Thursday 26th July 2007

Blenheim Palace

Oxford

This was the day the rain fell but we could not complain because we had done pretty well so far on the trip avoiding it!  Blenheim is a beautiful palace, built in 1722 and the home gifted to John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough.  As a reward for victory at the battle of Blenheim in 1704 Queen Anne gave the land to Churchill and he set about building a great palace calling in the famous designers John Vanborough and Nicholas Hawksmoor.  The palace is the only building to have that title and not be lived in by royalty from any period.  Today it is the home of the 11th Duke of Marlborough.

We were taken through the huge front door of the palace and shown around by guides who gave us an expert insight into the palace's history.  One of the joys of Blenheim are the wonderful grounds, landscaped by Capability Brown but this was not the day to be outside as the rain was making its presence felt!  We did bravely have our lunch under some trees before boarding the coaches to Oxford.

Oxford was suffering from high river levels and certain parts of the city were flooded but we were able to get to our destination - the Ashmolean Museum to meet up with our guides who were to show us the highlights of this most wonderful university town.  Even in the damp Oxford is an enchanting place of learning and beauty.  The first university colleges were founded in the 13th century and it has educated students ever since.  The stunning colleges with their immaculate quads and fine architecture are world famous and we got to have a good look at many wonderful places.

A little time in the city was spent buying the famous Oxford University sweatshirts and keeping out of the rain.  Nothing however dampens ISCA spirits and we returned to Charterhouse content and glad to have seen two of the most impressive sights on our tour.