the American railroad heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt. Her parents were desperate to see their daughter become a duchess and so they paid a massive sum of money to Charles to marry her. He coldly and openly married her without love for money.
Today the palace remains the private home of the Dukes of Marlborough - now the 12th Duke of Marlborough.
Visiting Blehemin Palace
Being such a large estate there are many attractions and places to visit here. Here are some of them with their opening times.
- The Palace: Open daily 10:30 AM, Last entry 3:45 PM
- The Gardens: Open daily 10 AM - 4:30
- The Park: Open daily 9.30 - 16.00
- East Courtyard Retail Shop: Open daily 9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
- The Orangery Restaurant: Open daily 10 AM - 3 PM
- The Oxfordshire Pantry Café: Open daily 9:30 AM - 5 PM
- The Stables Café: Open daily 10 AM - 4 PM
- The Walled Garden: Open daily 10 AM - 4:30 PM
There are two types of tickets for visiting this massive estate. One is for the Palace, Park, & Gardens while the other is just for the Park & Gardens (£1 = $1.37)
Admission: Palace, Park & Gardens
- Adult: £29.50
- Seniors: £28.00 (Over 65)
- Youth: £25.00 (Age 17-25 or Students with ID)
- Child: £16.50 (Age 5-16. Free for under 5s)
- Family: £75.00 (2 Adults & 2 Children)
Admission: Park & Gardens Only
- Adult: £18.50
- Seniors: £17.50 (Over 65)
- Youth: £17.50 (Age 17-25 or Students with ID)
- Child: £9.00 (Age 5-16. Free for under 5s)
- Family: £50.00 (2 Adults & 2 Children)
There are tours and access to the many gardens, the stables, the upstairs rooms, and the downstairs rooms where the servants lived. There's also a couple of museums in the palace and even a bee trail. There are too many rooms and attractions to name here but here is a couple of the most interesting.
Sir Winston Churchill's Birth Room
It's easy to forget that giving birth at a hospital is a relatively modern thing to do. Here at the palace, visitors can see the tiny bedroom where Sir Winston Church was born in 1874.
In the room one will see a painting by Churchill - Churchill was among many other things a painter. The painting is entitled 'The Atlas Mountains from Marrakesh’ - it is understood he gave it to the man to supplied him with the #Cuban cigars that he is so famous for puffing.
- Sir Winston Churchill: It was The Famous British Premier's Birthplace And Ancestral Home
Lights, Camera, Action! Trail
The palace boasts 300 years of opulent history. It is so grand that it has attracted movie after movie to be filmed there. It is only fitting that it has a trail that explores which movies were filmed here and where exactly. Some of the movies have the Palace as center stage, while others just show small aspects of the palace and gardens one might not recognize.
- Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix: It Was Snape's Flashback by the Black Lake As A Hogwarts Student
Scores upon scores of movies of all sorts have been filmed there. Notable movies include Harry Potter, James Bond (Spectre), Transformers: The Last Knight, Mission Impossible, Cinderella, Gulliver's Travels, Indiana Jones, The BFG, The Young Victoria, The Four Feathers, and many more.