The House from a circa 1920 postcard
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: 1720sArchitect: Francis Smith
Date: 1720s
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