Twists of fate, from an affair with a King’s daughter to battles and wealth bestowed, resulted in two magnificent homes that gave Churchill unique resources through his childhood and adulthood that would, in hindsight, prepare him for the role he would play in World War II.
Every year, we hold a fundraiser talk in memory of Tom Shannon, a former Trustee, military history researcher and Rifles member, in a prestigious location. This year the talk will be held in The Marlborough Room of Blenheim Palace, not usually open to the public. The talk will look at the deep ancestral connections of both these historic homes with Winston Churchill and the role they played in his life, career and sense of destiny.
Best-selling author Ross King, interviews Antonia Keaney, Social Historian at Blenheim Palace, and Mike Montagu, Host & Historian at Ditchley Park, from their respective fields of knowledge and uncovers the significance of Blenheim and Ditchley in Churchill’s life and how these connections shaped him as a military and political leader.
The setting of The Marlborough Room also offers a unique opportunity to view a large oil painting of the 1st Duke of Marlborough, relevant to the themes of the talk.
Ticket price includes a glass on arrival at 6:30pm. Talk to begin at 7pm, followed by Q&A.
Speakers:
ANTONIA KEANEY is an accredited Arts Society lecturer and Blenheim Palace’s Social Historian. Antonia has made various TV appearances including BBC’s Country File, Channel 4’s Phil Spencer’s Stately Homes and most recently on Channel 5’s Blenheim Palace – Behind the Grandeur. Antonia has appeared at literary festivals and recently chaired a discussion between authors Emma Soames and Rachel Trethewey on their respective Churchill related books at the Cheltenham Festival.
COL (RTD) MIKE MONTAGU is Host and Historian at Ditchley Park with a particular interest in Churchill’s use of Ditchley Park in the early part of WWII. Mike was a career soldier, serving in the Light Infantry and then The Rifles, including command of the First Battalion Light Infantry, which became 5 Rifles when the new Regiment formed in 2007. Mike has been County Colonel for The Rifles in Oxfordshire since 2013 and is also a trustee of The Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock.
ROSS KING is an author of numerous non-fiction and fiction books, a Smithsonian Expert and an Accredited Lecturer with The Arts Society. He has lectured in American museums, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Frick Collection, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.
