Blenheim Palace Carries Out Emergency Roof Repairs as Part of Government’s Culture Recovery Fund

Lifeline grants from the Culture Recovery Fund are designed to protect heritage sites and ensure that jobs and access to culture and heritage in local communities are protected during the coronavirus pandemic.

The work is being undertaken by specialist leadwork contractors Lang Conservation Ltd who will help repair gutters and split sections of lead on the Palace roof, which is allowing water to leak into the 18th century building, which is set within the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Grants of up to £25,000 are being awarded to heritage sites across the country to cover urgently needed maintenance and repairs.

“We’re very pleased to have received funding for this emergency repair work from the Culture Recovery Fund,” said Blenheim Palace’s Chief Operating Officer Roger File.

“While the Palace and wider estate remain closed to visitors, the need to carry out essential conservation and restoration work is ongoing. Grants like this enable us to maintain the fabric of this iconic and historic building and protect its priceless interior,” he added.

As well as rescuing precious heritage buildings in need, the Culture Recovery Fund will protect livelihoods for some of the most vulnerable heritage specialists and contractors working in the sector.

Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, said: “These grants will help the places that have shaped our skylines for hundreds of years and that continue to define culture in our towns and cities.

“We’re protecting heritage and culture in every corner of the country to save jobs and ensure it’s there for future generations to enjoy,” he added.

About Blenheim Palace

Home to the Dukes of Marlborough since 1705, Blenheim Palace was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

Set in over 2,000 acres of ‘Capability’ Brown landscaped parkland and designed by

Vanbrugh in the Baroque style, it was financed by Queen Anne, on behalf of a grateful nation, following the first Duke of Marlborough’s triumph over the French in the War of the Spanish Succession.

About the Culture Recovery Fund

The government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund is designed to secure the future of Britain’s heritage sites as well as museums, galleries, theatres, independent cinemas and music venues with emergency grants and loans.

£1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund is divided into categories for Heritage, Arts and Film. In England, it is administered on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport by the arms-length bodies Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England and the British Film Institute.