After returning from Switzerland via the train to London, we settled in for a couple of days at the by now familiar Jury's Inn in Islington. An excellent Saturday night dinner with Georgie and Andrew at a Japanese/Spanish (not a misprint!) restaurant, we had Sunday lunch at a pub near Primrose Hill, along with many other Londoners enjoying the sunshine and watching Andy Murray in the Wimbledon Final.
Next day we took the train to Stratford-upon-Avon to pick up a car for the next couple of months travelling in the UK, and backtracked a bit to Oxford to catch up with Charles and Rosemary Lancaster who have moved from Perth to Oxford so as to be able to provide baby-sitting services for their grand-kids (as well as pursuing their academic interests).
After a very enjoyable evening quaffing wine and reminiscing, we headed the next day under the Lancasters' guidance to visit nearby Blenheim Palace, the property of the Duke of Marlborough. The Palace and magnificent Capability Brown gardens stand on ground granted to the first Duke (John Churchill) by a grateful Queen Anne for defeating the forces of Louis XIV in the Spanish War of Succession. More recently it is famous as the birthplace of the Duke's descendant, Sir Winston Churchill. As Charles has been studying history since retiring from the more prosaic world of information technology, he was able to provide us with masses of information about the building and its history. It was a bright, sunny day so the gardens were looking at their best. Thanks again to Charles and Rosemary for looking after us and providing such an enjoyable visit.
A few pictures below to give a flavour of the gardens and palace.
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| Visitors assemble for the assault on the palace |
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| Courtyard view |
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| Another courtyard view - palace building covers about 4 acres |
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| View of one of the entries |
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| View over formal garden |
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| Another Formal garden view |
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| Same side of the palace from the lower terrace |
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| Formal garden details |
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| Elaborate hedges |
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| Typical garden landscape view with beautiful copper beech standing out among the greenery |
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| View down terraces to the river |
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Take that Louis! Louis XIV statue contemplates the land
he missed out on winning. |
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| Roses |
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| More roses |
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| Rose garden statuary |
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| Roses and salvias |
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| Classical figure keeping guard |
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| Another classical figure, lounging around |
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| Temple of Diana? Where Winnie proposed to Clemmie |
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| School of carp in the river |
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| Dam across the river |
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| Closer view of the dam |
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| Row of ducks heads under the garden bridge |
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| The paths along the river were covered with tiny frogs |
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| Organ in the Library ! |
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| Ceiling detail in main hall |
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| Library with Queen Anne statue, and books of course |
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| Water lilies line the river, with palace tower in the background |
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