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7. Complete £40 million of vital restoration work

As one of our core goals, we have pledged to complete £40m worth of restorations around the site within ten years. We are currently in the process of conducting major restoration works to the 300 year old Chapel at Blenheim – the resting place of the former Dukes of Marlborough. The current works are primarily concerned with the stabilisation of the internal environment of the chapel.

Over the centuries the chapel has sustained considerable structural damage and decline; this has been a mixture of water damage and that caused by ambient humidity and temperature changes. The current restoration will ensure the preservation of the chapel for the future.

Of course, as with so many things in 2020, some of our restoration works have been subject to delays. One such project is the restoration of the Queen Pool and crucial repairs to the 250 year old Grand Bridge (Vanbrugh’s glorious creation). This circa £9m project will, amongst other things, uncover areas of the Grand Bridge that have remained unseen for over 100 years.

Finally, we are delighted that Blenheim has received a £1.9m grant from the government’s Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage as part of a nationwide rescue scheme to safeguard some of the UK’s most important cultural sites in the wake of the pandemic. The grant will allow us to create a brand new exhibition on the life of Winston Churchill, who was born at the Palace. It will be designed specifically to appeal to a family audience and will incorporate newly-created audio visual guides.