Sir Winston Churchill's paintings to go on display at Blenheim Palace

Churchill painted more than 550 works during his lifetime

Original paintings by Sir Winston Churchill are to go on display at his place of birth.

The temporary exhibition at Blenheim Palace will feature a collection of Churchill's oil on canvas impressionist-inspired landscapes.

Churchill painted more than 550 works during his lifetime, which he said honed his visual acuity, powers of observation, and memory.

He was born at the palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, in 1874.

Many of Churchill's works were painted on holidays in the South of France and Morocco and have names such as Marrakech, Coast Scene on the Riviera, and Boat in Cannes Harbour.

Coast Scene on the Riviera is one of several Churchill works on display

The temporary exhibition will feature Churchill's oil on canvas impressionist-inspired landscapes

A spokeswoman for the Unesco World Heritage Site said Churchill's hobby was a "source of delight and a respite from the stress of his career".

Blenheim Palace was built to celebrate Britain's victory over the French in the War of the Spanish Succession and completed in 1733. It is the residence of the Duke of Marlborough.

Churchill proposed to his wife Clementine there in 1908. He was buried at the nearby St Martin's Churchyard in Bladon following his death in 1965.

The Art and the Churchill Family exhibition starts in the palace's Long Library on 10 February.

Many of Churchill's paintings were inspired by holidays in the South of France

Churchill was born at Blenheim Palace in 1874 and returned there often