Why is Blenheim Palace covered in white wrapping? Here’s everything you need to know

Excitement is building ahead of this week’s Agria Blenheim European Eventing Championships (17–21 September). However, it will have a slightly different backdrop in 2025 as the palace is undergoing a £12m roof restoration, which is due to be completed in 2027.

This means that the main façade of Blenheim Palace, which is a UNESCO world heritage site, is currently under wraps to allow the restoration project to take place.

Blenheim Palace roof restoration: what you need to know

This monumental £12m undertaking “aims to preserve the palace’s historic architecture and safeguard its heritage for future generations”.

The work is necessary as a combination of age – Blenheim Palace is over 300 years old – climate change and penetration from rainfall have led to the declining state of the roof, attic timbers and ceilings below.

The area of the roof in question – almost an acre in size – is only served by six downpipes; excess rains mean leaks are commonplace.

“This is a crucial new undertaking that we must deliver if we are to secure the future of wall and ceiling paintings of international importance, while also protecting the palace from further damage,” says Kelly Whitton, head of Built Heritage. “We’re not just maintaining a structure; we’re safeguarding a legacy.”

The restoration project started in July, and the white wrapping and scaffolding were in place by the end of that month.

The construction of the scaffolding took 137 days to complete and involved 70,000 scaffold fittings and around 31 miles of scaffold tubes.

The objectives of this project, as stated by Blenheim Palace are:

• Improve environmental stability of two internationally important ceiling paintings
• Reduce health and safety risks from stone fall
• Prolong the lifespan of stone by slowing the rate of decay
• Complete outstanding fire compartmenting works in roof voids
• Increase capacity of roof gutters to reduce further risk of water ingress
• Improve energy efficiency where possible and practical

Two thirds of this project is being privately funded by Blenheim Palace, and Blenheim is “therefore seeking further support from a variety of trusts, foundations and individuals to bridge the current funding gap.”

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