BLENHEIM PALACE
Oxfordshire SP 44045 16225
England’s answer to Versailles
Birthplace and family home of wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill,
Blenheim Palace is perhaps best known as a prime example of the 18th century
English passion and fashion for the garden makeover, and its most significant
practitioner, Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. Capable by name and nature, Brown
earned his nickname by assessing the ‘capability’ of his client’s grand country
houses, whose gardens were to be re-fashioned.
He had a lasting influence on the design of private and public gardens, creating
the English landscape garden style. This combines naturalised planting with
careful planning, and grand scale with romantic design. The clever use of water
to create artificial lakes, as in Blenheim’s serpentine lake, was one of his
signature features.
The building of the palace Architect
John Vanbrugh’s monumental building,
Blenheim, was designed and built as a
gift for John Churchill, the 1st Duke of
Marlborough bestowed by a nation
grateful for his military leadership in
the victory over France in 1704. The
building of the palace, in 1705, did not
run smoothly and by the time of its
completion Vanbrugh, the Duke and
Duchess all suffered tarnished
reputations after much political
infighting.
The Architecture Blenheim is a rare example of
the English Baroque style which lasted only 40
years from 1690-1730. Bold lines, exaggeration,
overwhelming size; it is a grand and ornate style
which was seen as too flamboyant by many
critics of the time. Intended to be a statement
property, the extravagant house was
deliberately built to stand out in the landscape
and to be seen from afar. Still lived in by the
Dukes of Marlborough, the importance of
Blenheim Palace was recognized in 1987 as a
World Heritage Site.
Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown is often described
as ‘England's greatest gardener’. He designed
more than 170 parks, many of which still exist.
© Corbis
Winston Churchill was one of the world’s
greatest wartime leaders despite suffering
from bouts of deep depression that struck
him throughout his life. © Corbis
DID YOU KNOW?
A public right of way runs through the gardens at Blenheim Palace - it was in
existence before the palace was built.
England has about 190,000 km of public rights of way, mostly footpaths and
bridleways, and all are legally protected.
Many footpaths date back centuries, even to Anglo Saxon times, as routes to
churches and linking villages. The word path is thought to come from 'pad' - a
way trodden into existence by people and beasts.
© Content created and copyright of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)