WOODSTOCK has welcomed plans to hold a series of concerts at Blenheim Palace.

The stately home has signed a five-year deal with London-based company Neapolitan Live Events which will invest £2.5m in the concerts, which could take place in June.

It could mean a return of rock music to the palace, which has previously staged a number of large concerts and, in 2008, the Wakestock music festival.

Julian Cooper, the mayor of Woodstock, said the town benefited from the many events held at the palace. He said: “We find with the horse trials and the literary festival that people will come to the town and stay overnight in a B&B or a hotel.

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“[The events] personally don’t concern me to any great extent because they have them in the courtyard and the sound is contained within it. They would also bring welcome economic activity to Woodstock.

“We did not have any trouble with the previous concerts they held.”

Among stars to have previously appeared at the palace are Diana Ross and Rod Stewart, who performed in 2005.

News of the plans comes after Jamie Spencer-Churchill inherited the Dukedom of Marlborough after his father’s death last week.

Previously known as the Marquess of Blandford, the new Duke has had a chequered past, including drug addiction and spells in prison.

In 1994 the estate was at the centre of a bitter court battle when the 11th Duke attempted to safeguard the palace from his son.

However, recent years saw the pair mend their relationship. The 12th Duke is now a trustee of the estate and is expected to move into the palace.

Contrary to reports that the concerts are the brainchild of the new Duke, the palace insists the plans are being put together collaboratively by the estate’s trustees.

No artists have yet been confirmed.


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