Blenheim Palace

Thursday, 7 November 2019

I woke up feeling a little better.  The good news is that it isn't raining, so it should be a nice day to visit Blenheim Palace.  Instead of driving there, we are walking into town then taking a bus to the Palace.  This will be a nice break from me driving everywhere.  We went down for breakfast and then walked into town.  We caught a bus and arrived at Blenheim Palace around 11 AM.  This it the palace of the Duke of Marlborough, and is still his and his families home.

Armed with an audio guide, the public is allowed on the first floor in Great Hall and the state rooms.  Here are some of the photos Tim took inside the Palace.

Great Hall ceiling

On of 10 tapestries commemorating the military victories of the First Duke of Marlborough

Another ceiling

Painting of Consuelo Vanderbilt, of the American Vanderbilt's. She married the 8th Duke of Marlborough in 1895.

Long Library

Long Library

After the log library we entered the Winston Churchill Exhibition.  Winston Churchill is part of the Duke of Marlborough family tree and happen to be born in this palace.  This is the bed and room that Winston Churchill was born.

Another interesting thing about this palace is that this is were the Golden Toilet was stole in September 2019.  Here is a blurry photo of the crime scene that was left as is.

After we were done touring the inside of the palace we had the outside to explore.  There is 2,000 acres of gardens and paths on the property that the pubic is free to roam.  Here are some of those photos.

The grounds were so beautiful.  I can't imagine what this place is like in the summer when flowers are in bloom.  We walked back to the bus stop and got the bus back into Oxford.  It was now just after 4 PM.  Since it was cold all day and I was still not feeling 100%, we stopped at an Asian restaurant where I had soup.  It really hit the spot.  We walked back to the B&B arriving there pretty early and enjoyed a relaxed night, which I really needed.

Tomorrow we head to Stratford-upon-Avon and learn about Shakespeare.