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Blenheim Palace in all its glory! |
Blenheim
Palace is one of those places that I expect is on a regular driving
route for many people and every time you pass it, you probably think as I
do, “I really must go and see what it’s like”. Other than this vague
notion that it was Churchill’s family home, I had no idea what it was
like or what to expect, only that the word palace evoked this sense of grandeur in my mind.
How about you Katy?
As a local, I visited Blenheim Palace as a small child on a school trip. I recall
a grand house with many paintings but little else had stayed with me.
Like Elle, it was on my 'places to visit list' despite being so close!
Well
a few weeks ago we ended up making a visit. It was a lovely sunny day,
if a bit windy, we packed a picnic and off we went to investigate. So,
what exactly did we two public historians make of this historic house?
First Impressions:
Katy: My
immediate reaction upon seeing Blenheim was surprise at how large the
building and the surrounding grounds were. When you return to places
visited as a child, they are usually much smaller than you remember and
so I was stunned at how much land there was in the estate! It is an impressive, aesthetically -pleasing building which deserves the title palace rather than house. We noticed straight away that the car parks were already very full and I was keen to get inside and have a look around!
Elle: As
soon as we drove up the driveway and the Palace came into view I was
impressed. It’s an amazing looking building, although not quite what I
had imagined. It seemed more continental than I’d perhaps envisaged, the
yellowish brick work reminding me more of the Palace of Versailles than
other English aristocratic houses and ‘palaces’. I was also amazed at
how many people had already arrived, I mean we were early but it was
already a hive of activity, and that certainly added to my anticipation
about what was in store.
We
chose to start the day by upgrading our day tickets to an annual pass
which is a free upgrade. A lot of heritage institutions are doing this
now and while I’m always a little sceptical that I will revisit within
the year it’s always worth doing I think, if for no other reason that it
gives you the option. However, it was while upgrading our tickets that
our attention was drawn to the WW2 memorabilia that was around,
including a Winston Churchill look-a-like and military personnel walking
around the site. It was explained to us that the day we’d chosen to
visit marked the anniversary of the D-Day Landings and several things
would be going on to mark this occasion. But
had we not been told this, the presence of a spitfire in the courtyard
and fly pass would have been bewildering. As it was there was no real
attempt to explain this, I think it was pure chance our attendant had been so chatty and told us about it. So that was a little baffling. Anyway…
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Spitfire and pilot taking it easy |
Our
first stop was to head into the Palace itself. Groups are held in the
foyer area and given an explanation of the layout, before being invited
to join one of the regular tours that are given of the state rooms.
There appeared to be plenty of staff/volunteers around, each of whom
came across as very approachable and well informed. You can’t help but
overhear sometimes and I noticed how captivated
the audience were with the stories and anecdotes they’re being told by
their enthusiastic guides, and the sheer size of the groups for that
matter.
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Paintings by Winston |
We opted to make our own way around, first doing the Winston Churchill Gallery, then the State Rooms and finally the Untold Story gallery. The Winston Churchill exhibit has recently been redone to coincide with the 50th
Anniversary of his death. It’s very nicely done and it well presented. A
lot of family photographs have been used and objects – I particularly
like the inclusion of Churchill’s own artwork for I hadn’t realised he
was such a talented and keen painter. The curators have really emphasis
certain periods of Winston’s life and his abilities – his childhood and
romantic life are featured heavily, his time as a wartime leader and
state funeral also receive notable attention, as do his skills as an
orator, and some of his famous quotes are printed on blank wall space
and onto window coverings. There are notable omissions however;
Churchill’s mental health, his career before being Prime Minister and his less palatable views towards those within the British Empire were not included. I
think we would both recommend visiting the Churchill War rooms in
London for a more detailed understanding of Churchill’s life and
personality. Although they did an excellent job of going through
Churchill’s main achievements in
a physically small space, the information glorified Winston instead of
presenting a more balanced portrait of one of Britain’s best loved
leaders.
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Public historians are drawn to interactive screens like moths to a flame... |
What
can be said about state rooms? Well they’re much like any other really,
with the exception that they feel more lived in. When we were in the
dining room for example, a member of staff was cleaning the glasses and
laying the table, we suspected, for an upcoming dinner at the Palace.
It’s an occupied residence and you actually get a sense of that, unlike
at Windsor Castle for example. Family photographs are strewn about the
place and you get a real sense of the people that lived and, still live
there. It has a recent history, as well as a historic one.
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Polishing the glasses with an audience |
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Another state room... |
And that just leaves The Untold Story for gallery’s
in the main Palace – however I suspect that it was both of our
favourite bits, or at least something that really stood out, so might
leave that for us to discuss later on. We then opted for lunch in the
grounds, overlooking the lake with a commentary of a rowing competition
going on in the background. It was noticeably busy, with a huge
demographic of visitors – it’s clearly a popular destination. After
lunch we took a stroll to the Column of Victory, a memorial to the 1st
Duke of Marlborough, and then went for a wander around the gardens,
which are beautifully landscaped and provide a nice scenic route for a
stroll on a sunny day.
