Blenheim Palace, the residence of the Dukes of Marlborough, is the greatest building of the English Baroque, matched in splendour by the sublime landscape of its vast park. A gift from Queen Anne Stuart to the Duke of Marlborough to mark his victory over the French armies in 1704, the castle was completed only after the Duke's death in 1722. It was designed by John Vanbrugh, one of England's most original architects.