Friday morning, we took a cab back to Heathrow to pick-up our rental car from Avis. From there, we were headed to points west for four days -- Blenheim Palace, the Cotswold, and finally, Oxford.
Both Carol and I had been to Oxford (separately), but never to the Cotswold and were quite looking forward to that fairy tale like part of the country.
(Editor: Do you mean the Cotswolds, not Cotswold? Writer: Nope. Even though most people call it the Cotswolds, it is actually known as Cotswold. However, nobody seems annoyed if you call it the Cotswolds. Sort of like no one gets annoyed if you call New Jersey New Joisey.)
So we reached Blenheim Palace a bit before lunch. We hiked over hill and dale from the car park and finally reached the Palace (okay, so it was only between a quarter mile and a half mile, but it seems weird to have to park so far away).
Blenheim Palace is well-known as the birthplace of Winston Churchill. I thought he also grew up there, but the Palace belonged to his uncle and aunt, the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough. So, Churchill did spend a lot of time there in his youth, but it wasn't his childhood home.
Blenheim is also famous for being the only Palace called a "palace" that does not belong to the Royal Family or is an "episcopal site." Everybody else just owns castles, not palaces. It is another UNESCO World Heritage Site, and was awarded to John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough, for his victory in the decisive Battle of Blenheim in 1704. He also won multiple other key battles.
The overwhelming Allied victory at the battle of Blenheim ensured the safety of Vienna from the Franco-Bavarian army, thus preventing the collapse of the reconstituted Grand Alliance.
If you need me to explain how the Palace was named, you actually need a lot beyond answering your one question.
It was built between 1705 and 1722 and has been owned by subsequent Dukes of Marlborough ever since. Blenheim Palace, like many of the great houses of England, is open to the public because those huge mansions are costly to maintain.
Anyhow, we enjoyed waking through the Palace, seeing the grand entry hall, the room where Winston Churchill was born, and other spectacular rooms. There were displays of Queen Elizabeth's coronation, which the Duke and Duchess played a role in.
The gardens outside are terrific, and we enjoyed afternoon tea at Clementine's, a beautiful, relaxing tea room with great views of the Palace.
Afterwards, we toured the interesting exhibit to Churchill, which took up a number of rooms on the lowest floor. To us, that was perhaps the highlight of the Palace.
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