Blenheim Palace, the 18th-century English estate that is the family seat of the dukes of Marlborough and was the birthplace of Winston Churchill, is treated to a deep clean each winter. In 2017, for the first time, the palace is open to the public all year round and, until 8 February, visitors can take a special tour to find out what goes on behind the scenes to keep the 187-room stately home in shipshape condition.
Karen Wiseman, the palace’s head of education, anticipates that the tours—which are more “practical” than the traditional tours focusing on the history of the family and the estate—could become a fixed part of the winter programming. Guides explain the duties associated with the deep clean, pointing out tasks such as checking books for bookworm and hoovering gilded ceilings with the help of a fireman’s-style lift. “Regular dusting just moves dust from one place to another,” Wiseman says. Restoration and conservation projects are also discussed, including work on the North Steps, which have shifted away from the palace. The first phase of the £350,000 project is due to finish in May 2017.
As one would expect of an estate of this size, such projects are “ongoing”, Wiseman says. “It’s like painting the Forth Bridge.”
• For details, visit www.blenheimpalace.com
