Blenheim Palace

Took a tour of the beautiful childhood home of Sir Winston Churchill this week at Blenheim Palace. It is estate of the Duke of Marlborough (Spencer-Churchill family) and is located just outside of Oxford. We learned a lot about the women who have lived there (Consuelo Vanderbilt for one) who have made their mark on the palace. I thought it was more beautiful and more grand than Windsor Palace or Buckingham Palace. There is a very interesting area devoted to Sir Winston Churchill himself as well as a creative and somewhat "interesting" tour upstairs that tells the story of the women. That tour has effigy type figures who appear to breath and are shown talking through a reflection in the mirror. Very creative, but I bet it would scare my children. We didn't have time to walk around the grounds or out to the gardens (it's huge), but it would definitely be a place to return to and really explore. I highly recommend visiting there if you have any interest in Winston Churchill.

http://www.blenheimpalace.com/

fact for the day: yes, it is the same Spencer family as Princess Diana so W. Churchill and Diana were relatives. Also Churchill lived during the time where he became a member of Parliament under Queen Victoria and also was the first Prime Minister for the current Queen Elizabeth II.