BLENHEIM Palace has received almost £2 million to help it create a new exhibition on Winston Churchill.

The Government cash will see the creation of the exhibit, as well as a new feature within Blenheim’s stables and a route to the formal gardens for the first time.

The grant, totalling £1.8 million, comes from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage, which is designed to safeguard some of the UK’s most important cultural sites from the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Blenheim chief executive Dominic Hare hailed the grant as an ‘amazing shot in the arm’ for Oxfordshire tourism.

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“This grant doesn’t just support the 1.3 million people who visit and relish Blenheim Palace every year, or the 400 people who work here, or our ability to restore and share this precious World Heritage Site, although it does all of those things,” he said.

“This grant also helps safeguard the 2,500 jobs in other businesses who we support, it supports the £53 million our visitors spend outside our gates, it supports the £126 million we create in the wider economy and it supports the £2 million we raise for great causes every year.

“It is also an amazing shot in the arm for Oxfordshire tourism, for which we are proud to play a major supporting role, drawing valuable tourists from around the UK and the world into the area.”

The money will also see improvements to the Wi-Fi facilities at Blenheim, in addition to the construction of new catering facilities and outdoor seating areas.