Earlier Houses: There was at least one earlier house on, or near, the site of the 18th century house.

House & Family History: After his 1819 bankruptcy the 5th Duke of Marlborough vacated Whiteknights for Blenheim Palace, his family’s ancestral home. Whiteknights was sold in 1840, after the duke’s death. The house itself was supposedly demolished the same year by a mob of the duke’s unpaid creditors.

Garden & Outbuildings: In the late 18th and early 19th centuries Whiteknights was owned by the Marquess of Blanford (later 5th Duke of Marlborough), who laid out famously extravagant gardens on the estate. Filled with the rarest of plants and dotted with exotic follies, these gardens were not just places for beautiful walks among nature, but, by evening, the venue for many wild parties hosted by Lord Blanford. The University of Reading purchased the Whiteknights Estate in 1947. The former parkland is today dotted with the university's halls of residence, academic departments, and administration buildings.

House Listed: Demolished

Park Listed: Not Listed

Past Seat / Home of: SEATED AT EARLIER HOUSES: John de Erleigh II, 12th century; John de Erleigh IV, 13th century; de Erleigh (D'Earley) family here from the 12th until the 14th century. Englefield family, 1606-1798. SEATED AT 18TH CENTURY HOUSE: George Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford, later 5th Duke of Marlborough, 1798-1819.

Current Ownership Type: Demolished

Primary Current Ownership Use: Demolished

House Open to Public: No

Historic Houses Member: No