DiCamillo Companion
England

Lee Place

  • House & Family History: Lee Place was the dower house for Ditchley Park. It's a 17th century house that was remodeled and refronted in the 1720s at the same time that Ditchley itself was being rebuilt by Francis Smith and James Gibbs. Though no records for Lee Place survive, it is probable that the 1720s work on the House was supervised by Francis Smith. The Dining Room in the North Wing is noted for its Rococo plaster ceiling of circa 1740-50, while the Drawing Room in the South Wing has details in the style of William Kent. In 1953 the 11th Duke of Marlborough purchased Lee Place, together with 47 acres.

  • Garden & Outbuildings: The Stables are extant and feature a central wooden hexagonal cupola/clock tower of 1725 that is very similar in design to the turrets on the side wings at Ditchley Park. The Estate lies on the edge of the Blenheim Estate.

  • Architect: James Gibbs

    Date: 1720s
    Designed: Remodeling
    (Attribution of this work is uncertain)
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    Architect: Francis Smith

    Date: 1720s
    Designed: May have supervised rebuilding work
    (Attribution of this work is uncertain)
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  • Title: Buildings of England: Oxfordshire, The
    Author: Sherwood, Jennifer; Pevsner, Nikolaus
    Year Published: 1974
    Reference: pg.528
    Publisher: London: Penguin Books
    ISBN: 0140710450
    Book Type: Hardback

    Title: Blenheim Revisited: The Spencer-Churchills and their Palace
    Author: Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh
    Year Published: 1985
    Reference: pg. 205
    Publisher: New York: Beaufort Books
    ISBN: 0825302978
    Book Type: Hardback

  • House Listed: Grade II*

    Park Listed: Not Listed

  • Current Seat / Home of: Charles James Spencer-Churchill, 12th Duke of Marlborough.

    Past Seat / Home of: John George Vanderbilt Henry Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough, 1953-2014.

    Current Ownership Type: Individual / Family Trust

    Primary Current Ownership Use: Private Home

  • House Open to Public: No

    Historic Houses Member: No

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