blenheim05 Blenheim Palace (pronounced BLEN-em, not blen-HEIM) is the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. It was given to John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough, for his defeat of the French forces at the village of Blindheim or Blenheim, on the north bank of the Danube River on the 13th August 1704.