We toured Blenheim--truly a palace and, originally, a monument to one man--on a cold and rainy Tuesday. It terms of scale and opulence, it is quite the best we have seen so far. No interior pix, as usual, except one displayed above. Despite the wet and cold, we walked the grounds and gardens too.
Winston Churchill was born at Blenheim, and some of his formative early years were spent there. His father, Lord Randolph, was younger brother to the then Duke. Moreover, it was at Blenheim, in the Temple of Diana, that Churchill proposed marriage to Clementine Ogilvy. Consequently, Blenheim is in part a monument to Sir Winston too. He and Clementine are buried in a simple parish churchyard a mile or so from the palace.
We drove on to Kidlington, 4 miles north of Oxford, and parked for two nights on a quiet town square, just across from the Sainsbury's.
Marlborough's Victory Column
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Front view of Blenheim
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View from upper garden
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Capability Brown waterfall
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View from grounds
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Room in which Winston Churchill was born
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Bucket brigade
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Great old trees on the grounds
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Grave of Winston Spencer and Clementine
Spencer Churchill
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