Last weekend on Valentines Day we decided to go out and visit Blenheim Palace, a gorgeous historic house and gardens in Woodstock, Oxfordshire. Blenheim was built in the early 18th Century as a gift to the first Duke of Marlborough, John Churchill, the military commander who led the Allied forces to victory over the Spanish. It was originally designed by Sir John Vanborough and has parkland and grounds designed by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown, but is probably best know for being the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.
It was a beautiful sunny and crisp day when we visited, perfect for wandering around the palace and the grounds, and we enjoyed it so much that we upgraded our tickets to free annual passes so we can go back and explore the rest.
Here are some of my favourite pictures from the trip. I would thoroughly recommend a visit and you can find out more about the house, park and gardens at the following link: http://www.blenheimpalace.com
The decorations in the Great Hall culminate in an allegorical painting at the centre of the ceiling by Sir James Thornhill, at 67 feet above the floor. Grinling Gibbons also carved many of the decorations in this room.
The Water Terraces built by Achille Duchene
Italian Garden, also by Achille Duchene
The frescoes in the Saloon were painted by Louise Laguerre
The palace has one of the most impressive collections of paintings in Europe. As well as the paintings, the state rooms hold a number of beautiful tapestries.
Statue of Queen Anne who gave the grounds and a sum of money to the 1st Duke of Marlborough to build Blenheim Palace
The Long library is home to Europe's largest privately owned organ.
The Chapel was the last part of the palace to be built and was consecrated in 1733
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