Now I Ain't Sayin' You A Gold Digger, You Got Needs

Yesterday morning J and I woke up and the first thing he said to me was, "I was just dreaming that I was playing squash all night.  I need to go take a shower."  At 6:45 AM, this is something that the brain takes a while to process.  Are you taking a shower because it is morning and that is what one does?  Or are you taking a shower because of the squash??

My response to him, "Well, were you winning?"

Then I turned on the television to a weather report being filmed in Sherwood Forest.  And I was like this:

I think David says it all right here.

I half expected Robin Hood and his Merry Men to pop out from behind a tree.

That's the way it feels sometimes here-there are so many things that, as an American, really only seemed to exist in fairy tales.  But here, they are real.  Queens, princes, castles, dungeons, enchanted forests, and bespectacled children in uniform abound.  There is a school nearby that makes their students dress like Madeline and I live with Paddington Bear.  So, "Is this real life?", indeed.

Falkner House, spring and winter uniforms.

This past Sunday, J and I went on a day trip to Oxfordshire.  I had embarked upon the trip very much hoping to visit Blenheim Palace, but had thought that we would be able to explore Oxford as well.  Once we got to Oxford, we learned that this would not be possible.  Blenheim Palace really requires a full day.  Since that was all we had, and it was gorgeous and sunny out, I thought it might be the better choice to go out to the palace and enjoy the beautiful day on its grounds.  I had read that there would be a British Civil War reenactment taking place that day and had a feeling that the atmosphere would be festive.  Boy am I glad we chose Blenheim!  An easy 30 minute bus ride from the center of Oxford to the Palace Gates and we were there.

These yellow flowers in the background were everywhere!

Walk from the gates to the house.

The walk from the Palace Gates to the East Entrance is about 10 minutes, and that is at a decent clip.  If you are ever in the market for one of these estates, street noise will never be an issue.

I should probably mention that this estate is the only non-royal, non-episcopal country house in England to hold the distinction of 'palace'.  It has never been occupied by a King or Queen.  It was gifted to the First Duke of Marlborough as a way of celebrating victory over the French during the Wars of Spanish Succession.  John Churchill (last name ring any bells?), 1st Duke of Marlborough, was the military commander who led the Allied forces into battle in 1704 at Blindheim (Blenheim).  He personally received the surrender of the leader of the French forces.  Queen Anne thought this deserved some kind of recognition.  So while today people get medals; J.C. received the Manor of Woodstock, and funds to build a new estate on the site.  I guess the Manor of Woodstock was a fixer upper.  And fix her up they did.  Because after some considerable strife, this was the result:

North Facing Facade

Eat it, Gatsby!

South Facing Facade

The problem with Blenheim is well... it kind of left the family house poor.  Outside of the funding provided by the Crown to build the palace, the 1st Duke was not that wealthy.

As a whole, though, the dynasty Marlborough was basically able to hold their own through to the 5th Duke.  The 5th Duke of Marlborough (1766-1840) ruined EVERYTHING.  He was the.worst.  By the time he died, the family was selling priceless art left and right.  Then they had to sell their books.

And this was all just to make rent.  Because while Queen Anne had gifted the land to the 1st Duke; to this day, the family still needs to pay rent on it.  It's basically like if your parents give you a car and then say, "But we're only taking care of the down payment.  You need to make the monthly payments, pay for gas and maintenance, and the insurance."  It was exactly like that.  So they can't even make rent, and this is a house that needs serious maintenance.  By this point, the place is over 100 years old.

Blenheim Palace was a serious 'Love It or List It' case by the time we get to the 9th Duke, Charles.  He decided he was going to 'Love It' and save the place by whatever means necessary.  Charles was no dummy.  He had no money... but you know who had obscene amounts of money by this point in history, 1896?  Americans.  Americans named Vanderbilt.  So Charles married Consuelo Vanderbilt.  He didn't love her.  She detested him.  Her mother was certifiable and locked her in her room until Consuelo agreed to the union.  Directly after a marriage ceremony that took place in NYC, a dowry contract was signed in which the Duke got $2.5 Million; 50,000 shares of railroad stock; and both Consuelo and the Duke got an annual income of $100,000 EACH for life.  Apparently, on the carriage ride from the church to the wedding celebration the Duke is all, (yawn) "Whatever, you know I don't love you, right?  I hate America, we're never coming back here.  Where's my money?" So.  The 9th Duke saved Blenheim Palace.  But you know who really saved Blenheim?  Consuelo.

Consuelo was also rather ahead of her time, because in 1906, after 2 children and a full palace renovation, she decided that she just couldn't take it anymore and shocked everyone in British and American society by leaving the Duke.  She went on to marry a Frenchman.  I can only imagine what that was like after 10 years of a loveless marriage to a Brit.

As they say, "Git it gurl!" (Although they probably didn't say that in 1906.)

If you couldn't already tell, I am a complete history nerd and could probably write you a book about Consuelo and Blenheim.  But I won't.  All I will add is that Winston Churchill was born there and if you go, you can see portraits of him as a dashing young soldier before he got all jowly.  If you would like to read up more on Blenheim you can visit the below links.

Blenheim Palace Official Website
Wikipedia: Blenheim Palace
Consuelo & Alva: An Early Story of Celebrity


One last one: