On Thursday the 22nd of September we bought tickets at 1:15 in the afternoon for our look at the Palace and gardens. We did not purchase the tour of the interior of the Palace. In 2004 we toured the Palace with our daughter. Earlier on this day we walked to an unadvertised entrance to the grounds that is always open to try to walk on a path around the Queen Pool to get to the Harry Potter Tree but the path was closed because the pool and lake were being dredged to remove silt. More on our morning adventure in another post. After the morning walk which was a long one we went back to our hotel and freshened up. We returned to the King’s Arms for lunch and then walked back to the Palace for our self-guided tour.
Blenheim Palace, near Oxford, stands in a romantic park created by the famous landscape gardener ‘Capability’ Brown. It was presented by the English nation to John Churchill, first Duke of Marlborough, in recognition of his victory in 1704 over French and Bavarian troops. Built between 1705 and 1722 and characterized by an eclectic style and a return to national roots, it is a perfect example of an 18th-century princely dwelling.
Blenheim Palace is a country house in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough and the only non-royal, non-episcopal country house in England to hold the title of palace.
Blenheim Palace was always one of Churchill’s favourite places. He spent much of his time as a child there, both before he went to school and during school holidays. His parents were often away, busy with their political and social lives, and his grandparents, the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, often looked after him and his brother, Jack, allowing them to play in the Palace and its Great Park.
If you are interested in more history of this beautiful palace and it’s grounds there are many sites on the internet for that information. I’ll have a couple more posts featuring our walk to the Harry Potter Tree and the gardens.
Back to the Present: Today is Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, Pancake Tuesday. I’m making pancakes for our main meal with a side of eggs and Kielbasa. Heading to the market to pick up some buttermilk for buttermilk pancakes. Celebrating with our British friends. Cheers!
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 
Thanks for sharing your adventure!
Wonderful photos of the Palace. Have a great day!
…the wealth that England had is amazing.
So pleased you enjoyed your visit to Woodstock and Blenheim. I presume the unadvertised path was a public footpath which gives the walker the right to walk over the path. When I was younger my mother’s brother worked as a gamekeeper and lived with his family at The Fisheries, the garden of which bordered the lake. It was so beautiful, a real English country cottage. Unfortunately it burnt down a few years ago long after my uncle moved to another house on the estate. We enjoyed many hours wandering the park and fishing in the lake. We didn’t have a car and travelled on two buses from the outskirts of Birmingham via Stratford-upon-Avon to Woodstock. Google maps today says by car it will take 1 hr. 40 minutes to drive the 51.9 miles from the outskirts of Birmingham. It must have taken much longer by bus.
Hello Portia, Yes it was a public footpath. What a very interesting story of when you were younger and enjoyed time on the palace grounds. You truly do need hours to take it all in. We walked our feet off. Happy we wore our hikers on the days we visited. We love visiting England and hope to be able to make another journey yet. God knows and we’ll wait and see. We have been to Stratford-upon-Avon and other places in England and Scotland in the past. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment. I enjoyed reading about your time at Blenheim.
What a wonderful place. I don’t believe I’ll ever go there, but I enjoy seeing your pictures and hearing about your trip.
I hadn’t heard of pancake Tuesday! I think I know what we’re having for dinner! That palace is stunning. What a fun place that would have been to grow up in, playing and exploring!
Wow impressive!!
Though I make pancakes often we didn’t have any today!
Ellen – it has been many years since we visited Blenheim Palace. Like a great lady, it is aging well! It makes me quite homesick for my adopted country. We didn’t have pancakes today, but I am enjoying some wine right now – I will be giving up all alcohol during Lent other than on Fridays and Saturdays – trust me, this is a sacrifice for me …
Angie, I understand. We’ve been have a Free February. So yes, I do understand the sacrifice. Thanks for stopping by!
Dear Ellen – not sure this will go through but wanted to say how enjoyable this photographic tour was. Churchill is a favorite and have been watching The Crown to fill in a few gaps. He was a man for the time, surely placed by God.
Sandra @ Thistle Cove Farm
Sandra, thank you for your visit. Churchill was a God send to England and others as well. I’ll visit your blog soon to catch up.
Great tour Ellen. I knew Churchill had ties to Blenheim Palace because of his grandparents , but I didn’t know any more than that about this beautiful building and grounds. I loved finding out — thanks for being a great docent as always.
Ahh, thank you Sallie.