Blenheim Palace

We arrived in Woodstock late yesterday afternoon and after checking into The Feathers, we went off to meet Andrew Webster at The Kings Head for his historic walk and talk around the town. This was very interesting and we suddenly realised that we had friends in common from a long time ago. It was an amazing coincidence.
Woodstock, meaning a clearing in the woods, predates Blenheim Palace by a long chalk, being a place where Ethelred the Unready held an assembly; as well as being a royal forest (hunting ground) for early Norman kings. Henry II enclosed an area forming a park in 1110 and eventually a palace was built on an island near to where Blenheim Palace stands today, and a royal charter was granted to Woodstock in 1179. As the king continued to visit the area, the town grew up, a market was established there with an assortment of inns and coaching houses to accompany it. The young Princess Elizabeth  was held under house arrest in the gatehouse of Woodstock Palace by Queen Mary.
During the Civil War, Cromwell's forces besieged the Palace and reduced it to ruins. The town clerk had already handed over the arms held in the town to the Royalists, and was forced to apologise in Parliament for his 'mistake'. So that was the end of Woodstock Palace. It wasn't until Queen Anne granted the piece of land that was known as Woodstock Park to John Churchill, that fortune once again shone on the Woodstock area. General Churchill was made the first Duke of Marlborough following his victory against the French at the Battle of Blindheim, and he was also granted enough riches for him to be able to build a prestigious residence. His wife had grand ideas, but even she was somewhat overwhelmed by Vanbrugh's design of the baroque style palace.



The town was mainly built of local limestone, but latterly the trend was to cover the fronts of the buildings with sandstone to give the impression of a Georgian town, mirroring the facade of Blenheim Palace. And in the last couple of years some trendy sandstone plaques have been placed by several houses in the town that are deemed to be of interest. After a drink with our guide we had a tasty dinner at the King's Head, and then went back to our comfortable room at The Feathers.

Today it started dull, but with the promise of being mostly dry and a bit of sun, later. We had a lovely breakfast at The Feathers and then strolled down the high street to the gates of the Palace. Paying our dues, we walked through the gate and stopped to take in the view of the palace across the lake. The bridge was also in sight and the island on which the first royal buildings had been built. So, then onwards to the main entrance, through huge gilded gates in to the outer courtyard, then into the main courtyard from where we were able to access the house.

No photos inside, but plenty to see with ornate ceilings, tapestries depicting the owner's heroic deeds and many treasures one expects in fabulous country houses. There were a couple of van Dijk's on display and some unique furniture and the dining hall was set for a formal dinner with a huge silver table decoration depicting the victory at Blindheim, lest anyone forget with whom they were dining! Here the walls are decorated with impressive murals of people from four continents looking into the room over a balustrade with pillars stretching to the ceiling. The family still have Christmas celebrations in here.

 We also saw an interesting couple of rooms celebrating the life of Winston Churchill who was born here; and also saw the room where he was born.












But we needed refreshments, and so we found our way to the cafe and coffee and cake before we went off to discover the gardens. These are extensive, and we wandered from area to area, appreciating the formal gardens and the more relaxed layout of the Secret Garden as well as the walks through the woods and by the lake. 

We discovered the Cascades and some new features that are being built before eventually returning to the cafe for tea and scones. Our last visit was to walk over to the Pleasure Gardens and pop into the Butterfly House where there are lots of butterflies flying freely around a rather hot and humid glasshouse. This is when the sun decided to come out, so it was doubly warm inside!

By now it was getting round to closing time, and time for us to have half an hour or so with our feet up before our tasting dinner with accompanying wines. This was indeed a tasty tour de force, but we enjoyed every mouthful before at last retiring to bed.

Blenheim Palace
The Feathers
Woodstock