Blenheim Palace: Is This Britain’s Most Impressive Palace?

As the only country house in England that is neither royal nor secular to bear the title of palace, this grand estate was constructed not just as a family residence but to commemorate a monumental military triumph. It subsequently served as both the unexpected birthplace and a cherished romantic refuge for Britain's most iconic wartime leader. Come along with us to experience the history, beauty and intrigue with a day at Blenheim Palace, one of Britain's most magnificent landmark estates. Well good morning from Woodstock in Oxfordshire, we're at Blenheim Palace. We're really excited to have been invited by the palace to come and explore the grounds and the history and you're coming along with us today. It's an amazing place, I haven't been here for many years but really excited to show you around so let's get going straight away. When John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough, defeated the French at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704, Queen Anne awarded him with land, formerly royal hunting grounds, funding and the mandate to build a monument of national triumph. The political powerhouse behind this royal favour was the Duke's wife, Sarah Churchill, the first Duchess of Marlborough. As a close confidant to Queen Anne, Sarah managed court politics in London while her husband commanded forces overseas. The creation of Blenheim was incredibly fraught. 1704, the decisive victory at Blenheim is won. The Duke writes his frantic initial victory dispatch to the Queen on the back of a discarded French tavern bill. You can see a copy of that bill when you tour the state rooms. In 1705, official construction begins, the start of a tumultuous 30-year saga, characterized by political betrayal, financial disputes and intense personal rivalry. The Duke selected the controversial playwright-turned-architect Sir John Vanbrugh to design the palace, with assistance from the brilliant Nicholas Hawksmoor. The successful and widespread admiration for Vanbrugh's work on Castle Howard in Yorkshire directly led to his selection for Blenheim. However, the Duke's choice directly clashed with the pragmatic desires of the feisty First Duchess, Sarah, who favoured the structural discipline of Sir Christopher Wren. While she sought a comfortable, manageable family home, Vanbrugh envisaged a theatrical monument to national power. Building work took place for several years, funded by the Treasury. However, Queen Anne and Duchess Sarah's relationship soured, the fall of the Marlboroughs from royal favour and the withholding of Treasury funds in 1711 resulted in the family's temporary exile and accumulation of massive unpaid debts to local craftsmen and Vanbrugh himself. Queen Anne died on the 1st of August 1714 and the Marlboroughs returned from their self-imposed foreign exile the very next day. King George I paid some of the smaller debts but no more money was forthcoming from the Treasury. The Marlboroughs had to finish the work at their own expense. Building work restarted in 1716 but they were unwilling to pay the high rates that the Crown had previously accepted. This led to some of the highly skilled workers like carver Grinling Gibson refusing to rejoin the project. In fact, Sarah and Vanbrugh clashed again very quickly and he departed citing her intolerable treatment of him. The talented cabinetmaker James Moore took his place, able to work with Duchess Sarah's preferences for planning and building and skilled in many trades which Sarah praised. Construction of the palace was officially completed in 1722, though minor finishing touches and outworks by architect Nicholas Hawksmoor continued slightly after the first Duke of Marlborough's death that same year. As you walk through the east gate from the car park, notice not only the superb ironwork tracery of the gates but also the inscription which tells us that the castle was built between 1705 and 1722 under the auspices of the magnificent Sovereign. The Crown contributed £240,000 to the initial costs, with the Marlboroughs covering another £60,000, £300,000 in total, £25 million in today's money. The palace is almost at the end of a £12 million renovation. They've been working on the roof, a lot of the masonry and some of the internal room decor like the the paintings and things. So the scaffolding is beginning to come down which is really great and the palace is looking absolutely fantastic. The buildings in the east courtyard, known as the kitchen court at Blenheim Palace, were originally designed for domestic service functions including the main palace kitchens, bakehouses, laundry rooms and storage areas, as well as featuring the monumental east gate which doubled as a water tower carrying a massive supply system. Today we find the Orientry Restaurant, among other cafes, a souvenir shop, toilets and the place to show your ticket before entering the main palace. The Blenheim Palace website will give you all the information on visiting and ticket prices. Importantly you must book your tickets online in advance, you cannot buy a ticket on the day. This is apparently intended to improve visitor flow and manage capacity. It's a very popular attraction. Car parking is included in your ticket. Prior to exploring the opulent corridors, manicured formal gardens and majestic state rooms, our journey begins in the publicly accessible parkland. Here one can marvel at Vanbrugh's grand bridge, the serene victoria pool and the famous harry potter tree, along with