The Shakespeare Tour, Part 3: Blenheim Palace

Day 4: Heythrop Park to Blenheim Palace

The most direct route for our two coaches would have been via the A44, not only holding up traffic, but also rather unattractive. By diverting away from the main road, we continued to enjoy the beautiful Cotswold countryside and discovered a further estate of great historical interest. A short trot south of the main Oxford road and through the tiny hamlet of Fulwell granted us access to a private track and into the grounds of one of the UK’s finest houses.

Ditchley Park. Photos courtesy of the Ditchley Foundation

Ditchley Park has a fascinating history as an idyllic retreat for royalty and power. Although the present house was built by the 2nd Earl of Lichfield in 1722, the location has a far more ancient history. The estate was once the site of a Roman villa and then part of a large royal hunting ground. Records exist of the medieval village of Ditchley, although no trace of it remains today. The estate was purchased by Sir Henry Lee, (1533-1611), Queen Elizabeth I’s champion and Master of the Armoury. He received Her Majesty there and to commemorate the visit commissioned the “Ditchley Portrait of Queen Elizabeth”. It depicts her standing on a map of the British Isles, surveying her dominions; with one foot resting near Ditchley.

Ditchley Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I

King James and Anne of Denmark visited in 1603. He was also a regular visitor to the royal hunting ground of Wychwood Forest. Six stag’s heads hang on the walls of Ditchley’s Saloon, trophies of two royal hunts undertaken by the King and his son, Henry, Prince of Wales, between 1608-1610. They are among Ditchley’s rarest artefacts, commemorating the life of the tragic young Prince, his close relationship with his father and their joint love of the “Chase”. At just 18, Henry fell into the River Thames at Richmond and subsequently died from typhoid.

In 1763 the estate became the property of the Viscounts Dillon, until 1933 when it was bought by Ronald Tree and his wife, Nancy Lancaster, the famous interior designer. Putting her stamp on the house earned her the reputation of having, “the finest taste of almost anyone in the world”. Ronald was elected an MP and having seen the Nazi threat, he and his wife invited Churchill to dinner many times. His first visit included Viscount Gage, the Earl of Erne and another future Prime Minister, Anthony Eden, MP.

During the early years of the war, Churchill stayed at Ditchley Park on numerous occasions, as the security forces deemed his country home at Chartwell and the PM’s official retreat, Chequers, too insecure. He met President Roosevelt’s special advisor during these visits to negotiate America’s involvement in the war via the lend/lease agreement. In 1994, the US Secretary of State and the British Foreign Secretary unveiled a bronze bust of Churchill at the house to highlight the important role Ditchley Park played during a critical phase of WWII.

Shortly after the war the estate was sold to philanthropist Sir David Wills, a descendant of the tobacco importing family, who passed away in 1999. He was described as one of the post-war era’s greatest, but least known benefactors. He established the Ditchley Foundation in 1958, specifically to promote Anglo-American dialogue; something which Ronnie and Nancy Tree had worked tirelessly towards. Nearly 70 years after its establishment, the Ditchley Foundation now aims to, “work with people from across the world to help sustain peace, freedom and order”.

Today, this historic estate is now the venue for conferences and events which promote this ethos, both politically and commercially, with delegates travelling here from across the world. The Foundation owns and manages the house and its 300 acres. A further 3,500 acres, owned by the HDH Wills Trust, provides the income for its charitable donations and is also a pioneering wildlife hub for north Oxfordshire.

The Foundation’s managing committee was extremely supportive of the Coaching for Charities tour, not only giving permission for our two coaches to drive into the Park, but also allowing the gates to be opened so we were able to trot round the immaculate circular driveway and stop in front of the house. (Pictures courtesy of the Ditchley Foundation).

After lunch at Woodstock’s, Duke of Marlborough pub, we passed through the gates at Ditchley Lodge and on into Blenheim Park. The Park comprises 544 acres and occupies most of the Palace grounds. It was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1986, with some of the best areas of natural pasture and oak woodland in the country.

The Grand Bridge

The distance from the gates to the Palace is two miles and reminds you of the Long Walk at Windsor Castle. The two coaches trotted gently round the Victory Column and on over the Grand Bridge, designed by Sir John Vanbrugh in 1708; the edifice of the Palace growing ever larger and more impressive as we approached. Unlike the stagecoaches of 200 years ago, there was no necessity to adhere to any strict timetable and the Monarchists and Nimrodians were able to enjoy the park’s autumnal landscape in all its splendour as our noble steeds trotted towards the Palace.

Blenheim Palace is the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough. The land was originally intended as a mark of gratitude to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, for his triumph at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704. Construction commenced a year later, with financial support from Queen Anne, Parliament, and the Duke himself.

What followed was akin to a Shakespearean drama, with political infighting and the withdrawal of financial support from both Crown and government. The Marlboroughs were forced into a three-year exile due to mounting debt, (£220,000 had already been spent and £45,000 was outstanding in 1712). Upon return, the Duke came back into favour at court and decided to complete the project himself, albeit with limited means. Unfortunately, he died in 1722, and the completion of the house and park became the Duchess’s driving ambition. By employing more reasonable craftsmen and using cheaper materials in areas that were less visible, she achieved her aim. The Palace is unique in that it serves as a family home, a mausoleum and national monument.

Compared to other Ducal families, the Marlboroughs were not very wealthy. They managed to survive until the 5th Duke considerably depleted the family’s fortunes. He was prepared to sell off the family silver, but fortunately Blenheim Palace was entailed in trust which prevented its sale. The problems continued until Charles, the 9th Duke, saved the day by marrying the American railroad heiress, Consuelo Vanderbilt. This connection is of particular interest to us as coaching enthusiasts. Consuelo Vanderbilt was the cousin of Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, one of America’s finest sporting coachmen, who came to England with his own horses every year to compete with great skill at Olympia and drive on the famous Brighton Road.

The Churchill connection

Winston Churchill’s father, Lord Randolph was the 7th Duke of Marlborough’s youngest son, but inherited neither title nor property. Winston grew up with social status, a keen sense of heritage, but very little money. Politics and the war effort aside, Winston was a passionate horseman: “For Winston, horses were his escape in childhood, his challenge in youth, his transport in war, his triumph in sport, and his diversion in dotage. They were even involved the day before he was born. The rough ride his mother endured returning in a pony trap from a shooting party, caused Churchill’s premature birth at Blenheim Palace, in the early hours of 30th November 1874”, (Churchill at the Gallop, Brough Scott).

Winston was horseman through and through, the man who said, “there is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man”; a connection that he valued all his life. While he struggled to enter Sandhurst, he passed out in the top set of cadets and placed second overall in the riding exam. He was an equally keen whip, evidenced by the fact that his commanding officer saw him out driving a tandem when he had not signed himself out of camp. He rode to hounds, raced in both point-to-point and steeple chasing and scored a hat trick in the Regimental Polo Cup Final in India. In 1948, just three days before his 74th birthday, he hired a horse and hacked with the Old Surrey and Burstow Hunt in protest at an upcoming bill against fox hunting.

Continuing to ride was not enough and at 74 he purchased a French three year-old stallion, Colonist II. This gallant, front running grey, went on to win 13 races, which triggered ecstatic scenes, as its Homburg-wearing, cigar-chewing owner, gave ‘V’ for victory signs in the unsaddling enclosure. Many other winners followed, mostly bred by the great man himself.

Our three wonderful teams of horses brought us elegantly to Blenheim Palace: four bay Dutch Gelderlanders, four black/brown English Hackneys and a grey team of two Hungarian Lippizaners, a German Oldenburger and an Irish draft; all skilfully tooled by coachmen from America, the Netherlands and England. Corks popped upon our arrival to mark the completion of our ninth tour. We raised thousands of pounds for charity and certainly had fun on the road.

Buoyed by the continued success of our endeavours, planning has already begun for this year, when we plan to drive from The George at Stamford to Woburn Abbey. If you would like to find out more about what we do, pleased do not hesitate to contact me, Liveryman Mark Jurd at mjroad@outlook.com.