Travel

IN FULL BLOOM: Enjoy history, heritage and adventure with a family day out at Blenheim Palace

The Italian Garden at Blenheim Palace

SUMMER is well and truly here which means time to get out and about with the family and enjoy some seasonal adventures.

With the weather warm and sunny, our household has fully gone back into day trip mode - so we are constantly looking out for new and exciting destinations we can explore together without leaving the country and still getting home before bedtime.

And our most recent escapade proved one of our most enjoyable yet.

Roughly a 90-minute drive from London is the beautiful and historic Blenheim Palace.

Located in Oxfordshire, this vast country home is to be found in the quaint town of Woodstock.

This is not to be confused with Woodstock in New York, however, where in 1969 one of the world’s largest ever rock music festivals was held – promoting peace, love and unity at a time where the US was otherwise in the depths of the Vietnam War.

No, Woodstock, a market town located around eight miles north-west of Oxford, is far quieter than that, with fewer hippies, but it has plenty of history of its own.

Enjoy a perfect view of the palace from the Clementine's on the Lawn restaurant

Blenheim Palace is the only non-royal, non-episcopal country house in all of England to hold the title of palace.

Currently the seat of the Duke of Marlborough, the palace itself is one of the largest houses in the country, which was built between 1705 and 1722 and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

It was named after the Battle of Blenheim, and was gifted to the 1st Duke of Marlborough, John Churchill, for his military triumph against the French and Bavarians in the War of the Spanish Succession – which culminated in the Battle of Blenheim.

So pleased was the then Queen Anne with the Duke’s war success, that she gifted him the land which palace is built on and the funds with which to build it.

You can even view the room where former Prime Minister Winston Churchill was born

It would become the home of the Churchill family for the next 300 hundred years and went on to achieve further notoriety still when on November 30, 1874, a baby named Winston Churchill was born there.

Yes, you have it, that baby would grow up to become Prime Minister of Britain, who led the country through the darkest days of World War II.

So, there is plenty of history to explore at Blenheim Palace, but there is so much more too.

Currently the 12th Duke of Marlborough, Charles James Spencer-Churchill lives at the palace with his wife Edla, although their residential quarters are closed to the public.

You have full access to state rooms throughout the palace

But the remainder of the site is open, meaning you can wander through a series of impressive state rooms at your leisure, and you can even view the room where Winston Churchill was born.

It’s really quite something to stand in those antiquated corridors and halls and take in the opulence of the palace.

It is like stepping into a time machine, which is a slightly strange sensation when you know that this is still a lived-in building and you can see the odd framed family photo of the Duke and Duchess and their children positioned on tables flanked by priceless collections of rare antique china which were gifted to their ancestors by world leaders more than a century ago.

For those who wish to learn more about that history, there is an audio tour that tells you everything, which you can enjoy at your own pace.

The Royal Connections, Crowns and Coronots exhibition runs until August

Currently there is an exhibition on site, titled Royal Connections, Crowns and Coronots, which runs until August, showcasing some of the magnificent gowns, robes and jewelled headpieces worn by former Dukes and Duchesses of Marlborough on royal occasions.

This makes for fascinating viewing and it is well-designed, with the huge house offering ample space to display the garments which tell the more formal story of the Marlborough family over the past 300 years.

There is even an opportunity to try a sample crown on for yourself and sit in a throne – which was a hit with our children and the many adults who queued patiently for their turn too.

Thankfully once you are in the building there is no time limit on how long you take to explore the house.

But when you are done in there, you will plenty more to enjoy outside too.

The Rose Garden is one of many highlights of the vast estate

Blenheim Palace sits in a vast expanse of parkland, featuring various lakes and gardens.

Immediately surrounding the palace are 150 acres of formal gardens, which are stunning, particularly now as they are in full summer bloom.

Created over the centuries by esteemed garden designers such as Henry Wise and Achille Duchêne, the formal gardens “reflect a journey through the styles of the ages”, the palace states.

Some of their highlights include the majestic Water Terraces, the Duke's Private Italian Garden, the tranquil Secret Garden, the Churchill Memorial Garden and the beautifully delicate Rose Garden.

Not far from the Rose Garden is the romantic Temple of Diana, where Winston Churchill proposed to his wife-to-be Clementine Hozier.

The newly-opened Lost Garden play area is an impressive addition to the palace's offering

These are all delightful spots to simply sit and enjoy with a picnic, or if you want to know more, the helpful palace has also created another audio tour, which takes you through the gardens at your own pace.

This year, an extension to the outdoor offering saw the arrival of the palace’s new adventure play section in the Walled Garden.

Now the Walled Garden is already bursting with attractions - including its butterfly house, lavender garden and the excellent Marlborough Hedge Maze - but The Lost Garden is a play area to be reckoned with.

There are plenty of activities to keep children entertained in The Lost Garden

Costing a cool £3.6million to create and only opened in April 2023, it offers a world of adventure, with a splash area, zipwires, obstacle course, slides, swings and pretty much anything you can imagine all on-site in a large purpose-built section.

Children of all ages will love it and adults will get a chance to sit down, grab a refreshment from the cafe and take a break while they run wild.

Take your time and explore the vast open spaces that flank the palace

All of these many activities took us a whole day to explore and at this point there was only one final treat for us to enjoy - a ride on Winston the miniature train.

We had walked an awful lot, and so each and every one of us was grateful that we could put our feet up for our last trip around the estate.

We had come quite a distance by then, but Winston took us all the way back to the main entrance to the palace, where our day had begun.

Catch a ride on Winston the miniature train

It was the perfect end to a fun-filled day – one that we would recommend to all.

Whether you are after history, heritage, adventure or simply some time in its glorious gardens, Blenheim Palace won’t disappoint.

Tickets to view Blenheim Palace, Park and Gardens must be booked in advance. The Lost Garden adventure play area must also be pre-booked. For further information and tickets click here.

See More: Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, Travel, Winston Churchill