Christmas Visit - Part 2: Woodstock and Blenheim Palace

We visited the charming village of Woodstock on December 27 with the primary object of viewing the grandiose Blenheim Palace and grounds.

History in brief:  The Domesday Book of 1086 describes Woodstock as a royal forest. Ethelred the Unready, king of England, is said to have held a council in the town. At the beginning of the 12th century, Henry I may have kept a menagerie in the park. It was here that his grandson, King Henry II, courted his mistress, the Fair Rosamund. In 1179, King Henry II gave Woodstock a Royal charter and the market of the town was established. Near the village was Woodstock Manor (or palace), a residence that was popular with several English kings throughout the medieval period. The legendary Black Prince, eldest son of King Edward III and heir apparent  was born at Woodstock Manor in 1330. During the reign of Mary I, in 1554, her half-sister, Princess Elizabeth, was imprisoned in a lodge in Woodstock. The lodge was used because the manor house was in decay. She was released in April 1555 after nearly a year in captivity. The palace was destroyed in the English Civil War, and sixty years later the remains were cleared for the construction of Blenheim Palace.

Queen Anne gave the manor and estate to John Churchill, first Duke of Marlborough, in gratitude for victories against the French and Bavarians in 1704. The palace, built between 1705 and 1722, was largely paid for by the nation.

Sir Winston Churchill was born at Blenheim in 1874.

Below is Chaucer's House, home of Thomas Chaucer (thought to be the son of poet Geofrey Chaucer, author of The Canterbury Tales). Thomas sat in Parliament and was Speaker in the House of Commons.

We ate lunch at a local pub, Brothertons, pictured below. The building dates from around 1600.

Then it was off to Blenheim Palace which is set in a 2100 acre park that was designed in the 18th century by Capability Brown.

Not a bad entrance for a grand home:

Cooper pointed out various footprints on the frozen lake:

Sheep were grazing in the park. We walked around in an enclosure with a number of them.

The victory column, erected in honor of John Duke of Marlborough:

Having a little fun:

A view of Woodstock from the Palace grounds:

One final shot of this magnificent palace: