On Saturday, Allie and I met my friend, Pam and dogs at Blenheim Pa
lace (pronounced "Blen-im"). And btw, I brought my camera, and left it in the car, so limited pictures from me on this entry! Duh!
lace (pronounced "Blen-im"). And btw, I brought my camera, and left it in the car, so limited pictures from me on this entry! Duh!Blenheim Palace is a country house in Woodstock, Oxfordshire. It's the only non-royal non-episcopal country house in England to hold 
the title of palace. The palace, one of England's largest houses, was built between 1705 and circa 1724.
the title of palace. The palace, one of England's largest houses, was built between 1705 and circa 1724. Its construction was originally intended to be a gift to John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough from a grateful nation in return for military triumph against the French and Bavarians at the Battle of Blenheim. Following the palace's completion, it became the home of the Churchill family for the following 300 years, and various members of the family have in that period wrought various changes, in the interiors, park and gardens. The palace today r
emains the home of the
Dukes of Marlborough — the present incumbent of the title being John George Vanderbilt Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough.Designed in 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 usage as a family home, mausoleum and national monument. The palace is also notable as the birthplace and ancestral home of Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill.
Lady Randolph Churchill (January 9, 1854 – June 9, 1921), born Jeanette Jerome, was the American-born wife of Lord Randolph Churchill and the mother of British Prim
e Minister Winston Churchill.Btw, what's up w/this free-standing gate?
Long considered one of the most beautiful women of the time, she was married for the first time on 15 April 1874, at the British Embassy in Paris, to Lord Randolph Churchill. By this marriage, she was properly known as Lady Randolph Churchill and would have been referred to in conversation as Lady Randolph.
The Churchills had two sons: Winston (1874–1965) born less than eight months after the marriage, and John (1880–1947). Jennie's sisters believed the latter's biological father was Evelyn "Star" Boscawen. Lady Randolph had numerous lovers during her marriage, including Karl Kinsky and King Edward VII of the United Kingdom.
The estate given by the nation to Marlborough for the new palace was the mano
r of Woodstock, sometimes called the Palace of Woodstock, which had been a royal demesne, in reality little more than a deer park. Legend has obsc
ured 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 where she is said to have bathed remains, named after her. It seems the un-ostentatious hunting lodge was rebuilt many times, and had an uneventful history until Elizabeth I, before her succession, was imprisoned there by her sister Queen Mary between 1554 and 1555. Her imprisonment at Woodstock was short, and the manor remained in ob
scurity 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 palace
the 1st Duchess wanted the historic ruins demolished, while Vanbrugh, an early conservationist, wanted them restored and made into 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.
r of Woodstock, sometimes called the Palace of Woodstock, which had been a royal demesne, in reality little more than a deer park. Legend has obsc
ured 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 where she is said to have bathed remains, named after her. It seems the un-ostentatious hunting lodge was rebuilt many times, and had an uneventful history until Elizabeth I, before her succession, was imprisoned there by her sister Queen Mary between 1554 and 1555. Her imprisonment at Woodstock was short, and the manor remained in ob
scurity 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 palace
the 1st Duchess wanted the historic ruins demolished, while Vanbrugh, an early conservationist, wanted them restored and made into 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.A great avenue of elms leading to the palace were planted in the positions of Marlborough's troops at the Battle of Blenheim.
