Blenheim Castle

Blenheim Castle was the country house that was the seat of the Duke of Marlborough. It is huge and (after reading wikipedia) the only non-royal, non-episcopal country house in England to hold the title of palace.

Barbara and Gareth took Lynn, Ed and I for a visit on beautiful afternoon - the sun was shinning and the water garden was going well.

It was given to the first Duke of Marlborough as a reward for his action in the War of Spanish succession. It was handed down in the house, until the late 19th century, when the then Duke almost lost it because he was broke. But then he married  Consuelo Vanderbilt - for her money. And he actually made a deal with Consuelo's parents. Mom wanted her to be a Duchess, so Dad paid $84 million (in today's dollars) and guaranteed them $100,000 a year for life. the Duke told Consuelo he did not love and would never return to the States, so that sucked.

If you happened to see the movie "The Favorite", the woman having an affair with Queen Anne was the first Duchess of Marlborough. And she and her husband did have to leave the country when the ladies relationship broke down.

It is also the birthplace of Winston Churchill, who was the Grandson of the 7th Duke of Marlborough.

Anyway, it was totally cool.