This month’s instalment of Meet the Venue takes us back in time to a historic venue located just a few short miles from the city of Oxford. Blenheim Palace is the residence of the Dukes of Marlborough and is one of England’s largest houses, covering roughly seven acres (28,000 square meters). The events that are held in the beautiful grounds of the palace are diverse, and Gallowglass is pleased to have had the opportunity to have worked on some of the most successful and famed events to have been held here.
Name: Blenheim Palace
Age: 297 Years Old
Location: Oxfordshire, England
Size: Seven Acres of Housing & 2,000 Acres of Parkland
History
The history of this venue is a sprawling and intricate one, with the house being built in 1722 and passing through numerous families’ hands during that time. One of the most notable aspects of the palace is that it is the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, although it is now home to the Spencer-Churchill family. The change occurred when the 1st Duke passed away in 1722 and left his title with his daughter Henrietta, as both sons were also deceased. After Henrietta’s death, the title was then given to Charles Spencer, Earl of Sunderland, hence the now Spencer-Churchill surname.
The palace’s incumbent is Charles James Spencer-Churchill, 12th Duke of Marlborough. The rent for the land that is to be paid to the Crown on an annual basis is one copy of a French flag. This is provided on the anniversary of the Battle of Blenheim on the 13th August.
One of the main appeals for visitors to the palace is the magnificent gardens and surrounding park areas. The gardens and woodland offer a diverse experience for visitors with vast lakes, glistening ponds and extremely well-kept flora and fauna.
Events
The palace is a popular venue for events as it is set in stunning countryside and has the ability to attract participants on its own merit. During the summer there is a wide calendar of events that makes use of the fantastic indoor and outdoor spaces available at the palace.
Gallowglass has had the opportunity to assist with crewing a diverse range of events that have taken place at the palace; some examples can be seen below:
CLA Game Fair
Bike Blenheim Palace
Countryfile Live Summer Party
Salon Prive Classic Cars Show
Blenheim Triathlon
And many more!
During these events, we dispatch skilled teams of crewmen to support the successful running of those projects. Ranging from telehandler, scissor lift and forklift operators; we also provided skilled carpenters and drivers from various regional bases to carry out work for a number of different clients. Our first contract working at Blenheim Palace came in 2004, and since then we have worked an average 37 days on site per year. During this time, over 630 crew have worked on this site to help support and implement successful events, travelling over a staggering 14,800 miles to and from the site.
If you are hosting an event at the wonderful Blenheim Palace and need to ensure that everything goes off without a hitch, we have dedicated event crew that can manage and support all aspects of your project. Make sure you check out our blog to see other examples of projects that we have worked on and check out our site to understand better what we can offer.
