2008-07-13-013_1 Blenheim Park Oxfordshire 'The Finest View in England'
***Aug 23rd 2010 2,000 views!*** Thanks everyone.
This is the view that greets visitors to Blenheim who enter the Park from Woodstock. Possibly no photo can do it full justice, as you go through a triumphal arch commemorating John Churchill (the first Duke of Marlborough) and this scene is sprung upon you totally unexpectedly.
Woodstock Manor and its park was a former Royal park that was given to John Churchill after his defeat of the armies of Louis XIV at Blindheim (English Blenheim) in 1704 in the war of the Spanish Succession. The defeat ended the ambitions of Louis XIV to extend France and the Bourbon monarchies.
John Churchill was also given the money to build what became Blenheim Palace. Vanbrugh was the architect although there was not a good relationship between him and Sarah, Churchill's wife. As part of his scheme Vanbrugh constructed the Grand Bridge that makes a prominent feature of the picture. However, the grounds were laid out formally in the French Style. The Grounds took the form that we see them today after the 4th Duke of Marlborough called in Capability Brown in 1765. Brown created the lake and planted predominantly Beech trees.
The view of the lake and Grand Bridge has been much praised; when King George III visited in 1789 he is reputed to have said 'We have nothing equal to this'.
Blenheim is also famous as the birthplace of Winston Churchill in 1874 He was the son of Lord Randolph Churchill (the second son of the then Duke of Marlborough) and his American wife Jenny. When Randolph's wife first came to Blenheim Randolph told her 'This is the finest view in England'.
The view shows the 'Queen Pool' of the lake (there is another pool, probably larger, called the King Pool, on the other side of the bridge). The Island is called Queen Elizabeth Island and is reputedly on the route of the causeway that used to cross the valley on the way to Woodstock Manor. The Palace is at the left of the picture. On the hill to the right of the Grand Bridge is the site of Woodstock Manor in which Queen Elizabeth I was confined for a time by her sister Queen Mary.
I was able to take this photograph before the Park became too busy (it does get very busy indeed), and the light held until I arrived just before 11:00 (BST), the cloud increased as the day went on.
If you do visit Blenheim and want this view then it's important to arrive as early as you can. The Park opens at 10:00 AM, and I'd strongly recommend being there when it opens. Later in the day the Sun goes off this side of the Grand Bridge; there are still great views to be had from the other side however, and these improve as the day goes on. The Palace itself faces North West, which makes photographing it rather problematic.
I find that it's difficult to get both Palace and Grand Bridge into the field of view with my normal lens, so I used my wideangle lens; I suggest you take one if you visit.
For a view of the North facade of the Palace see
www.flickr.com/photos/martin-james/2795331423/
For information on visiting Blenheim see
2008-07-13-013_1 Blenheim Park Oxfordshire 'The Finest View in England'
***Aug 23rd 2010 2,000 views!*** Thanks everyone.
This is the view that greets visitors to Blenheim who enter the Park from Woodstock. Possibly no photo can do it full justice, as you go through a triumphal arch commemorating John Churchill (the first Duke of Marlborough) and this scene is sprung upon you totally unexpectedly.
Woodstock Manor and its park was a former Royal park that was given to John Churchill after his defeat of the armies of Louis XIV at Blindheim (English Blenheim) in 1704 in the war of the Spanish Succession. The defeat ended the ambitions of Louis XIV to extend France and the Bourbon monarchies.
John Churchill was also given the money to build what became Blenheim Palace. Vanbrugh was the architect although there was not a good relationship between him and Sarah, Churchill's wife. As part of his scheme Vanbrugh constructed the Grand Bridge that makes a prominent feature of the picture. However, the grounds were laid out formally in the French Style. The Grounds took the form that we see them today after the 4th Duke of Marlborough called in Capability Brown in 1765. Brown created the lake and planted predominantly Beech trees.
The view of the lake and Grand Bridge has been much praised; when King George III visited in 1789 he is reputed to have said 'We have nothing equal to this'.
Blenheim is also famous as the birthplace of Winston Churchill in 1874 He was the son of Lord Randolph Churchill (the second son of the then Duke of Marlborough) and his American wife Jenny. When Randolph's wife first came to Blenheim Randolph told her 'This is the finest view in England'.
The view shows the 'Queen Pool' of the lake (there is another pool, probably larger, called the King Pool, on the other side of the bridge). The Island is called Queen Elizabeth Island and is reputedly on the route of the causeway that used to cross the valley on the way to Woodstock Manor. The Palace is at the left of the picture. On the hill to the right of the Grand Bridge is the site of Woodstock Manor in which Queen Elizabeth I was confined for a time by her sister Queen Mary.
I was able to take this photograph before the Park became too busy (it does get very busy indeed), and the light held until I arrived just before 11:00 (BST), the cloud increased as the day went on.
If you do visit Blenheim and want this view then it's important to arrive as early as you can. The Park opens at 10:00 AM, and I'd strongly recommend being there when it opens. Later in the day the Sun goes off this side of the Grand Bridge; there are still great views to be had from the other side however, and these improve as the day goes on. The Palace itself faces North West, which makes photographing it rather problematic.
I find that it's difficult to get both Palace and Grand Bridge into the field of view with my normal lens, so I used my wideangle lens; I suggest you take one if you visit.
For a view of the North facade of the Palace see
www.flickr.com/photos/martin-james/2795331423/
For information on visiting Blenheim see