The Marlborough Mice A T C H R I S T M A S

The Great Hall The Duke’s guests arrive in time for Christmas Day – can you spot Edith, the little Marlborough Mouse on hand to help unpack suitcases and neatly tidy clothes into wardrobes and drawers?

1. What is she carrying?

A. An empty chamber pot to put back under the housekeeper’s bed

B. A nice hot cup of tea for the Duchess

C. A big heavy suitcase which was left behind at the Palace front door!

Corridor Winston Churchill spent many a Christmas at Blenheim Palace. As a child, he and his cousins had a marvellous time – they would dare each other to spend at least 5 minutes locked in a dark, scary, cupboard which housed ‘The Wicked Knight’ – a lifelike suit of shiny armour.

It was very frightening, but there was always a Marlborough Mouse nearby to make sure that nothing bad happened and the youngest children might feel a furry little paw gently stroking a foot or a hand while they waited for a very long 5 minutes to pass.

2. Can you see the ‘Wicked Knight’ next to a tiny cupboard - what is he wearing?

3. Can you spot Winston? Is he:

A. Armour to protect him whilst going about his noble deeds

A. Peeping out from behind a statue

B. A woolly jumper to keep him warm

B. Sitting in a China cabinet

C. His pyjamas, dressing gown and a cosy night cap

C. Peering down at you from the top of a door

The Duke of Marlborough enjoys celebrating Christmas at Blenheim Palace with his family and

friends. This always means extra work for the Blenheim servants – and for the family of mice who

come out of their little nests at Christmas time to help make sure that everything runs smoothly.

They like to keep out of sight, but if you look carefully, you may be able to spot the Marlborough

Mice on your way through the Palace and catch them going about their special Christmas tasks.

The tradition of holding a children’s Christmas Party at Blenheim began just after the Second World War. The children tucked into a yummy tea and crackers were pulled, silly hats worn and each child was given a gift by the Duke. The Twizzelmouse family - Thomas, Tabitha, Tyson and Troy - always made sure that they were safely out of the way…a big room full of over-excited, rampaging children was no place for tiny mice!

6. Where are the Twizzelmouse family hiding?

The Green Drawing RoomAt Christmas time all the local schoolchildren were treated to tea at the Palace. The room was always magically decorated with holly and ivy from the estate and beautiful tiny cones, rosehips and mistletoe taken from the food stores of the Marlborough Mice.

5. Look carefully and find Hector Hoarworthy and his two girls Helen and Harriet. What’s the title of the green book that the family are sitting on?

C hina Ante-RoomAt the end of their stay, all the visitors would sign the Duke’s Visitor Book and the pages show how people like Winston Churchill used to come year after year from when they were little.

Writing with a messy ink pen could be difficult for some of the younger guests, so Reginald the Marlborough Mouse was always on hand to check to see that the ink was dry on the page before the enormous book was closed until the next group of visitors arrived.

4. Can you spot Reginald Writermouse? He’s carrying something which is bigger than him; is it:

A. A giant quill (pen) – complete with silver nib

A. Percy at the Palace

B. A huge great big book for the Duke’s visitors to sign

B. Where’s Wilf?

C. A laptop so that he can start writing his next book – Reginald’s Road Trips

C. Pepys Diary

A. Over on the mantlepiece

A. A huge darning needle and a basket of mended clothes

B. Behind the clock

B. A box of buttons and a basket of baubles

C. Peeping out from under the footstool

C. A basket of mended clothes and a sugar candy stick

Red Drawing RoomWhen the 9th Duke married American heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt, she was only 18 years old and it took her quite a while to get used to living in the Palace. One of Consuelo’s jobs at Christmas was to organise teas for the elderly and make up bundles of clothing and gifts to be given to the poorer families in the area.

The hand-me-downs were always beautifully ironed and mended and the nimble-fingered Marlborough Mice, spent many hours sewing on buttons or mending tears with tiny little stitches which were almost invisible to the human eye.

7. What are Kate and Carmen the Clothier Mice carrying?

The Green Writing RoomA formal Blenheim Christmas was very difficult for the Blenheim footmen as they were expected to powder their hair every day. Powdering hair took a long time as first it had to be washed, then combed out, set in waves, powdered and finally left to dry until it set hard like cement!

The whole process was very messy and any unsuspecting Marlborough Mouse who happened to get in the way, would run the risk of being covered in a soggy, powdery mess which would quickly set fast and trap them until they were found and washed down!

8. Can you see Felix the Footmouse – why hasn’t he powdered his hair?

Saloon In the 1950s, Duchess Mary always liked to have a special, topical centrepiece for the Christmas table. The marvellous creations were made by the Duchess’ electrical manager, but sometimes he found his wonderful ideas were difficult to bring to life. Every year, just as he was about to give up, the problem would miraculously resolve itself – the Marlborough Mice made everything just right – especially as they liked to gather in the Saloon for their Christmas dinner once everyone had gone to bed.

9. What are Mummy Mayhew, Daddy Mayhew and Master Timothy-James having after their Christmas Dinner?

A. He has run out of powder and will have to pop down to the Palace kitchen to ask for some

A. Cheese – Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a nice chunk of cheese

B. He’s a very naughty young mouse and was late getting up and didn’t have time to powder his hair

B. Christmas cake and a nice hot cup of tea

C. He’s a mouse…and mice don’t have hair…they have fur!

C. A nap – to sleep off their magnificent Christmas dinner

Second State Room The Palace gardens have always been used to grow the beautiful plants found throughout the Palace at Christmas.

