Blenheim Palace

Blenheim anglaisPalace is a monumental English castle located in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. The seat of the Dukes of Marlborough is the only country residence in England that is neither royal nor episcopal to bear the title of 'Palace'. The palace, one of the largest mansions in England, was built between 1705 and 1722 and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 19871.

It is built on the estate where Woodstock Palace was built, a royal residence destroyed during the civil war. It is named after the Bavarian village of Blenheim, which in 1704 was the theatre of the Battle of Blenheim, and which saw the victory of the Great Alliance led by John Churchill against the Kingdom of France during the War of the Spanish Succession. The building was originally a gift to the Duke from the Kingdom of England as a reward for his military victory. The land was donated as a gift and construction began in 1705, with financial support from Queen Anne. However, the project soon became the source of political intrigues, with the Crown cancelling additional financial support in 1712, which led to Marlborough's three-year voluntary exile on the mainland, the Duchess' disgrace, and irreparable damage to the architect's reputationarchitecte, Sir John Vanbrugh.