We
also came across The Temple of Diana, which we’d earlier learnt was the
location for Winston’s proposal to Clementine and the Water Terraces
where we stopped for an afternoon
refreshment. Talk about a wedge of cake. The day really did fly by, but
we made a last ditch effort to head over to the pleasure grounds which
would appear to cater for family groups of visitors, with a butterfly
garden and hedge maze.
It
really was a jammed packed day and actually I can now see why they
offer an annual ticket. We did a lot, but there’s still things left for
us to return and see.
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Cheeky proposal ;) |
So what was your favourite part:
Elle: By far my favourite part was the The Untold Story
gallery. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything like it. It did
really fit into the ‘edutainment’ category of being more like a feature
in an amusement park than a historic house, but at the same time I
thought it was brilliant. Katy commented
on the day how state rooms can all begin to merge together and I
couldn’t agree more. However beautiful they are, after a while they all
become a bit samey and you don’t really remember specific details.
However, The Untold Story really bucked this trend and offers something much more memorable.
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Chatting with the lady of the house |
The
combined use of reconstruction, mechanics and digital technologies that
moved the visitor through a time line and series of experiences and
encounters was hugely effective. It was also interspersed with more
traditional galleries with text panels, objects on display and screens
to interact with – the only drawback being that you didn’t really get a
great deal of time to read this material before you were encouraged to
move on, everything being timed. I suppose we could have gone around
again, but the ‘wow’ factor might have worn off if we only wanted to
read the more traditional bits and there was still so much to see. Also,
given that much of Blenheim Palace is still an occupied private
residence, this method is advantageous in that it presents a fair chunk
of the Palace’s timeline in smaller space and doesn’t depend on access
to authentic and original rooms. I’m not sure I’d be a fan of historic
houses always opting for this approach, but it will certainly make
Blenheim stand out in my memory and did add to my overall visitor
experience.
As
a side note, I also want to mention how much I loved the gardens -
especially the fact that the huge lake and cascades are manmade and part
of a design by Capability Brown, who was also responsible for much of
the landscape at Longleat.
The whole site, palace and gardens, made for a great experience as a
visitor – there was so much to see both indoors and out, I loved it!
Katy: I totally agree with Elle – The Untold Story was excellent! It really helped to explain the family’s history through the ages and worked well for Blenheim given the limited
space. If you are slightly wary of live actors and the forced
interaction that often occurs, this approach allowed you to be addressed
directly and immerse in the time period without the pressure of
bantering with the actors. I wish there had been
more time to enjoy the interactive sections as they provided additional
information about the family and the times, which was fascinating.
Unfortunately, it would be difficult to achieve given the strict timing
needed for the experience to run smoothly. I found it refreshing that the flaws and quirks of the various family members were acknowledged and explored, rather than presenting them as faultless heroes. If you are visiting the Palace, I would encourage you to make sure to include this section in your itinerary for its unique approach to discovering the family’s history!
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Beautiful fountains |
Did you find anything particularly surprising?
We don’t know if surprising is the right word or not, but we
certainly hadn’t realised that Blenheim Palace wasn’t Winston
Churchill’s family home, but rather was the ancestral home of the
Churchill family as the Dukes of Marlborough. It took visiting Blenheim
for us to piece together his family history and how it was his uncle who inherited the title of the 9th Duke – we hadn’t quite worked out that Winston was a cousin of the direct line and not part of it.
Did anything else particularly stand out?
Katy:
The grounds were particularly beautiful and I am tempted to return in
order to spend the day exploring the secrets gardens, water features and
temples at a much more leisurely pace than we did!
Elle:
Yes, I suppose so. I was quite struck by how homely and warm it felt –
there were lots of personal items, photographs and the like around which
made it feel quite different from other stately homes I’ve been too.
And I also hadn’t realised that Winston had trained as an Officer at
Sandhurst (just down the road from me) and that he’d seen active service
as a cavalry officer in the Queen’s Own Hussars. I have to admit this
led me to admire him that little bit more, knowing he’d been a soldier
(all be it an officer and war correspondent) because I suspect this
later influenced his decisions as a wartime leader. It might not have,
but I can’t see how that sort of experience wouldn’t influence you in
some way.
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Column of Victory |
What was lacking?:
Elle:
I’m not sure anything in particular was lacking, as a visitor I had a
really good experience. Although, I suspect I agree with Katy here, that
there needed to perhaps be a more balanced exhibit on Churchill, moving
away from that narrative of him as the Great War Leader. It’s great
they include his childhood and show the room in which he was born and
romance with Clementine, but at the same time there’s a lot more that
could have been said and challenged. I think it was safe, when it could
have been more forward thinking in terms of the Winston Churchill
story.
Katy: What Elle said.
It would be great if they allowed people to move beyond the heroic
image of Churchill; I have a deeper understanding and a cautious respect
towards
Winston thanks to the Churchill War rooms’ honest approach. I was a
little disappointed that the history of the Palace being used during the Second World War was not emphasised more as that could be a really interesting way to engage the public
beyond Winston as a leader. Also, the oral history films of those who
have lived or worked at the Palace are fascinating, and it would be
great if these were made more obvious!
And most importantly, how was the cake? Well it wouldn’t be a public history outing without sampling the cuisine…
Katy: It was extremely delicious and the generous portion was excellent value for money. I would recommend sharing it...
So would we recommend it?