various other captivating landmarks. It is also essential to understand that while these vistas are free to roam, access to the palace car parks are restricted to ticket holders only. Non-ticket holders should find parking within the charming nearby village of Woodstock before entering the estate on foot. The breathtaking parkland and formal gardens we'll see later were not born overnight, they are the harmonious result of three brilliant designers, an ambitious duke and a landscape that underwent several radical facelifts. In the early 1700s William Wise, royal gardener to Queen Anne, alongside Vanbrugh, established the estate's initial Anglo-Dutch Baroque identity, creating structured military-style avenues, strict formal parterres and the historic walled garden. The rigid geometry was dramatically transformed in the 1760s by Lancelot Capability Brown, Britain's most famous landscape disruptor. Brown swept away Wise's design, grasping over the formal parterres to introduce the widely popular English naturalistic style. He dammed the River Glyme to create the palace's dramatic great lake and reshaped the surrounding valley slopes with strategic tree planting to frame endless flowing vistas. Finally in the 1920s and 30s the 9th Duke of Marlborough commissioned the French landscape architect Achille Duchesne to restore classical formality to the areas closest to the palace, we'll see those in detail later. Construction on the monumental Grand Bridge began in 1708 as an audacious 120 meter long habitable viaduct. Vanbrugh engineered the limestone ashlar structure to contain 33 interior chambers including fireplaces, a bathing place, a boathouse and an interior room designed to look like a theatre. However, because this colossal structure spanned only the tiny marshy marshes of the River Glyme it immediately became a target for intense public ridicule. The mounting costs and the perceived absurdity helped fuel the bitter falling out between Vanbrugh and the first duchess. She halted funding leaving the bridge top flat and unfinished. Vanbrugh wanted to top the central 30 meter arch with tall monumental arcades and soaring corner towers. The bridge's awkward towering height remained an architectural white elephant for over five decades until Capability Brown recognized the structure simply lacked a fitting body of water, which he fixed when he dammed the River Glyme to create the Great Lake. Permanently submerging the bridge's lower two stories and all 33 interior rooms underwater, beautifully balancing its proportions and integrating it into the landscape. Standing as a towering 41 meter fluted Doric pillar, the column of victory was commissioned in 1727 by Sarah Churchill to honor the memory and military triumphs of her late husband John, designed by Nicholas Hawksmore and completed in 1730. The apex of the column features decorative stone eagles and carved lion's heads, supporting a massive lead statue of the first duke, while the heavy pedestal at the column's base features lengthy inscriptions detailing his decisive 1704 triumph at the Battle of Blenheim. We won't walk all the way up to it today as we have much more walking already to do. The Harry Potter tree is a massive ancient cedar of Lebanon that gained global fame for its appearance in the 2007 film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, believed to have been planted by Capability Brown during his landscaping changes. The historic 250 year old tree serves as the backdrop for the critical flashback sequence known as Snape's worst memory, in which a teenage Severus Snape is bullied by James Potter and Sirius Black. The tree is instantly recognizable by the gaping circular hollow on the side of its trunk, a unique structural cavity that has required the estate to implement extensive preservation work including support cables, braces and protective fencing to save it from rot and collapse. The view of Blenheim Palace northeast of the Grand Bridge is hailed as the finest view in England due to its famous historical declaration made in May 1874 by Lord Randolph Churchill, father of Winston Churchill, who enthusiastically and proudly presented the sweeping vantage point to his new American bride Jenny Jerome. King George III famously exclaimed, The stone marker located on this low knoll marks the exact site of the ancient and lost Woodstock Manor. Originally established by King Henry I in 1129, this historic royal pleasure palace hosted generations of English monarchs, famously serving as the high security prison for Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth I, when she was jailed by her sister Queen Mary I in 1554. After the manor was left heavily ruined during the English Civil War, Vanbrugh fought passionately to repair and preserve the structure as a picturesque ruin. However, Sarah Churchill utterly detested the old masonry and ordered its complete demolition in the early 1700s, ultimately crushing the historic ruin to use as foundational infill inside the Grand Bridge. After all these fascinating stories and twists in the history of the palace, let's make our way back into the ticketed area for a tour of the state rooms. There is still so much to see, including outbuildings, the former gardens, the grand cascade and wonderful exhibition about the life of Winston Churchill, including childhood locks of his hair. If you're enjoying this video so far please give us a like, consider scanning or clicking that subscribe button so you don't miss out on future videos. It really is a great free way to