In the 1950s, the gardeners had to dress formally in a collar and tie and they had to do their own washing - by hand! This was always a bit tricky for the younger ones who had never lived away from home before, but strangely enough they found that no matter how badly they washed and ironed their shirts, there was never a crease to be seen by the time they came to wear them.

The gardeners could never understand it...it was as though their laundry was being done by an unseen hand…or paw… little did they know that Winnie the Washermouse was always to be found hard at work while they slept.

11. Winnie liked to have a little nap when she had finished her work – can you see where she has snuggled to make herself comfortable?

A. On a comfy sofa with her next lot of washing and ironing

B. Peeping out from behind the statue of the baby - on his very uncomfortable cushion

C. Peering down from the mantlepiece

A. A red and white striped bobble hat

B. A brass helmet - with chin strap

C. A Winston Churchill style bowler hat

First State Room At Blenheim children weren’t allowed to join the evening meal and celebrations in the Saloon until they were twelve years old; they always had a very plain meal in the Nursery with Nanny. When they were finally old enough to be allowed to join the grown-ups, the children tried to make sure they were on their best behaviour –this was never easy and every year, they had great fun trying to set the Duke’s paper cracker hat alight without him noticing.

They always managed it and, as the hat floated gently down to the stone floor, Freddie the Firemouse was always on hand with a teeny tiny bucket of water to put it out – it would have been a disaster for the Palace to catch fire on Christmas evening!

10. What is Freddie wearing on his head?

Third State Room At this time of year, Blenheim Palace is full of big, beautiful Christmas trees! Forty-two of them to be precise. They were once decorated with candles and dried fruit, but gradually electric lights were used instead of candles and eventually, sparkling baubles of all shapes and sizes were used as ornaments.

The Marlborough Mice used to always check that the candles were out properly, but nowadays, they are kept busy replacing fairy lights which have gone out or secretly helping Blenheim staff to untangle the 5000 metres of tiny fairy lights – always put away in a hurry – which are used to decorate the trees.

12. Can you see Percy, Peter and Prudence busy at work? What have they placed on a book to help them reach up high?

Today, Blenheim grows thousands of Christmas trees on the estate. They are carefully tended by the foresters and have to be weeded, pruned and shaped throughout the year – the Marlborough Mice are very helpful here too and carefully nibble or chop away at the branches to make sure that each tree grows into a perfect Christmas tree shape.

13. It can be very cold working out in the woods – what are Lily and Lionel the Lumbermice both wearing to keep warm?

A. A red velvet chair

A. Checked shirt and corduroy trousers

B. A pile of rickety boxes

B. A jerkin, jumper and scarf

C. A wobbly stepladder

C. A duffle coat, woolly hat and furry boots

The Long Library During the very first Christmas of World War One, Blenheim Palace was used as a hospital to nurse some of the soldiers injured in the early months of the war. The hospital was run by Sister Munn, a small team of nurses and, unbeknownst to all of them, a few of the calmer and less scatty Marlborough Mice. They were kept very busy picking up little objects that the poorly soldiers might have dropped or just gently mopping a brow or finding a lost counter or playing card.

14. Where’s Nurse Norah?

Fifty wounded soldiers spent their first wartime Christmas at Blenheim Palace – they listened to Mr Perkins playing the Organ and sang hymns and Christmas Carols to lift their spirits. Something else which lifted their spirits was Scroggs’s elixir – beer brewed by a Mr Scroggs, a member of the Palace staff.

The Marlborough Mice were always very keen to help Mr Scroggs make his home brew, but it became an rule that none of the younger mice were allowed to help, after one of them – who shall remain nameless – fell into the brew kettle and couldn’t walk in a straight line – without hiccoughing – for a week!

15. What is Scroggs Brewermouse holding in his left paw?

During World War Two, the Palace was occupied by MI5, a branch of the Secret Service. They had to be on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week and work didn’t stop for Christmas. Despite being at work, Christmas was treated as a special day, and everyone always had a lovely lunch of turkey with all the trimmings. Not much work was done and one of the ladies – Betty - and a couple of her friends would take it in turns to sneak upstairs to a black marble bathroom and have a very deep luxurious bath.

16. Find Betty in the Bath? Is she wearing a…

The Mice were very fond of the MI5 ladies – especially as they knew that at their lodgings, they had adopted a little mouse called Frederick who they fed and cared for – they had saved him from a wicked cat, so the Marlborough Mice were always keen to reward kindness to one of their own!

A. Playing the piano to entertain her patients

A. A bottle of his famous ale – purely for medicinal purposes!

A. Pink flowery bath hat

B. Peeping out from behind Queen Anne

B. A pile of beautifully wrapped Christmas presents

B. Spotty swimsuit – in case of unexpected interruptions

C. Hiding in a bookcase (opposite a picture of the Long Library as a hospital – hint, hint)

C. A bedpan for one of the patients

C. Just a pair of glasses

What sort of mouse would you like to help you with your preparations this C hristmas? Draw a picture of your Christmas Mouse on the back of this booklet, or colour in our drawing and then take a photo and upload to one of our social pages with #blenheimpalace #marlboroughmice for your chance to WIN an afternoon tea in the Orangery for you and your family. Terms and Conditions apply!

The answers:1. C

2. A – he’s not wicked at all, just a bit grumpy when woken up by noisy children.

3. C

4. A

5. C – but you can find Percy in the Palace in the Gift Shop.

In January you’ll be able to find out where Wilf is in the Park!

6. C – so they don’t get trodden on

7. A

8. A, B or C

9. B

10. B

11. A

12. C

13. B

14. C

15. A

16. C – but they keep steaming up!

The Marlborough Mice A T C H R I S T M A S