Last week was very busy with work but I managed to submitted my last astronomy paper and got the amazing news that my (honorary) nephew had been born and both mom and baby were doing well. So on Friday night I celebrated. (Though after said busy week, I was still in bed for 9pm!)
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| Celebrations. |
On Saturday I got the bus out to Blenhiem Palace in Woodstock. It was quite a long walk from the road to the palace.
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| And we're walking... |
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| Arrived. |
Blenheim was the home of Winston Churchill, though built centuries before and lived in since. The land was given to the family as a gift by the King for helping him win a battle (in Blenheim) against the French. Hence the name. The current Duke only lives there some of the time as despite the place being huge, there is room for him but nowhere for his family to stay. (I didn't understand that.)
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| In the court yard |
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| Entry. |
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| It didn't all fit in shot. |
You can just pay to go around the gardens (which are huge) but it was chilly so I paid to go around the palace as well. There is a Winston Churchill exhibition, which I honestly didn't see much of. It was packed. The exhibit is in very narrow rooms and it was a reasonably busy day. People were pushing and shoving, and there were an elderly Chinese couple who did not play by the English rules of queuing. So I got through there as quickly as possible. (I'll read a book on it.)
There is a free tour around the palace, which I took. My guide possibly knew the first Duke! But he was very sweet.
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| Ancient guide. |
The palace was very impressive.
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| Great Hall |
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| Green drawing room with lots of photos. |
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| I just love the pug! |
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| Subtle gold ceilings. |
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| The red drawing room. |
The greeting room was very impressive. The silver statue was of the battle that the first Duke fought against the French. I don't think it did anything but weighed 110lbs of solid silver so very shiny. (The table it is one can be extended to fit 40+ guest for dinner!)
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| Silver |
There were also lots of glasses out. Apparently the current Duke's nephew was getting married there later that day (which explained the helicopter later and the number of toffs walking around).
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| A lot of washing up |
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| Library and statue of Queen Ann. |
The Palace have exhibits from artists on. I can't remember the name of the artist this year but it was some form of abstract art. They has put these phrases all over the palace. (They didn't make any sense and I wish they hadn't put them over the palace. They just made it look grubby.)
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| "Art"? |
After the tour and managed to steal (literally) a table in the cafe and got lunch. The place was packed as no one wanted to sit outside. It was a bit cool on Saturday. But the view was good over the water gardens.
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| view at lunch |
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| Water gardens |
After lunch I wondered around some of the gardens. You could easily spend few days just in the gardens. Though it would be much nicer in summer!
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| Italian garden |
My favorite was the Secret Garden. I used to love that book as a kid!
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| Secret garden! |
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| Roman warrior. |
There were lots of little turns, hidden benches, small pathways and hidden bridges.
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| Bridge |
At the centre (at least I think it was the centre) was a gazebo covered with climbing plants which were changing color for autumn.
The trees are just starting to change and some are beautiful colors.
There was also a little fish pond. Where I spent about 10 mins playing with the fish, throwing bits of leaves into the water so they think it's food and come to see. Mean, but fun!
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| Hello. |
On the way back to the front entrance for another tour, I went through the bottom of the water gardens and more fountains and pools.
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| She like the fact her head was used on this |
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| Angel practicing her right hook! |
Part of the ticket includes "The untold Story" which is an automated tour with videos and moving statues. I was a little freaked out by some as they made them so real they seemed to be breathing. Creepy. But one room told the story of the first Duke who had an affair with the King's mistress and they got found out when the King turned up and the (not yet) Duke was hiding in her wardrobe.
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| Caught in the act. |
I wanted to see all the gardens but I was exhausted. So I took the lazy option. For only a few pounds you can get a buggy tour! I think it was designed for the elderly so they can see the gardens too, but the buggy wasn't full so I didn't feel bad for taking someones seat. And my feet really hurt by this point. The guide was very informative but drove like a crazy person. We were all clinging on for dear life and hoping he didn't run over anyone.
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| Where Churchill proposed to his wife-to-be. |
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| Wild flowers |
The estate was a couple of large lakes built by Capability Brown when he did most of the landscaping.
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| Lake |
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| Bridge over to the pleasure gardens. |
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| Cascades and pump house. |
They dropped me off near the walkway over to Victory column, which gives a nice view of the house (which I could finally fit into a photo). I wondered over the bridge and meandered around but it was getting colder.
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| The Palace. |
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| From the bridge |
I debated going to see the column but frankly couldn't face more walking (I still had to get home!). I could see enough from a distance. Plus you can convert the day ticket into a free annual pass so I can go back any time in the next year and see the bits I missed.
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| Victory Column |
I was quite lucky with the buses back and didn't have to stand in the cold for long. Plus I had leftover Chinese and wine from the night before. :)
