Ten things to do and discover this March at Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace

1.  Ai Weiwei Tours at Blenheim PalaceTake a closer look at Ai Weiwei.
   
   This free tour lasts one hour and gives you the opportunity to discover the history of the artist Ai Weiwei, learn of how the exhibition was put together and find out about the inspiration behind the pieces on display inside the Palace.
   
   Mondays & Fridays from 11:30-12:30 until 30th April, Adult £22.50 Concession £18.00 Child £12.30 Family £59.00 (Palace, Park & Gardens ticket), blenheimpalace.com
    
2. Mother’s Day at Blenheim Palace
   
   Enjoy a delicious three-course Sunday Lunch served in the elegant Orangery at Blenheim Palace, overlooking the private Italian Garden. Diners can also enjoy live jazz music too. Prior booking is advised.
   
   15thMarch, from £28.50 per person + Adult £22.50 Concession £18.00 Child £12.30 Family £59.00 (Palace, Park & Gardens ticket), blenheimpalace.com
    
3. Film Inspired Days Out
   
   As Cinderella comes out in cinemas this month (scenes filmed at Blenheim Palace) we are celebrating all the fantastic films that have been filmed at Blenheim Palace over the years. Find out all the behind the scenes activity with a specialist tour.
   
   Saturdays 3pm & Mondays 2pm booking required, Adult £22.50 Concession £18.00 Child £12.30 Family £59.00 (Palace, Park & Gardens ticket), blenheimpalace.com
    
4. Spring Equinox
   
   Enjoy the start of Spring at Blenheim Palace with walks around the beautiful Formal Gardens and over 2,000 acres of ‘Capability’ Brown landscaped Parkland. Spot spring lambs on the estate and see the fantastic Blenheim Palace daffodils.
   
   Adult £13.50 Child £6.60 Family £36.00 (Park & Gardens ticket), blenheimpalace.com
    
5. Ceramics & Furniture Specialist Tour
   
   See the intriguing details of Blenheim Palace’s porcelain and furniture collections, not always visible from behind the ropes. From Chinese porcelain and Japanese Imari, to fine and rare furniture examples by André Charles Boulle. The presentation will be followed by a tour of the palace, enabling you to see these pieces in situ.
   
   21st March 10.30am, Booking Necessary, Tour Price £7.50 + Adult £22.50 Concession £18.00 Child £12.30 Family £59.00 (Palace, Park & Gardens ticket), blenheimpalace.com
    
6. OX5 Run Charity 5K
   
   Raising money for the Oxford Children’s Hospital, the OX5 RUN is suitable for all levels of runners and the five mile route takes in the glorious surrounds of Blenheim Palace. Last year run raised a record-breaking £114,000.
   
   29th March – prior registration required, £10, blenheimpalace.com
   
    
7.  Cleaning of 10,000 Books
   
   Visit the Long Library to see over 10,000 books, all which have been cleaned individually by hand. The Long Library was one of Churchill’s favourite places to spend an entire evening! Ready for World Book Day the Long Library has been cleaned by Blenheim Palace staff.
   
   5th March (World Book Day), Adult £22.50 Concession £18.00 Child £12.30 Family £59.00 (Palace, Park & Gardens ticket), blenheimpalace.com
    
8. Planting has begun in the Churchill Memorial Garden
   
   Garden Designer, Kim Wilkie and Head Gardener at Blenheim Palace, Hilary Wood have begun the first bed measuring and planting in the Churchill Memorial Garden which opens at the beginning of June.
    
9. Public Speaking Competition
   
   The finals of the Winston Churchill Public Speaking Competition take place on 17 March. Schools from across the country will take part in this exciting event which will be judged by the Duchess of Marlborough, Lady Henrietta and members of the Churchill family.
   
   17th March, Press Passes Available
    
10. Private Apartments Tour
    
    For 2015 visitors will have the exclusive opportunity to explore the East Side of the Palace; the Duke of Marlborough's Private Apartments. Discover the opulence of the rooms in which the Marlborough family have lived for generations, and learn how family life at Blenheim Palace has changed in the past 300 years.
    
    Booking on the day, £6.50 + Adult £22.50 £5.00 + Concession £18.00 - booking essential (Palace, Park & Gardens ticket), blenheimpalace.com (not recommended for children)

200 Butterflies Released in to Blenheim Palace’s Butterfly House

Butterfly release

More than 200 native and exotic butterflies have been released in to Blenheim Palace’s newly renovated Butterfly House.

