The Great Hall

Sculpture of the 9th Duke of Marlborough (1)

THE GREAT HALL
This is a sculpture by Epstein of the 9th Duke of Marlborough, grandfather to the present Duke, and is in the Great Hall at Blenheim Palace. Epstein said he had trouble with the hands. Have you tried drawing your own hands? The 9th Duke married a wealthy American heiress, Consuelo Vanderbilt.

Can you tell what sort of person the 9th Duke was by looking at this sculpture?

1st Duke of Marlborough with his family (2)

THE GREAT HALL (WEST CORRIDOR)
This is a portrait of John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough with his family. You can see his wife, Sarah, seated in the middle. The girl beside her wearing a green dress is Henrietta who became the 2nd Duchess of Marlborough.

The boy on the far right of the picture was their eldest son (they had already lost their first son who died as a baby). He was called the Marquis of Blandford, but sadly he also died when he was young.

10th Duchess of Marlborough (3)

THE GREAT HALL (WEST CORRIDOR)
This elegant lady is the 10th Duchess of Marlborough, the mother of the present Duke.

9th Duchess of Marlborough (4)

THE GREAT HALL (WEST CORRIDOR)
This beautiful lady was the 9th Duchess of Marlborough, grandmother to the present Duke.

Before she was married to the 9th Duke she was called Consuelo Vanderbilt and was the daughter of one of the most wealthy families in America.

Sadly, her husband was not in love with her, nor she with him. It was a marriage of convenience. But she brought great wealth to the family

Queen Anne (5)

THE GREAT HALL
This lovely painting of Queen Anne is above the gallery in the Great Hall. She is wearing a beautiful velvet cloak which is lined with a fur called ermin. Her clothes and the way she stands make her look very regal.

Queen Anne was so pleased with John Churchill when he won the Battle of Blenheim that she gave him the money to build Blenheim Palace and the land to build it on. She was also a great friend of John Churchill’s wife, Sarah.

Ceiling in The Great Hall (6)

THE GREAT HALL
This is the painting on the ceiling in the Great Hall. It is an ‘allegorical’ painting. Each person in the painting is either wearing something or holding something that has another meaning.

John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough, is kneeling at the feet of Queen Anne who is shown dressed like Britannia. Britannia was a female warrior who carried a trident and wore a helmet and she symbolises Great Britain or the British Empire.

John Churchill is pointing towards a map. This is a plan of the Battle of Blenheim.