support us. To help you get around Blenheim, the palace has a free online guide in multiple languages which includes an audio guide you can use with your own headphones. It also shows you which areas are busy at any given time, this will help you plan your day and you can even use it in advance of your visit. The palace has free wi-fi so everyone even those without a data plan can use the guide. As we walk under the portico at the top of the steps, look up at the peering eyes that look down on you. These were commissioned from painter Colin Gill by Gladys the second wife of the ninth duke. She had blue eyes and he had brown. So the ninth duke and duchess are watching you as you enter the palace. Stepping into the great hall you are immediately dwarfed by the 67-foot ceiling fresco painted by Sir James Thornhill showing the first duke clad in roman armor kneeling before Britannia and presenting the battle plan of his 1704 victory at the battle of Blenheim. The monumental entrance to the palace establishes the dramatic theatrical scale of Sir John Vanbrugh's English Baroque architecture. It features towering Corinthian stone columns, grand archways and high-level arcades that reflect Vanbrugh's background in theatrical set design and military-inspired massing. The stonework throughout the hall was executed by Master Mason and carver Grinling Gibsons and his workshop. The impressive entrance doors feature a remarkably intricate brass lock modeled directly on one from historic city gates of Warsaw Poland, blending robust security engineering with exquisite craftsmanship. The complex mechanism that completes this theatrical entrance is traditionally operated by an oversized ceremonial brass key topped with a coronet. The north corridor serves as both an elegant passageway connecting the grand reception areas to the western state apartments. The first two busts on display are the ninth duke and his first wife Consuela van der Bilt. Lined with tall display cabinets, classical marble busts and family portraits, this corridor showcases generations of Marlborough treasures. The Spalding collection is an exceptional assembly of 18th century ornamental ceramics renowned for its delicate Japanese export wares. It arrived at Blenheim Palace after Oxford cleric Samuel Smith Spalding offered his vast collection to the fourth Duchess of Marlborough on the strict condition that it remained a permanent family heirloom and is displayed to his exact design. You'll see many more pieces from the collection around the palace. We have reached the exhibition suite dedicated to the story of Blenheim which of course you already know. It brings the palace's 300 year history to life through an engaging mix of military relics, royal treasures and original construction artifacts. Visitors can explore the first Duke of Marlborough's battlefield triumphs through items such as his personal flintlock pistols, a captured French officer's sword and the copy of the famous Blenheim Dispatch, as well as a replica of Queen Anne's ceremonial crown highlighting the royal gift of the estate. The birth room of Sir Winston Churchill is a modest ground floor bedroom that unexpectedly became the birthplace of Britain's wartime Prime Minister on the 30th of November 1874. His mother Lady Randolph Churchill, Jenny Jerome went into labour two months early during a lively St Andrew's Day ball at the palace. She was rushed into this small room then functioning as an impromptu cloak room. It was here that Winston was safely delivered in the early hours of the morning. The room now serves as an intimate prologue to the permanent Churchill exhibition showcasing deeply personal keepsakes that we'll see later in our tour. Winston was a talented artist and the walls of the room are adorned with original oil paintings and watercolors by Sir Winston himself. We'll now make our way along the west corridor. During the late 19th century gilded age Blenheim Palace became the ultimate symbol of the where immense American fortunes were exchanged for prestigious British titles to rescue decaying aristocratic estates. Facing crippling debt and generational neglect Charles Spencer Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough entered into an arranged marriage in 1895 with railroad heiress Consuela Vanderbilt, whose colossal two and a half million dollar dowry worth hundreds of millions today, was poured directly into saving the palace. Her wealth funded sweeping structural repairs, restored gilded state rooms, repurchased dispensed heirlooms and financed the magnificent Italian water terraces. Though personally loveless Consuela's match followed a broader tradition of influential American women at Blenheim including Winston Churchill's American-born mother Jenny Jerome and the 9th Duke's second American wife Gladys Deacon whose wealth style and transatlantic connections permanently reshaped the estate's history. The porcelain displays in the south corridor and the adjoining china ante room showcases some of the Spencer Churchill family's finest continental and asian export ceramics. The current 12th Duke of Marlborough James still lives in the palace private apartments. The tour passes through rooms that the family still use. Whilst you can admire them they're allowed to be filmed or photographed at the duke's request. The next room we can show you is the green drawing room. Serving as the opening chamber to the southern state apartments this room introduces visitors to the palace's grand decorative scale with walls lined in rich green