From one battle to another

Landscape masterpiece, birthplace of Churchill – but born of some serious strife…

WALKING BLENHEIM PARK today, you’d never guess it was created against the backdrop of a series of massive rows. It looks like the epitome of elegance and beauty – and you can walk for miles around the estate without having to pay an entry fee. But the backstory is pretty sour. The palace was to be a gift from the

Crown to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, in recognition of his heroics during the War of the Spanish Succession, culminating in the Battle of Blenheim (an area of Bavaria in Germany) in 1704. But it all went pear-shaped when the Duke chose Sir John Vanbrugh (fresh from his design of Castle Howard in Yorkshire) as the architect, rather than his wife’s choice, Sir Christopher Wren. Not only did Vanbrugh and the Duchess quarrel bitterly over the design, so did the nation, with a major row over the state funding for it all. And although the palace remains Vanbrugh’s design, his gardens and parkland were later redone by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown.

Despite this undignified start, Blenheim remains a triumph to most modern eyes. UNESCO cites it as the archetype of the English Baroque style, and also notes its importance as the birthplace of Winston Churchill in 1874. So it didn’t do too badly in the end. Fun fact: Blenheim is the only palace in Britain not to be owned by a Royal or a bishop.

A BATTLE WITH THE BUILDER The Duchess refused to let Vanbrugh visit his finished masterpiece. He managed to get in once, in secret, when she was away.