The private tour of Blenheim Palace

Why it is on the list

Blenheim is the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough and the house where Winston Churchill was born. It was built between 1705 and 1722, has been Grade I listed since 1957 and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987; Capability Brown reworked the park from 1764.¹² The private visits are made by the palace's own guides, curators and gardeners: tours into rooms not always open, including the Duke's private apartments, visits after closing, and single-theme days on Churchill, the state rooms or the park and gardens.³⁴

It is the wrong choice at short notice or on a fixed date: the experiences are seasonal and run on a limited number of days each year.⁴ For a day built around one monument out of hours, take the Stone Circle Experience at Stonehenge instead.

How to get it

Write to the special tours team at specialtours@blenheimpalace.com with the date, the size of the party and the occasion; they plan the day and look after it from then on.³ Private experiences start at £300 a person for the palace experience and at £1,000 a person for the full palace, Churchill and park-and-garden days; the evening experience is priced on request, and a day can be built from scratch.³ The palace is eight miles north-west of Oxford on the A44, about an hour and a half from central London by car; by train, Chiltern from Marylebone to Oxford Parkway is quickest.⁵ General questions go to customer service on 01993 810530.⁶

Discretion

The after-hours visits take place once the gates have closed to the public.³ Photography is allowed inside without flash; tripods and selfie sticks are not, drones are banned across the estate, and commercial photography needs permission.⁷ Only a small bag, carried on the front, may be taken into the palace.⁷