silk damask woven with the family coat of arms. It is crowned by architect Nicholas Hawksmoor's innovative deep coved plaster ceiling designed to create an optical illusion of soaring vertical height and anchored by gilded rococo furnishings and sparkling crystal. Dominating one of the walls is George Romney's grand portrait of George Spencer the 4th Duke of Marlborough. The room also displays ladies outfits as examples of the changes of dress during the day, a white late velvet or silk victorian era breakfast dress the first of the day, a warm woolen tweed to meet the men for shooting or luncheon, a more elaborate dress for afternoon tea or cards before dinner and the most impressive dress of the day for dinner worn with jewelry. Among the most splendid reception spaces in the palace the red drawing room takes its name from the vibrant crimson silk damask adorning its walls creating an exceptional setting for world-class british portraiture. Designed to honor the Marlborough line and impress visiting dignitaries the chamber is adorned with fine bronzes and elegant furniture. The red upholstered chairs are in the style of Chippendale. The room's defining artistic feature is a pair of monumental facing family portraits that connect two great eras in the estate's history. On one side hangs Sir Joshua Reynolds' massive 1777 theatrical masterpiece portraying the 4th Duke of Marlborough alongside his wife Duchess Caroline and their children. Directly opposite John Singer Sargent's 1905 gilded age portrait captures the 9th Duke with his American heiress wife Consuela and their two young sons. Sargent intentionally mirrored the scale posture and majesty of Reynolds' earlier work underscoring the transatlantic fortune that helped revive Blenheim Palace. The outfits in this room are interpretations of the Queen's own Oxfordshire Hazard's uniforms worn by the 9th Duke and the Prince of Wales. Also dinner dresses worn by the Duchess and the Princess of Wales. The green writing room is currently displaying an example of a banquet as the saloon is in restoration. The walls of the next few rooms will be adorned with the Marlborough tapestries famously known as the victories series. They form one of the finest surviving suites of 18th century Flemish weaving. Commissioned directly by the 1st Duke between 1707 and 1717 they were crafted in Brussels by the master weaver Udo Cus de Vos based on cartoons by the military artist Lambert de Hondt. The tapestries are renowned for their meticulous documentary realism capturing key campaigns of the war of the Spanish succession. The green writing room was originally conceived as a sophisticated sitting and study room. The walls are hung in rich green patterned silk damask. The Battle of Blenheim tapestry is a meticulously detailed visual documentary that captures the decisive moments of the 1704 battle depicting a calm John Churchill the 1st Duke on horseback accepting the sword and papers of a captured French officer. Positioned at the heart of the palace opposite the great hall the saloon is Blenheim's monumental state dining room and part of the restoration currently underway. Commissioned by Sarah Churchill after a dispute with James Thornhill, French decorative artist Louis Laguerre enveloped the entire chamber in dramatic trompe-l'oeil murals seen in the photos. The rest of the room is hidden by the scaffolding for now unfortunately. The first state room is crafted to showcase the vast influence, affluence and military victories of the 1st Duke. The room features a finely carved marble fireplace above which hangs a portrait of Consuelo Vanderbilt. Additionally the room displays a replica of the imperial state coronation robes worn by Queen Alexandra in 1902 whose canopy was held in part by Consuelo. The quit rent standard, the flags in the corner, represents one of Britain's oldest living feudal traditions. Serving as the symbolic annual rent that legally preserves the Spencer Churchill family's tenure of Blenheim Palace, when Queen Anne granted the royal manor of Woodstock to John Churchill, the Duke and his heirs were legally mandated to deliver an annual token known as the quit rent to the reigning monarch to quit or clear the estate of any royal duties for the following 12 months. Each year on or before the 13th of August, the anniversary of the Battle of Blenheim, the reigning Duke of Marlborough must formally present a newly crafted standard to the Sovereign at Windsor Castle, a fine example of the country's quirky traditions still upheld to this day. The second stateroom was used as a classroom for students from Malvern College when they were evacuated to Blenheim in the Second World War. The chamber's marble fireplace is framed by a portrait of Marlborough's royal opponent King Louis XIV, the Sun King, serving as a deliberate statement of martial triumph and high-stakes political propaganda. Presiding above the hearth, the portrait directly complements the surrounding tapestries depicting the siege of Lille and Tournai in which the allied forces systematically dismantled Louis XIV's formidable French fortress network. The stateroom also commemorates royal ceremonies involving the family. At the 1911 coronation of King George V, the Ninth Duke and Consuelo attended together with their sons Ivor and John. Despite having been separated for five years, the white suit on display was worn by Ivor while Consuelo wore this beautiful dress. Notably this same gown was later repurposed by the Tenth Duchess for the coronation of King George VI in 1937 and worn one more time at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. This incredibly lavish Venetian cradle was given to Consuelo by her mother and she rocked her two sons in it. The third stateroom is the final and westernmost chamber, formerly the bed chamber and often referred to as the boule room because of the finest examples of boule marquetry furniture lavishly inlaid with engraved brass tortoiseshell and pewter. It was executed mostly by André Charles Boulle, Louis XIV's most talented cabinetmaker. The room's walls are dominated by the concluding Marlborough tapestries focusing on the later campaigns of the war of the Spanish succession. The dress was worn by Lady Rosemary, aunt of the current Duke of Marlborough at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. She was one of seven maids of honour for Elizabeth, all of whom had to be unmarried, resulting her postponing her own wedding so she could take part. Spanning an astonishing 183 feet 55 meters along the palace's entire western front, the Long Library is one of the longest and most breathtaking rooms in any British stately home. Originally conceived by Vanbrugh and Hawkesmoor as a monumental picture gallery, the space was reimagined by Duchess Sarah to house the famed Sunderland collection of rare books beneath an extraordinary barrel vaulted ceiling executed by master staccador Isaac Mansfield. Dominating the central bay is a colossal 1738 white marble statue of Queen Anne depicted in full coronation regalia holding the Auburn scepter. Commissioned by Duchess Sarah after the Queen's death, the statue's plinth bears a personal inscription honouring their famous friendship and the royal gift of the estate. Flooded with natural light from a succession of tall arched windows overlooking the water terraces and lake, the room today houses over 10,000 historic volumes in bespoke fitted bookcases framed by grand full-length royal portraits and classical marble busts. Life Through a Lens is a temporary exhibition currently running featuring over 100 iconic and rare off-duty photographs exploring the royal British family's relationship with the camera from Queen Victoria's reign to the present day. At the northern end stands another marvel of craftsmanship, the monumental Henry Willison Sons pipe organ installed in 1891 by the 8th Duke of Marlborough. Featuring over 2,300 pipes across four manuals it remains the largest privately owned pipe organ in Europe, transforming the long gallery from a formal baroque showpiece into a vibrant venue for high society entertaining grand balls and musical recitals. The chapel is located on the western wing to the right of the grand court. It stands as one of the finest examples of English baroque ecclesiastical architecture. Originally conceived by Vanbrugh and Hawkesmoor, the chapel was planned as both a private place of worship and a dynastic mausoleum. The chapel was not completed until around 1732-33, long after the first Duke of Marlborough's death in 1722. Following Vanbrugh's withdrawal from the project the formidable Duchess Sarah took personal charge of the interior ensuring it became a monument to her husband's military triumphs and their family line. The focal point is the colossal Marlborough tomb which towers over 30 feet high designed by William Kent and sculpted by John Rysebrack. The monument depicts the first Duke and Duchess draped in classical Roman robes alongside their two pre-deceased sons. Below the family figures a carved relief commemorates the Duke's decisive victory at the Battle of Blenheim capturing the surrender of French Marshal Tallard framed by allegorical figures of fame and history. Beneath this monument lies the private family vault. Though the first Duke was initially interred at Westminster Abbey, his remains were moved here to rest beside Duchess Sarah following her death in 1744. Most subsequent Dukes of Marlborough and their spouses are buried within the vault. The interior underwent notable changes during the Victorian era when the 7th Duke commissioned gothic revival architect S.S. Toulon to remodel the space. Toulon introduced decorative timber furnishings, an alabaster pulpit and revised seating arrangements that still remain visible today. Although a subsequent Duke removed and transferred many of the grand fixtures to St. Michael's church in Waddesdon in 1900. Now we've pre-booked an additional tour to the main entrance fee. It's called the Duke's tour. You get to see some of the private apartments of the Churchill family that are available only when they're not in residence. Rooms you wouldn't normally get to on the usual tour. There's an extra charge for that which you can check out on the website and we're on the 11 o'clock tour. It's a small group of people as I understand it and we'll be taken around with a guide. Well we've just come out of the Duke's tour and unfortunately I didn't realize but you actually can't take any photography or video on that particular tour because it is the family home. The Duke has asked that no filming is allowed in that portion which I suppose is fair enough. Excellent tour, we went through some of the downstairs area, the servants and staff quarters and then checked out some of the bedrooms which were quite amazing. We were told about Queen Elizabeth, Bill of Cullington, Charlie Chaplin and other famous people that have stayed here over the years. So it was really interesting and highly recommend you taking that extra tour that you wouldn't see on the normal run-of-the-mill run around the house. The Winston Churchill exhibition is in the vicinity of the chapel but we'll come back to that after looking at some of the other estate buildings and the formal gardens. Horses have played a huge role in the history of Blenheim from the moment the first Duke of Marlborough rode on to the battlefields at Blenheim, Bavaria, Germany. The stable courtyard forms the western flank of the estate's grand entrance forecourt, perfectly balancing the kitchen court across the great court to the east. