As a member of a family that has owned this estate for over 300 years, and also an interior designer herself, Spencer-Churchill is often seen walking through the rooms (when tour guides aren’t leading a group of visitors with cameras) dusting fireplaces or spotting worn bed tapestries that could use an update.
It’s the small things that tend to keep me lying awake at night, she confides in ELLE DECOR. “The little things that are out of order or falling apart really catch my attention, be it moldy silk fabrics or an outdated plumbing system.
To get a glimpse into Spencer-Churchill’s thoughts and feelings.
Set to be released on September 3, Spencer-Churchill’s 353-page book takes readers on a tour of the grand country estate in Oxfordshire that boasts one of the most impressive and vast collections in all of Europe. This in-depth look offers a glimpse into the lifestyle and responsibilities of hosting a household of a real-life palace.
She also shares an 18th-century ancestor with Princess Diana through her Spencer family line. The palace was originally built as a gift for John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough, after his 1704 victory at the Battle of Blenheim. Extensive renovations are needed to bring the palace up to modern standards, twelve generations later.
As the new steward of the palace, Henrietta Spencer-Churchill took over her father’s responsibilities after he passed away. John Spencer-Churchill, the 11th Duke of Marlborough, was also her father. “Maintaining a property like Blenheim is an enormous task, much of which goes unseen,” Henrietta notes. Her first task was to replace all the mattresses, and after that, she was faced with a never-ending list of jobs.
Most rooms demanded plumbing and electrical system updates, as well as new heating systems. And there have been logistical challenges, such as impractical bathroom placements that forced overnight guests, as Spencer-Churchill so put it, “to gallivant across the palace in their dressing gowns, with toothbrush in hand.”
For Spencer-Churchill, her involvement in home design goes far beyond selecting furniture and decor. “While some interior designers are only called in once the builders have finished and the construction zone is cleaned up, my mother instead is often present at the site, dressed in her safety gear, from the moment the construction team takes charge,” her son, David Gelber, explains in the book’s introduction. “She is well-versed in nearly every aspect of a building project, including construction, upkeep, and decoration.”
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What’s the end result of all this extra attention to detail? The book shows stunning pictures of Blenheim’s beautiful, sprawling gardens and outside, which has a unique and short-lived English Baroque architectural style. Spencer-Churchill then takes the reader on a tour of the impressive Great Hall, with its large and dramatic arches held up by columns with intricately carved Corinthian capitals. In one room, it’s like being wrapped in luxurious silks and surrounded by glittering chandeliers. As she explains in the book, this is the grand First Stateroom, which was decorated by her great-grandmother, American socialite Consuelo Vanderbilt.
esque bell system.
The work never ends when you’re restoring a place of this grandeur. Spencer-Churchill’s endless list includes keeping the lighting just right for an impressive 18th-century tapestry of Alexander the Great, as well as replacing the decaying silk on George III’s majestic mahogany bed. It seems that like any masterpiece, only time and patience will bring this artistry to perfection: “I have all the plans, I have all the materials, I just need the funding to move forward,” she says.
