Blenheim And The Churchill Family

Every history buff wishes that walls could talk. In this first book ever written about Blenheim and the Churchills by a family member, Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill explores the relationship between one of history's most important families and its ancestral home. As though perusing a family album, she conveys the family's exceptional history and how each generation changed the estate and how it changed them. Momentous events that changed the course of history are recounted as family reminiscences. Blenheim was a reward from Queen Anne to the first Duke of Marlborough for saving much of Europe from the domination of Louis XIV, and instantly became the family's center stage. Sir Winston Churchill was born in a back bedroom to his American-born mother, Jennie Jerome. Later, he directed Britain's World War II efforts from its study. Blenheim has witnessed some of history's most colorful characters including the ancestors of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, and Consuelo Vanderbilt, the American heiress who conquered British high society.Widely considered England's finest example of baroque architecture, this is a rare glimpse into parts of the house never seen on public tours, and no history buff or visitor will want to be without this remarkable guide.

The first book ever written by a family member about one of England's best-known dynasties, BLENHEIM AND THE CHURCHILL FAMILY is a unique record of the private life of the Marlboroughs behind the scenes of a great house. A palace in England that is also a family home, Blenheim Palace is one of Europe's most important pieces of Baroque architecture and a World Heritage site. Built by a grateful nation to celebrate John Churchill's famous victory of Louis XIV at the Battle of Blenhheim in 1704, this spectacular historical monument is also the birthplace of the Greatest Briton of them all, Winston Churchill. Packed full of previously unseen private photographs, paintings, and family papers and letters, Henrietta Spencer-Churchill provides us with the behind-the-scenes view of her ancestors' personal lives from 1700 to today. Moving through eleven generations of dukes, Henrietta reveals the scandals, debts and extravagances of her forefathers, as well as their additions to Blenheim.

"Meticulously detailed…Eminently readable." —New York Times Book Review Mary S. Lovell brilliantly recounts the triumphant political and military campaigns, domestic tragedies, happy marriages, and disastrous unions throughout generations of Churchills. The first Duke of Marlborough (1650–1722) was a soldier of such genius that a lavish palace, Blenheim, was built to honor his triumphs. Succeeding generations of Churchills sometimes achieved distinction but also included profligates and womanizers and were saddled with the ruinous upkeep of Blenheim. The Churchills were an extraordinary family, and they were connected with everyone who mattered in Britain. Winston Churchill—voted "the Greatest Briton" in a nationwide poll—dominates them all.

The most important, most visited, and most renowned of all of Britain’s stately homes, Blenheim has been home to the Churchill family for more than 300 years. Regarded as perhaps the greatest of the stately homes and the finest example of baroque architecture in Great Britain, Blenheim is a treasure of English heritage. In this stunning volume, Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill, the twelfth generation of the family, takes us on a privileged tour of the palace. Designed by John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor (a protégé of Christopher Wren) in the early 1700s; with stonework, furniture, and tapestries crafted by the best talents of the age; and art and statuary by such notable artists as John Singer Sargent and Joshua Reynolds, Blenheim is filled with artistic commissions that provide a window into the history of England. In addition to the gilded staterooms and acres of landscaped gardens, Spencer-Churchill shows us the family’s private apartments, with their secret corridors and history of illustrious guests, as well as the “downstairs” staff area with its iconic bell system. With beautiful photography of the magnificent interiors and priceless collections, and Spencer-Churchill’s fascinating text, this volume illuminates Blenheim as it's never been seen before.

History has not been kind to Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough, or "Sunny," as he was known. This is because, as Michael Waterhouse and Karen Wiseman reveal, it was largely written by his first wife, the "dollar princess" Consuelo Vanderbilt. Not an easy man, their marriage was indeed an unhappy one. However, he was not entirely to blame for the unhappiness of his marriage to Consuelo; in fact, it would be fair to say that he was sinned against more than sinned. His second wife, Gladys Deacon, proved far too unstable to be the love and companion of his life. Though he needed love, he never found a woman who loved him enough. In The Churchill Who Saved Blenheim, Waterhouse and Wiseman give us the life of a man who lived through a time of great change and felt the responsibility of preserving his home, Blenheim Palace, and the way of life he knew. He was a quiet, well-educated, introverted man who took his role as head of a great estate most seriously. He cared for his tenants and his servants. To those he loved, he was loyal, generous, unfailingly helpful, and courteous, and when necessary, he was also that rare and valuable thing: a critical friend. He left Blenheim in a far better state than he found it. This was his greatest achievement. And this is his story.

Drawing on the exclusive use of new family papers from the estate of the late Peregrine Churchill, son of Winston's brother, Jack, this new study of the remarkable Churchill family radically challenges many existing myths surrounding them.

This volume is presents an informative account of the history of Blenheim Palace and the Churchill family.