Blenheim Palace is a rather magnificent country estate in Oxfordshire, birthplace of Winston Churchill and the Place My Mother Wouldn't Shut Up About When Talking About England for my entire life.
I probably visited in the spring of 2012 for the latter reason, rather than the former - and immediately saw why this place had such a huge impact on the 9 year old mind of my dear Mummy which has never quite left her. Glorious paintings, furniture, history - everything you expect from a big old house that has been standing for as long as the Palace, and has been kept in breathtakingly perfect condition.
Rather surprisingly I haven't been to many country estates, so I don't have much to compare the Palace to in terms of grandiosity. It certainly left an impression (when can I move in?). We spent a whole day here and I would gladly go back for seconds. Except that the year long pass I got from this visit has expired. Sigh.
Unfortunately they are quite strict about not taking photographs inside the house, which means I enjoyed looking at all of it with my eyes for a change. However the grounds are quite spectacular (more on those later) and the tiny chapel is extraordinary, with its tiny pews and huge marble sculptures.
My parents are over this summer, and I'm surprised Mum hasn't professed her desire to return here. I'll probably take her anyway, any excuse.
Blenheim Palace is in the small Oxfordshire town of Woodstock, and is easily accessed by train from London. I shot these pictures in 2012 on my Yashica TL Electro X on Ilford 400 Delta 35mm film.
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