Blenheim Palace was designed by John Vanbrugh (1664-1726). Vanbrugh was an Elnglish playwright, who also worked as an architect, although he had begun his career in the army. His other main building was the design of Castle Howard in Yorkshire.
Blenheim Palace was constructed between 1705 and 1722, with the land having been donated to the Duke of Marlborough by Queen Anne. It was actually named after Marlborough's greatest military victory, the Battle of Blenheim which he won in 1704.
One of the strking aspects of Blenheim Palace is the grounds, which are over 2,00 acres in size. These were actually designed by Lancelot Brown, better known as Capability Brown. He lived from 1715 - 1783 and was a landscape gradener who aslo worked as an architect.
His nickname of Capability (which is still used today) came from his habit of always declaring that a building had 'capability' for improvement.