Late may bank holiday weekend – 1: Blenheim Palace

http://www.blenheimpalace.com/

Blenheim Palace is a monumental country house situated in Woodstock, Oxfordshire and is the residence of the duke of Marlborough. It is the only non-royal country house in England to hold the title of palace. The palace, one of England's largest houses, was built between 1705 and circa 1724. UNESCO recognised the palace as a World Heritage site in 1987. 

Its construction was originally intended to be a gift to John Churchill, 1^st Duke of Marlborough from a grateful nation in return for military triumph against the French and Bavarians at the Battle of Blenheim. However, it soon became the subject of political infighting, which led to Marlborough's exile, the fall from power of his duchess, and irreparable damage to the reputation of the architect Sir John Vanbrugh.

Designed in the rare, and short-lived, English Baroque style, architectural appreciation of the palace is as divided today as it was in the 1720s. It is unique in its combined usage as a family home, mausoleum and national monument. The palace is also notable as the birthplace and ancestral home of Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill.

Following the palace's completion, it became the home of the Churchill family for the following 300 years, and various members of the family have in that period wrought various changes, in the interiors, park and gardens. At the end of the 19th century, the palace and the Churchill’s were saved from ruin by an American marriage. Thus, the exterior of the palace remains in good repair and exactly as completed.