Blenheim Palace and Christmas Market

Blenheim Palace Christmas market and Christmas displays really put us all in the Christmas spirit! Where to begin? The market? The amazing displays inside? Oh, but wait…… Blenheim Palace isn’t even in France so what’s going on? Where is the connection with France?

First of two massive gates before the palace proper

Blenheim Palace History

Blenheim Palace (1722) was built to celebrate England’s victory over the French during the War of the Spanish Succession. It does not have quite the close French tie that Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire has. Blenheim was a spoils of war bequest.

Blenheim Palace

Queen Anne gave the ruined Royal Manor of Woodstock to John Churchill to celebrate his victory. The gift also included money that was used to build the house. French Marshal Tallard, leader of the French forces,  surrendered to Churchill following the Battle of Blenheim in 1704.

There is a Column of Victory on the park lands that is topped by a statue of Churchill that we could see in the distance as we approached the Palace. We decided to save the walk to this until the next visit due to the cold and blowing rain.

The Temple of Diana, also in the park grounds,  dates from 1773. We saved this for a return visit when improved weather conditions will make visiting the park and gardens more enjoyable. Sir Winston Churchill proposed to his wife (future wife) here in 1908. Churchill was born in Blenheim Palace on November 30, 1874.

During World War I the Palace was used as a convalescence hospital and during World War II it housed young men from a boy’s school. Up until the wars, there seems to always be something that is in the process of being built. The house opened to the public in 1950 and was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.

Just before the second gate were two carousels, a full size and a small manpowered one for small children.

Celebrating Christmas Inside Blenheim Palace

Last year we visited Biltmore Estate for Christmas here in the US, so I was hoping that Blenheim Palace would be comparable or better than that experience. Take a look at the inside and decide if it puts you in the Christmas spirit.

Looking up to the entry cupola we enjoyed this view:

The theme this Christmas at Blenheim Palace was Cinderella. Children were encouraged to see how many mice they could find. If you’ve seen the Disney version, the little mice and birds are instrumental in sewing Cinderella’s dress. Most all of these photos include the mice.

Entry room dining table featuring scenes from the Cinderella story

There is a mouse orchestra in the center front chair in the image above.

Scenes from Cinderella

Walking from one room to the next was an event itself with the spectacular swags of greenery framing the doors!

Do you see how thick the walls are?

Many of the magnificent tapestries were hidden in part by the Christmas decorations but this corner tapestry was in full glory.

The numerous china cabinets always had precious little scenes of mice.

Click on an image below to enlarge the view.

Blenheim Palace Christmas Market

If you’ve kept up with the blog posts, you know that in my heart of hearts I would rather be perusing an outdoor market than doing anything else on a summer day. Believe it or not, bundled up with a mug of hot chocolate and wandering through a Christmas market is right on the same par with a summer market for me. It’s just what I need to round out that Christmas spirit feeling. However, by the time we’d perused the little huts this day, I was fairly frozen and ready to be someplace warm! Our visit to Blenheim Palace was the perfect Christmas gift!

Such delightful little Christmas gnomes!

The handwork in the stuffed dolls was incredibly detailed

Thoughts of spring were not far away

Merry Christmas!