A morning fire at Blenheim Palace, the stately home of the Dukes of Marlborough near Oxford, broke out in the bakehouse in the north-eastern wing and quickly spread to the upper floors causing significant damage. No serious injuries were reported. The upper section of the destroyed wing contained the art gallery and an irreplaceable and complete casualty of the fire was the thirteen feet by seven feet Rubens masterpiece, "Rape of Prosperine." (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
Chronicle, The Annual Register or a View of the History and Politics of the Year 1861 (London: F. & J. Rivington, 1862), 17-18.