Blenheim Palace
You’ve likely seen the entrance of Blenheim Palace in several movies without realizing it. It has appeared in The Young Victoria, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, and 007 Spectre to name a few. I first visited with my husband in 2011 while planning a visit to Oxford, because I learned that it was the birthplace of famed Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. Located just 10 miles outside of Oxford the palace and grounds are well worth a visit while you’re visiting “the city of dreaming spires.”
My first impressions of Blenheim are of the stately grandeur of the entrance hall and the stone staircases. It all has a look of solid permanence. You usually begin your tour in the bedroom where Winston Churchill was born and with an exhibit about his life and work. Blenheim has been home to the Churchill family since land was given to John Churchill in 1704 after he defeated the French in the Battle of Blenheim. This military victory also earned him the title of the first Duke of Marlborough. Winston Churchill’s father was a younger son, so he did not inherit the title, and it was somewhat of an accident that he was born here when his mother went into labor while dancing at a ball.
After walking through the house you’ll exit into the formal gardens, which are lovely. There are also numerous walking paths to explore by the lake and a hedge maze to get lost in. There are walks marked out to follow in Winston Churchill’s footsteps as well as a downloadable trail that follows filming locations that in addition to those I mentioned earlier, include: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Cinderella.
There is a lot of history to learn and discover and a beautiful setting to do it in at Blenheim Palace. I returned with my children one autumn after we moved to England, and the trees on the grounds were an array of gorgeous colors. I’ll leave you with a picture of the famous long library, which is reason enough for a book-lover to visit.