August 2, 2024

New Exhibit at America’s National Churchill Museum Opens September 18th

Winston Churchill once quipped, “At Blenheim I took two very important decisions: to be born and to marry. I am happily content with the decisions I took on both those occasions.” In the 150th anniversary year of Churchill’s birth, America’s National Churchill Museum (ANCM) celebrates Churchill’s many associations with Blenheim Palace, ancestral home of the Churchill family, with a special exhibition, featuring objects from the museum’s collection and select loans from private collections that will run from September 18 through January 12, 2025.

Blenheim Palace was built as a gift from the nation for John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough, who led British forces during the War of the Spanish Succession. The Duke and his wife Sarah were great favorites of Queen Anne, and the completed palace became one of the grandest homes in England. The Blenheim Estate remains privately owned and pays for itself. Winston Churchill was born there on November 30, 1874, when his paternal grandfather was 7th Duke of Marlborough.

A centerpiece of the ANCM exhibit is a scale model of Blenheim Palace as large as a queen-size bed. The model was created for and exhibited in the Churchill Pavilion at the 1964–65 World’s Fair in New York City. It was commissioned by the Hallmark Greeting Card Company, whose founder, Joyce Hall, was an enthusiastic Churchillian. Interestingly, the model was built in Independence, Missouri, the home of President Harry S. Truman, who brought Churchill to Westminster College in Fulton, MO in 1946 to deliver what became known as the “Iron Curtain” speech.

“We are especially grateful to the talented team at Blenheim Palace for their collaboration and assistance and the Anson Cutts Endowment for America’s National Churchill Museum, which has made the exhibition possible,” said Timothy Riley, Sandra L. and Monroe E. Trout Director and Chief Curator of ANCM.