Blenheim Palace

Today I visited Blenheim Palace outside Oxford. The first time I visited Blenheim was with a class I took on Winston Churchill. His father, Randolph, was the second son of the Duke of Marlborough, whose home is Blenheim Palace. Winston Churchill was born at the Palace during a party his parents were attending. I've been back a few times since my first trip because it is such a magnificent sight on the landscape and the gardens are so lovely.

The house was built between 1705 and 1724 and the land and money to build the house were a gift from the nation to John Churchill (who, along with the house and money, was given the title Duke of Marlborough) for his successful military campaign against the French at the Battle of Blenheim. Unfortunately I could not take pictures inside the house but, for me, the wonderful thing about Blenheim is not the design or the decoration on the interior but the presence the house has - it a statement of power. And I like the gardens.

The rose garden (above) has long been one of my favorites. Today it was surpassed by a new garden that was redone and reopened in 2004: The Secret Garden. You could wonder along the paths with lots of turns so that you felt hidden in the beautiful surroundings.