So wrote Lady Randolph Churchill on her first visit to Blenheim Palace, and you would be hard pressed to make a good argument against her. Blenheim was built, by John Vanbrugh, as a reward for the Duke of Malboroughs successful campaigns in Europe, funded by Queen Anne in person, and it sums up all the grandure that you would expect from eighteenth centuary nobiltiy. Everything about the place is in a larger than life scale, it drips with opulance and is staggering to behold.
You arrive upon a road that takes you through the carefully designed grounds, some of which are the work of the reknowned "Capability Brown", not the original formal approach to the home, but stunning none the less. You enter the buildings themself through a small courtyard which, though grand in its own right is nothing compared to the one which follows. The Great Courtyard, the entrance proper, is breathtaking and envokes scenes of coaches and horses arriving, of wigged dandies and powdered duchesses.
Once inside prepare to be awe-struck, the rooms are large and regal and contain the finest collections of statues and paintings that you are likely to find in an English stately home. Blenheim is still the home of the Duke and Duchess of Malborough, the Churchills, and therefore contains a history of their line. As well as the famous first Duke, it was the home to a more recent famed offspring, Winston Churchill, and his room and even a lock of his infant hair can be seen here.
For those interested in history, the state rooms contain a series of massive tapestries that comemorate the first dukes campaigns. For the rest there are porcelin collections, rich saloons, a library and even the family chapel, and that is only the tip of the iceburg, to list everything of note would be to give the game away and also require more room than I have here.
Once you have finished inside there are the grounds to explore, of which there are four main areas. The Italian Gardens, restored to their former glory in Victorian times are a delightful arrangement of box hedges, with a mermaid fountain as its center piece. The cafe on the west side of the home, over looks a series of water terraces and fountains. A more recent addition to the home, they are fantastic, and I can highly recommend grabbing a cup of tea and sitting and watching the waters play below you. Beyond the terraces is the Arboretum, which contains a small temple to the goddess Diana, built by the fourth duke. It was in this place, as a plaque reveals, that in 1908, a certain Mr Winston Churchill, as he was then, proposed to Miss Clementine Hozier. The final area outside, is the lake and boat house and the picturesque Grand Cascade. Even in such a popular and busy site you can find a quite spot to sit and catch your breath.
There is a full day out here, which you can take in at a leisurely pace, a lot of variety and everything you imagine a stately home to be. Its more of an adult day out, theres not to much to stimulate the little ones, there is a childrens play area, but the place is more a cultural experience than a fun one. Im not going to give you the specifics of opening times, etc as this review is intended to inspire rather that inform and that information is easily found on the web.
I cannot recommend Blenheim highly enough,it encapsulates eveything you want in a stately home, and more.
full details at www.blenheimpalace.com.
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Nice, easy to read and very informative review there indeed. Having just visited this attraction, I can equate to what you wrote here 100% now............Roy.......
reginabelga 06.07.2005 18:53
The gardens are well-kept. The grand cascade is worth a visit as is the great lake, and all the natural aspects are really beautiful and vast. Sunshine is a must to enjoy the outdoor pleasures.
Discerna 06.07.2005 13:51
There is now a "pleasure garden" section which can be reached by a model train which includes a playground for children. However, I remember going there before the pleasure gardens were created as a child and loving it.
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Jul 24th, 2004
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