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries the stables functioned as a bustling self-contained community with over 60 horses. Grooms, carriage drivers, stable boys and blacksmiths lived in the residential quarters directly above the horse stalls, maintaining the teams necessary for daily estate transit, agricultural transport, lavish hunting excursions and state arrivals. The courtyard also played a role in Sir Winston Churchill's youth. During childhood visits to the estate, Churchill spent extensive time in the stables learning horsemanship and riding across the surrounding parkland, mastering the equestrian skills that later proved essential during his early military career. In modern times the stable courtyard has been sensitively repurposed into a central hub for visitors while preserving its historic architecture and stall layout. Alongside the estate's visitor facilities, cafes and gift shops, the complex houses a dedicated stable exhibition which we're looking at now. This permanent display features historic carriage collections, restored tack and archival exhibits that interpret the daily lives of the horses, grooms and estate staff who sustained Blenheim for over three centuries. The last horse left in the early 2000s, but the family still have a love for horses which are stabled elsewhere on the estate. The coach house housed an extensive fleet of ceremonial state coaches, everyday travel carriages and utilitarian estate carts. Today these sheds house Blenheim's collection of historic firefighting equipment, representing centuries of private on-site fire defense. The centerpiece of the collection is the 1890 Meriwether Greenwich steam fire engine purchased by the 8th Duke of Marlborough for roughly £600. This horse-drawn vertical boiler appliance could generate full working steam pressure in under 10 minutes and throw high-pressure water jets up to 100 feet. The engine proved its worth during the serious 1896 Palace Fire when the estate's private brigade mobilized it to help extinguish a blaze threatening the saloon and state rooms, safeguarding Sir James Thornhill's ceilings and invaluable collections. From the stables courtyard let's make our way to the formal water terraces. The water terraces on the west front of Blenheim Palace were commissioned by Charles Spencer Churchill the 9th Duke of Marlborough and constructed between 1925 and 30. Lancelot Capability Brown had swept away the estate's original formal avenues running naturalistic turf right up to palace walls. Seeking to restore architectural symmetry the 9th Duke enlisted the renowned French landscape architect Achille Duchesne to design a two-tiered water parterre that would seamlessly link Vanbrugh's baroque palace above to the great lake below. The upper terrace is separated from the lower by a massive rusticated stone retaining wall adorned with carved figures, weeping masks and shell niches. The lower parterre is dominated by large symmetrical stone edged reflecting pools. At the 9th Duke's insistence the water effects were kept calm and mirror-like rather than overly boisterous allowing the sky surrounding woodland and the golden oxfordshire stone of the palace facade to reflect across the surface. The terrace is anchored by exceptional sculptural focal points most notably a working scale replica of Gian Lorenzo Banini's fountain of the four rivers in Rome. Flanking the surrounding balustrades and stairways are striking lid sphinxes sculpted by Inigo Thomas famously cast with the idealized classical facial features of Gladys Deacon the 9th Duke's glamorous and eccentric second wife. The upper terrace is situated directly beneath the western facade of the palace and accessible via the grand french doors leading out from the long gallery. This terrace acts as an elegant outdoor salon and elevated viewing platform paved in fine stone and gravel. It provides the immediate architectural forecourt to the building establishing a formal promenade where visitors can look directly down across the geometric water basins below. A lovely cafe lets you sit outside and enjoy the views with good old english breakfast tea. On the east front of the palace is the duke's private italian garden a raised area allows visitors to peer in. Also commissioned in the early 20th century by the 9th duke and again designed by Achille Duchesne it replaced an informal victorian bedding arrangement. Duchesne crafted a classical renaissance inspired parterre laid out with crisp symmetrical scrollwork and clipped box hedging. The pathways winding through the geometric beds are made from crushed terracotta brick creating a rich contrast against the deep green topiary while the centerpiece is anchored by an innate bronze mermaid fountain sculpted by the american artist Waldo Story. We are now going to start a long walk around the outskirts of the estate to see more of the gardens. The first part will take us to the ward garden, butterfly house and hedge maze. A miniature train can take you from the east gate where we started