Blenheim: Biography of a Palace

by Marian Fowler

A popular biography of the greatest English house from its conception and building in the opening decade of the eighteenth century to the burial of Winston Churchill in the early 1960s. Using the vast Blenheim papers (now in the British Museum) together with local Oxfordshire documents and archives Marian Fowler has been able to trace the history not just of its famous inhabitants but also of the building itself and the thousands of servants and workmen who have kept it functioning over the years. There will be four long core chapters each taking a specific event at Blenheim (the first is a theatrical performance of a Dryden play put on by his grandchildren for the almost senile first Duke of Marlborough) and moving out from that to general description of the place and its inhabitants at that time. The four events will each be separated by about 60 years.

Genres: History, Architecture

272 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1990

About the author

Marian Fowler holds a Ph.D. in English literature from the University of Toronto and was the recipient of the Canadian Biography Award. She has taught at York University and is the author of a number of books, including In a Gilded Cage, Below the Peacock Fan, The Embroidered Tent, Blenheim and The Way She Looks Tonight. She lives in Toronto.

Reviews

[Sarah Oakey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm hopefully going to visit Blenheim this winter so wanted a bit of background. This book was fantastic, more like a novel than a biography. It gave such a detailed description of all the people who have lived there, a real insight into their characters and lifestyles. IT will be so much more interesting seeing all the portraits and tapestries now knowing so much about all the subjects. The books made the Palace itself the main character, giving it real heart and soul. I thoroughly enjoyed reading every word.