Marlborough is famous for its historic English market town charm, iconic Marlborough College (attended by royalty), and its connection to the wizard Merlin via the ancient "Mound" within the college grounds. It's known for its broad High Street, Georgian architecture, vibrant arts scene, and proximity to beautiful countryside like the North Wessex Downs. It's also associated with the famous military general, John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, and his grand Blenheim Palace.
Among Marlborough's many claims to fame is the mysterious Merlin's Mound which can be found within the grounds of Marlborough College and is the reputed burial place of the wizard Merlin. The Duchess of Cambridge also attended this famous college.
The Mound is said to be the burial place of the wizard Merlin, and the town of Marlborough's motto is 'Ubi nunc sapientis ossa Merlini' ('Where now lie the bones of wise Merlin'). Since the site became a school, it is believed that the Mound has played an important role in occasions of investiture and celebration.
Marlborough College boasts many famous alumni, notably Catherine, Princess of Wales, and her sister Pippa Middleton, along with royalty like Princess Eugenie, plus entertainers such as comedian Jack Whitehall and musician Fred Again, authors like Lauren Child, Bruce Chatwin, and Siegfried Sassoon, designer William Morris, and adventurers like explorer Sir Francis Chichester, reflecting a broad range of influential figures in arts, media, royalty, and public life.
Neither Marlborough nor Eton is objectively "better"; they offer different strengths, with Eton often seen as more academically intense and traditional (all-boys) and Marlborough known for being more modern, co-educational, and a place where a wider range of students might flourish, but both are prestigious, highly-rated independent schools. The choice depends heavily on a child's personality, academic level, and the desired school environment, with Eton focusing heavily on elite leadership and Marlborough offering a broader, more balanced experience.
The BBC has claimed that Marlborough College is currently educating Elton John's eldest son – but the prestigious school has played host to a raft of famous faces over the years.
By connecting the abbey to King Arthur, the monks tied their community to yet another layer of sacred and national myth. Gerald explains that Arthur's body was discovered at Glastonbury Abbey, in southwestern England, between two stone pyramids.
The Dig is a film by Netflix exploring the story of the excavation of the Great Ship Burial at Sutton Hoo in 1939. Many of the events and characters depicted in it are inspired by real events and real people.
Is Princess Diana related to the Duke of Marlborough?
Yes, the Duke of Marlborough is distantly related to Princess Diana through the prominent Spencer family; both descend from the same aristocratic Spencer-Churchill line, with Diana's family being a junior branch of the same lineage that includes the Dukes of Marlborough and former Prime Minister Winston Churchill. They share common ancestors, making them distant cousins within the extensive Spencer clan.
Marlborough is about world famous Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand's largest winegrowing region, and the soils and enviable climate that create it. It's about fresh seafood sought by the world's finest chefs. It's about diverse landscapes, from valleys of vines to sheltered waterways of the Marlborough Sounds.
Why are they called Cowboy Killers? Back in the days of Cigarette advertising, many of the Marlboro Men casted to play the brands figurehead died due to smoking related ailments. This spurred the term "Cowboy Killers" which still lives in infamy to this day!
Wiltshire is famed for pork, the Wiltshire Lardy Cake, and cheese. North Wiltshire, particularly Swindon, has been synonymous with pig farming since Saxon times and Wiltshire ham and bacon are still very popular.
The campaigns fought by the Duke of Marlborough in the War of the Spanish Succession (1702-13) stopped France from dominating Europe. They also brought about the first popular recognition of the British Army's fighting powers.
After Queen Mary's death in 1953, Marlborough House continued to be used by various members of the royal family as a London residence before Queen Elizabeth II leased it to the Commonwealth Secretariat in 1965, an arrangement which continues today.
Sutton Hoo is England's Valley of the Kings, and the Anglo-Saxon ship burial found in the King's Mound is the richest burial ever found in northern Europe. 1,400 years ago, a king or great warrior of East Anglia was laid to rest in a 90ft ship, surrounded by his extraordinary treasures.
Edith Pretty suffered from poor health, particularly after contracting typhoid in 1930, which weakened her, leading to early death from a stroke in 1942 at age 59, though the film The Dig fictionalizes her heart condition (rheumatic fever) as the primary cause. Her frailty, especially after her husband Frank's death, prompted her interest in the spiritual and the Sutton Hoo mounds, seeking connection and understanding.
No, Basil Brown didn't get money from the Sutton Hoo treasure itself, as landowner Edith Pretty declared it hers and donated it to the nation, but she did pay him a salary of 30 shillings a week for his work uncovering the burial mound and artefacts. He was paid for his excavation services by Pretty, but the valuable treasure belonged to her as the landowner.
“With the best information available, the best guesses that could be made, it's long been thought the location of Camelot could have been at sites like Caerleon, in South Wales, Winchester or Cadbury Castle.” However, finding the true Camelot has remained tantalisingly out of reach.
In 1534, the passing of the Act of Supremacy made Henry VIII the head of the Church of England and suppression of the monasteries began. Glastonbury held out as long as possible, but eventually Abbot Richard Whiting was arrested on a fabricated charge of treason and executed in 1539, marking the end for the monastery.
The Battle of Camlann (Welsh: Gwaith Camlan or Brwydr Camlan) is the legendary final battle of King Arthur, in which Arthur either died or was mortally wounded while fighting either alongside or against Mordred, who also perished. The battle's historicity is uncertain and disputed.
What song did Elton John write for Diana's funeral?
Candle in the Wind. These are the new lyrics to the song Candle in the Wind, which will be performed by Elton John at Princess Diana's funeral. The lyrics have been written by Bernard Taupin, who wrote the words to the original.
John and Furnish are the godparents of the boy, David and Victoria's second-eldest child, who turns 15 on Saturday. Victoria posted on her Instagram page a video of the group singing "Happy Birthday" to Romeo as he is presented with a large chocolate cake.