earlier today and drop you off at the ward garden for a nominal fee. Originally constructed in the 18th century the ward garden served as the estate's productive kitchen garden providing fresh fruit vegetables herbs and cut flowers for the Marlborough household and visiting royalty. Spanning several enclosed acres the high brick wall created a warm microclimate that allowed estate gardeners to cultivate delicate fruit trees, peaches and figs. Today the ward garden has been revitalized into a vibrant family destination and horticultural space. Stroll through heritage apple orchards, fragrant lavender borders and rose gardens. Relax in the courtyard cafe or explore interactive family features including the expansive adventure play area. Set within these grounds is the Marlborough maze one of the largest symbolic hedge mazes in the world designed by renowned maze maker Adrian Fisher and planted in 1991. It is crafted with thousands of mature yew trees and spans roughly two miles of pathways. Navigating the maze is an engaging challenge for all ages complete with a wooden footbridge that offers advantage points over the yew trees and helps lost visitors find their way to the exit. Adjacent to the ward garden and the maze is the butterfly house a temperature controlled tropical glass house. Built to showcase and conserve exotic species the house is kept in a warm humid environment filled with luscious tropical foliage, waterfalls, nectar-rich flowers and walkways. The environment allows hundreds of free-flying tropical butterflies from Africa, Asia and South America to flourish. Continuing our walk we'll now head towards the rose garden and then the grand cascade which is quite spectacular. Nestled in a sheltered dell the rose garden is under restoration and not at its best. It was originally created in the 1870s for the seventh duke as an intimate victorian rosarium. Designed in a circular symmetrical layout the garden features radiating gravel paths edged in stone arched over by slender wrought iron hoops that will support new climbing roses when they become established. We are now reaching the furthest point we are able to walk within the estate on this route before heading back towards the palace. It was a very hot dry july day but it's been worth the effort to reach this beautiful part of the estate that Capability Brown crafted in the 1760s. Here is the grand cascade. To manage the vast volume of water and control lake levels Brown designed the grand cascade at the southern end of the lake serving as both an essential hydraulic overflow weir and a dramatic scenic showpiece. Artfully arranged using massive blocks of rugged local stone the cascade drops across textured stepped tiers that break the water into foaming roaring torrents before sending it down the lower river valley. Visitors can stroll along the wooded trails across rustic footbridges spanning the lower level and stand on viewing platforms to take a panoramic sight back towards the open water towards the palace towers. The oxygenated pools beneath this rushing fall has also become a thriving haven for local wildlife making it a popular spot for visiting herons swans and kingfishers set against the backdrop of weeping willows and ancient woodlands and thousands of ducks. Today the grand cascade forms the picturesque climax of this circular lake walk located roughly a mile and a half from the main palace. The path leads us back to the water terraces hugging the great lake as we go and passing the old boathouse. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries it provided the Marlborough family and their high society guests with a secluded point of embarkation for leisurely angling waterfowl shooting and boat excursions out on the lake. Back in the grand court on the western side is the entrance to the Churchill exhibition which honours the life career and intimate personal connection of Britain's wartime prime minister Sir Winston Churchill to his ancestral home. This is included in your ticket price when visiting the palace and gardens. Interactive displays trace his multifaceted life as a young cavalry officer, prolific writer, passionate amateur painter and wartime leader. Born in the palace in 1874 in the birth room we saw earlier, the initial displays highlight Winston as a boy. In the crib is the baby vest he wore at birth sourced from a local woodstock villager due to his premature arrival. This 1878 portrait of Winston with long curly hair was a tradition of aristocratic families keeping young boys hair long. Here are those locks cut off and kept at age five. His sailor suit was popular attire in the Victorian era. He was brought up largely by his nanny Mrs Everest as his parents Randolph and Jenny were a high society couple spending little time with Winston and his brother Jack. This child leather saddle was used by Winston as he learned to ride ponies on the estate. Winston's path into the British army began after his poor academic performance at Harrow school led his father to decide that a military career was his only realistic option. Churchill struggled with the entrance exams for the Royal Military College Sandhurst failing twice before finally passing on his third attempt in 1893 after attending a specialised London crammer. He qualified for a cavalry cadetship and flourished in the practical military environment graduating 20th out of 130 cadets in December 1894 and receiving his commission as a second lieutenant in the 4th Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars in February 