We are so lucky to have Blenheim Palace on our doorstep. England’s famous palace is steeped in history, beauty and is of course, conveniently located round the corner from us! Check our special Blenheim Palace package offer here
But with every English palace comes secrets. And here are 5 things you never knew about the Blenheim Estate.
It was named Blenheim because the Earl of Marlborough finally - and against the odds - defeated Louis IVX’s army in 1704 in a town called Blenheim, in Bavaria. queen Anne celebrated the triumph by commissioning the wonderful baroque palace in his honour and it replaced the Tudor style, Royal Palace of Woodstock.
A cottage in the grounds used to home Rosamund Clifford, the mistress of Henry II. When his wife found out about the affair she was to be put to death by sword or poison. But on transfer to the Tower of London, she escaped and spent the rest of her days in a convent near Oxford.
Saved by marriage! Blenheim nearly went bust in the Victorian era until a rich bride from America was brought across to save the 9th Duke of Marlborough from ruin. Seventeen year old, Consuelo Vanderbuilt was married into the family making them multi millionaires again overnight. Both ended up remarrying but Blenheim had been saved.
World Heritage Site - considered by the United Nations in 1987 to be one of the most important examples of landscaping (Capability Brown) and Baroque architecture (Vanbrugh & Hawksmoor) it became the only historic house in the UK to have been bestowed this honour.
Women’s Rights - It is the only Dukedom in the UK that can pass down the female line. When the first Duke of Marlborough was left with no sons, a law was passed to enable female heirs.
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