Designed by ‘Capability’ Brown in the 1760s, the Grand Cascade at the western end of the lake is one of England’s most picturesque waterfalls. Here the Glyme plunges dramatically from the lake and the slowly winds south-westwards under the ‘New’ Bridge designed by Sir William Chambers, eventually joining the River Evenlode, a tributary of the Thames.*

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to appreciate the cascade and bridge from all angles due to extended ‘Selfie taking’ on the bridge…

*From the Blenheim Palace guidebook printed 2014

The 41-metre (134-foot)-high Doric ‘Column of Victory’ stands at the entrance to the Great Avenue in the Park. It is crowned by a lead statue of the 1st Duke, by Robert Pit. The statue depicts him dressed as a Roman general, with eagles at his feet and a Winged Victory in his hand. The monument was begun in 1727, five years after his death, and completed in 1730 at a cost of £3.000.*

Three sides feature extracts from the Acts of Parliament that settled the estate on the 1st Duke and his descendants in both the male and female lines. On the fourth side, facing the palace, is an epitaph to Malborough by Lord Bolingbroke (Henry St John) – Ironically a hated political foe of the Marlboroughs form the days of Queen Anne.*

Sir Winston Churchill wrote of the Column of Victory’s epitaph in his biography of the 1st Duke. ‘The inscription is a masterpiece of compact and majestic statement. In fact, it would serve as a history in itself, were all other records lost.’*

*From the Blenheim Palace guidebook printed 2014

Previously referred to as the ’roundabout’, in 2012 the Roundel was restored and turned into a beautiful water feature.

The late 1890s and early 1900s saw the Roundel at its finest, but the 21st century saw this garden feature in need of restoration and rejuvenation. In early 2012, the 11th Duke of Malborough, with the generous support of the USA Blenheim Foundation, undertook the task of restoring the Roundel. The statue was restored , and an ornamental pond was created with 12 water jets added to create additional splendour.

The secluded secret garden is a nice tranquil place with winding pathways, ponds and streams.

As part of the commemoration of the tercentenery in 2004 of the Battle of Blenheim, the 11th Duke restored the garden, first laid down by his father; keeping much of the original layout while introducing many new features.

As a ‘garden for all seasons’, the mature and new plantings create interest throughout the year.*

*From the Blenheim Palace guidebook printed 2014

The Italian garden is situated in front of the private part of Blenheim Palace and not open to the public.

The garden enjoys a delightful, sheltered position, bordered on two sides by the Orangery and the East Front. Despite its name, the Italian Garden would not look out of place at a French chateau. With its precise, evergreen topiary, patterned beds, luscious orange trees and the scented pink blooms of the rose ‘Caroline Testout’, it is beautiful in all seasons. As a centrepiece it has the stunning, gilded Mermaid Fountain by the American sculptor; Waldo Story.*

*From the Blenheim Palace guidebook printed 2014

Undoubtedly the majestic Water Terraces on the west front are a major part of the 9th Duke’s outstanding legacy to the Palace. A remarkable 20th century achievement, they have been compared to  the Parterre d’Eau at Versailles. The Duke took his inspiration from Bernini whose river-gods fountain, now on the lower terrace, is a scale model of the original in Rome’s Piazza Navona.*

In 1929 when the work was virtually complete, the 9th Duke wrote: “Pray tell Monsieur Duchene that the ensemble of the terraces is magnificent and in my judgement far superior to the work done by Le Notre at Versailles. The proportion of the house, the terrace and the lake is perfect.”*

I shall finish with a picture from my previous visit to Blenheim, which was in 2004.  It was taken from the top of the slope in the picture above, looking back down on the water terrace. Where do all those years go?

*From the Blenheim Palace guidebook printed 2014

Blenheim Palace was built in the early 18th Century to celebrate the victory over the French in the War of the Spanish Succession.

In particular, it was built as a gift to the 1st Duke of Marlborough, John Churchill, the military commander who led the Allied forces in the Battle of Blenheim on 13th August 1704. It was Marlborough who personally received the surrender from Marshall Tallard, leader of the French forces, following the battle.

To honour the Duke’s heroics, Queen Anne granted his family the ruined Royal Manor and park at Woodstock, along with the promise of funds needed to build a house to mark the victorious occasion. In return, the Duke also ensured that the Palace became a monument to the Queen.

At Blenheim I took two very important decisions; to be born and to marry. I am content with the decision I took on both occasions…” Sir Winston Churchill

Sir Winston Churchill proposed to Clementine Hozier at the Temple of Diana on 11th August 1908.

The year 2015 marks many important anniversaries in relation to our ‘Greatest Briton’, Sir Winston Churchill. These include the 50th anniversary of his death, the 75th anniversary of his first becoming Prime Minister, and the 75th anniversary of his ‘Finest Hour’ at the Battle of Britain.

In this key anniversary year you can read up on all things Churchill from his history, events around the country and news on a new website that aims to centralise all activity.

The weather forecast for the weekend wasn’t very inspiring so we picked what looked the best day (Monday) for a day out to Blenheim Palace. Despite it being the bank holiday we had no problems with traffic and arrived at Blenheim having made good time. The weather was kind to us, although it was cloudy at times. We enjoyed the formal gardens, the palace and the walk through the arboretum past the grand cascade before running out of time. In addition to the Palace tour we were able to visit the private apartments where by chance we were lucky enough to see the Butler at work, starting to set up the dining table.

Despite it being the bank holiday it wasn’t overly busy, perhaps due to the grounds being so big. It seems we were lucky to have chosen the Monday as I overheard one of the house guides say that they had seen 5000 people through the doors on Saturday!!

We had our day tickets converted to a yearly pass which means we can go back later in the year to see the other things that we missed.

The journey back was as pleasant as the outward journey. We did however encounter problems finding somewhere to eat. Everywhere had stopped serving and we ended up with our third option which was really a last resort.

After such a busy day yesterday I have spent today relaxing at home with some reading and a little bit of gardening. After such a lovely weekend I was saddened when a neighbour called round this evening to inform us that after the recent fallen branch ‘my oak tree’ has been sentenced with a severe trimming of branches. If I had known earlier today I would have taken some photographs when it was looking particularly beautiful in the early evening sunshine.