1895. This is an example of the uniform he wore. This gold watch was presented to Winston by his father on his 21st birthday in the same year. Other personal items from his military career include his cavalry whistle. These whistles were used for signalling during the Boer War and the First World War. Campaign items in leather holders, scissors and cutlery. This uniform is said to have been worn by Winston at the Battle of Onderman in the Sudan in Africa in 1898. He was serving for the 21st Lancers Cavalry Regiment and took part in the last full cavalry charge made by the British Army. Fragments of a shell which narrowly missed Winston and his cousin the 9th Duke during the Boer War in South Africa 1900. They both kept to peace as a souvenir of their escape and as a token of their lasting friendship. Winston's political career began at just 25 years old and spanned over six decades, becoming Prime Minister on the 10th of May 1940 at the age of 64 and again in the post-war years from 1951 to 55, resigning due to poor health aged 81. This ornate cigar case was given to Winston from the people of the Belgian Congo. It was made from green malachite, a rare stone and is encrusted with diamonds. A chest or canteen of silver cutlery awarded to him by the city of Sheffield in 1943. He was also awarded the freedom of the city a special honour. Winston was an exceptionally prolific author publishing over 40 books across dozens of volumes, hundreds of articles and one novel throughout his lifetime. In 1953 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his historical writings and brilliant oratory defending human values. Churchill designed this red velvet siren suit himself and often wore these kinds of smart onesies during the second world war. They were named after the air raid siren as they meant Winston could dress quickly if woken by the siren at night time. They were based on the comfortable boiler suits he wore when painting. This is Winston's dispatch box, he used this as a government minister to transport important documents. This British passport was issued to Churchill in 1963. It states his place of birth as Blenheim and also lists his occupation as Prime Minister. This interesting document grants Winston honorary citizenship of the United States of America in 1963. He was himself half American on his mother's side. This award gave him full rights as an American citizen in recognition for his political friendship towards America throughout times of war and peace and it was awarded by President John F Kennedy. A major centerpiece of the exhibition is the realistic life-sized wax figure of Churchill. Sculpted to his exact physical measurements and dressed in authentic bespoke garments crafted by his original tailors and hat makers. I've left one final part of his life's jigsaw till last, the love of his life and rock Clementine or Clemmie as he called her. They first crossed paths in the spring of 1904 at a London ball. At 29 Churchill was already an ambitious member of parliament and minor celebrity but when formally introduced to the striking 19 year old Clementine he became uncharacteristically tongue-tied. He stared without making conversation or asking her to dance, leaving Clementine with the impression that he was rather arrogant and awkward before they drifted apart. Their romance truly sparked four years later in March 1908 at a London dinner party hosted by Clementine's great-aunt Lady St Helier. Churchill arrived late after a demanding day in his ministerial office and was seated beside Clementine only because another guest had failed to show. This time the connection was immediate. The two spent the entire evening captivated by one another, engrossed in lively discussions on politics, literature and history. Over the spring and summer of 1908 Churchill pursued Clementine through constant correspondence and country house visits. Their whirlwind courtship culminated on August the 11th 1908 during a house party at Blenheim. Caught in a sudden summer rainstorm while walking near the Great Lake the pair took refuge inside this classical temple, the Temple of Diana where Churchill proposed. Clementine accepted and just one month later on September the 12th 1908 they married at St Margaret's Church Westminster beginning a celebrated 56-year partnership. The Winston Churchill memorial path beside the temple highlights the many important milestones of his extraordinary life. Winston decided he didn't want to be buried at Westminster Abbey like many other prime ministers and he was buried in Blaydon which is just a few miles from Blenheim Palace. We have a completely separate video on that, we went to visit his graveside a few years back so if you want to watch that video you can check it out at the end there'll be a link for you to watch that tour of his gravesite, the beautiful little village of Blaydon. Well that's it from Blenheim Palace, thank you so much for joining us today. If you want to see another Vanburgh great then check out our Castle Howard video in the back catalogue, we'll put a link at the end to that video, another fantastic stately home in the United Kingdom. Do come and visit Blenheim Palace, it is fantastic, you need a full day to do it, it will tire you out, there's lots of walking but it's great fun, lovely to find out the history and that we've had a great day. Thank you so much for inviting us to tour the property, we've really enjoyed it. Give us a like, subscribe, join us again and we'll see you on another video very soon. Take care, bye bye now.