Situated in Woodstock, just on the outskirts of Oxford, Blenheim Palace is a true masterpiece. The only building outside of the official Royal buildings to hold its own title of ‘Palace’, and with 187 rooms and an estate covering over 2000 acres, it truly is worthy of its title. It was even granted UNESCO world heritage status in 1987 in acknowledgement of its historical importance.
Built in 1704 as a gift from Queen Anne to John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough, Blenheim Palace is still to this day the home of the 12th Duke and Duchess and their family. The palace is possibly most keenly known for its ties to Sir Winston Churchill, the former British Prime Minister who was born here in 1874 and was the grandson of the 7th Duke. There is a fabulous quote of his which I absolutely love – “At Blenheim I took two very important decisions: to be born and to marry. I am content with the decision I took on both occasions.” I for one can certainly see why, the place is magnificent!
Of course, you may already recognise this beauty as it has been used as a filming location in rather a lot of movies, including James Bond Spectre, Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix, The BFG, The Avengers, Cinderella..the list goes on. Whether or not you recognise Blenheim though, I have to tell you that the most spectacular time of year to visit is in the run up to Christmas when it gets decorated with the most magical festive display!! But don’t believe me, I’ll let the images below show you – and I hope you’ll agree that you absolutely need to visit and enjoy Christmas at Blenheim for yourself!
We paid a visit over the weekend and even the rainy weather couldn’t dampen our spirits. If you visit before the 10th of January (2021) you can even enjoy the brilliant illuminated lights trail that takes you through the palace gardens, lit up like you’ve never seen before. If you want more information on this then click here and you can book you and your family a wonderful Christmas treat. Heidi absolutely loved it!
How To Get To Blenheim Palace
Blenheim is incredibly easy to get to from London and Birmingham, being only about 1.5 hours drive and the palace has free parking on site. Just make sure to hop on to their website and book yourself a parking slot beforehand.
The address is: Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, OX20 1UL
If driving isn’t a possibility for you, catch a train from London to Oxford and from there you will find two bus services that will take you straight to Blenheim Palace.
You can catch the S3 bus from Oxford to Woodstock which runs every 30 minutes from Oxford train station and will take you all the way to the gates of Blenheim Palace. If you’re not sure where to get off then just ask the bus driver to let you know where to hop off. You can also catch the number 7 bus from Oxford to Woodstock which again runs from Oxford train station to the gates of Blenheim Palace.
Christmas Gift Ideas
More than anything I love the idea of gifting experiences so you and your loved ones can create new precious memories to look back on for years to come. With that in mind I have a couple of great gift ideas which will incorporate a trip to this gem of a place!
Buy an afternoon tea or 3 course lunch experience in The Orangery at Blenheim Palace.
Visit Blenheim Palace and have lunch at The Crown in Woodstock. Click here to find out more about this experience.
Places To Stay Near Blenheim Palace
Have you been to Blenheim Palace before?
Blenheim Palace kindly invited me to their Palace Christmas Display and the Illuminated Lights Trail, but did not request this post. As ever, all thoughts and opinions are my own. If you wish to see more images or videos from my time there, you can find them on my Instagram Account.
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