A member of Blenheim Palace staff helped release dozens of exotic species from Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines alongside a selection of native butterflies in time for the start of the February Half Term holidays.

Alongside the live butterflies, staff also delivered around 180 pupae from Africa and the Philippines which have been placed in the Butterfly House’s hatchery area where visitors can see them develop within their chrysalises before being released in to the main area.

Garden staff have planted a wide variety of nectar-rich flowers including marguerite, black eyed Susan’s, hydrangea and hibiscus. There are also sugar bowls and fruit from which the butterflies can feed.

Head of Gardens, Hilary Wood, said: “It’s an amazing sight to see the house filled with exotic butterflies once again and we’re expecting many more to hatch out over the coming days.”

The butterflies share their home with a colony of Zebra Finch.

Churchill Exhibition at Blenheim Palace

The Oxfordshire World Heritage Site, which was the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, announces a newly-curated Churchill Exhibition for 2015.

Churchill Exhibition

The Churchill Exhibition opening marks the start of a year of commemoration as the nation recognises three key anniversaries; the 50th anniversary of his death, the 75th anniversary of his becoming Prime Minister and the 75th anniversary of, arguably, his finest hour during the Battle of Britain. 

The Churchill Exhibition includes a series of new displays and features aimed at providing a fascinating insight in to the life of our ‘Greatest Briton’. 

Each of the five rooms situated in the Palace will include a selection of new images, artefacts and audio as well as a replica uniform from his military days. Visitors will have the chance to listen to his most iconic speeches as well as learn more about his childhood at Blenheim Palace.

The exhibition will also focus on the great man’s state funeral, which brought the nation to a halt as they paid their final respects. The tour will include never-been-seen-before images from the funeral at Bladon Church.

New artefacts include an original Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars uniform, worn by Churchill’s colleague Ferdinand St. John. Visitors will again be able to see Churchill’s velvet ‘romper’ suit also known as the ‘Siren Suit’. He was known for wearing it with his monogrammed slippers whilst in the Cabinet War Rooms. 

Other never-seen-before items, including his pony saddle, help to paint the picture of Churchill’s childhood. Tales of his early equestrian career feature in his juvenile letters from boarding school to his Grandmother, the 7th Duchess of Marlborough.

The interactive exhibition now uses multi-media to enhance the visitor experience including video content which is screened within the rooms. There are transcripts from private communications and a section is dedicated to Churchill’s past love interests too. 

The Churchill Exhibition opens from 14 February – 20 December, more information can be found at blenheimpalace.com

10 Exhibitions not to miss at The Treasure Houses of England 2015

Winston Churchill Exhibition

From artistic masterpieces to fascinating historical exhibitions, The Treasure Houses of England look set to deliver a captivating programme of exciting events this year. Here are 10 exhibitions not to miss!

Beaulieu’s new Motorsport Exhibition opens on Friday 6 March 2015. The new exhibition will include two exciting new displays: Grand Prix Greats and Road, Race and Rally perfect for motoring enthusiasts and families to enjoy.

Blenheim Palace unveils a reinvigorated Winston Churchill Exhibition on 14 February. The exhibition marks the beginning of a year of commemorative activities and events at Blenheim Palace and includes a series of new and never-before-seen displays and features, providing a fascinating insight into Churchill’s life.

Burghley’s exhibition Oriental Ceramics, showcases star items from Burghley’s World- famous collections including the unusual Wrestling Boys, who were famously used as a doorstop for many years before their provenance was discovered.  The exhibition highlights the differences between Japanese and Chinese variants.

Burghley Collectibles and Curiosities

Duty Calls, an exciting exhibition from Waterloo to World War II, explores the stories of Castle Howard in times of war, giving a glimpse into a hitherto unknown chapter of the family and estate.

From 28 March - 23 October, experience Chatsworth in a whole new way with contemporary seating exhibition Make Yourself Comfortable at Chatsworth. Contemporary seating by international designers, such as Marc Newson, Moritz Waldemeyer and Thomas Heatherwick will be shown throughout Chatsworth, bringing to light new stories about the interior and the historic collection.

Harewood will showcase a collection of gift boxes in a special display on the State Floor in the new A Gift from the Whole Nation from 3 April –1 Nov. The gift boxes are some of the ‘thank you’ presents given by Princess Mary in 1914 to send to the troops at Christmas time. In total over 426,724 gift boxes had been made and distributed in just two months helping boost moral for serving troops.

Art in Clay at Hatfield House is an outdoor summer exhibition from 3 - 5 July. Showcasing over 190 ceramists in the beautiful parkland visitors can see some of the finest ceramics currently being made by individual makers in the UK and Europe.

For one year renowned Magnum photographer Chris Steele-Perkins had unrestricted access to Holkham Hall and the estate. Behind Closed Doors:  A Year in the Life of a Working Estate is the stunning collection of extraordinary and intimate photographs that resulted. Runs from 29 March - 31 October.

From May the world famous Leeds Castle Dog Collar Collection returns to public display. More than 130 collars will be on view in a new display, in the largest public collection of dog collars and it documents the history of canine fashions dating from the 16th century into modern times.

Visitors can experience the largest private collection of Venetian Views by Canaletto on public view at Woburn Abbey. There are 21 paintings on display in the Dining Room. Opening 27 March 2015.

Blenheim Palace New Year Deep Clean

Visitor Services Assistant Reza Kazemi
with Clare Sheridan’s bust of Winston
Churchill which she sculpted in 1942

For many home-owners New Year is the perfect time to make a start on some serious house-cleaning.

However when the ‘house’ in question is World Heritage Site Blenheim Palace and the contents includes priceless works of art and unique historical items a little more scientific approach is required.

A team of Blenheim Palace Cleaners are hard at work on a pre-season ‘deep clean’ of both the Palace itself and its entire collection which includes unique items belonging to Sir Winston Churchill who was born at Blenheim.

Visitor Services Assistant Reza Kazemi
uses a specialist museum vacuum cleaner
on Churchill’s famous siren suit

The cleaning process takes six weeks with a team of up to 10 people working daily.

Blenheim Palace’s Kate Ballenger said: “Each room is carefully stripped of all the furniture and artefacts and is vacuumed from the ceiling to the floor.

“The floors are then cleaned and polished. Whilst this is occurring, our specialist cleaning team carefully clean each item, before it is returned to the room.

“We use a variety of tools from museum vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters to natural bristle brushes such as hogs’ hair or pony hair, depending on the object we are cleaning.

“Polishes are kept to a minimum, as they can build up over time and we do not use aerosol sprays. Stubborn dirt is removed by distilled water,” she added.

Among the items undergoing cleaning is one of Churchill’s iconic zipped one-piece siren suits which became forever linked to the great man during WWII. Churchill had them specially-made by his Jermyn Street tailors Turnbull & Asser and dubbed them his ‘romper’ suits.

A comfortable one-piece zipped garment – the siren suit could be quickly put on over other clothing in case of air-raids. It was so popular with Churchill he had a number made in different materials including wool, pinstripe and velvet – like this one.

The famous bust of Sir Winston Churchill created by his first cousin sculptor and writer Clare Sheridan in 1942 is also undergoing a thorough clean in readiness for a newly-created Churchill exhibition which is set to open at Blenheim Palace on February 14th.

The exhibition is part of a major celebration of the great man’s achievements to coincide with the 50th anniversary of his death.
Other new features to mark the anniversary include a ‘Walk in Churchill’s Footsteps’ family trail and a Churchill Memorial Garden, designed by award-winning garden designer Kim Wilkie.

Specific items being cleaned include:

- 40 busts and sculptures
- 28 Marble tables
- 10,000 books
- 18 clocks
- 38 pieces of armour
- 200 pieces of porcelain

Kirstie Allsopp starts the festive season in style at Living Crafts for Christmas, Blenheim Palace

Kirstie Allsopp to film at Living Crafts

Queen of all things handmade Kirstie Allsopp will be spoilt for choice when she films at Living Crafts for Christmas on 21 November. This event is a unique Christmas shopping experience with so many contemporary crafters, jewellers, ceramicists, milliners, artists and toymakers who travel from across the UK to Blenheim Palace. Over 150 specially selected designer-makers will be showcasing British handmade art and craft in floored and heated pavilions and the Orangery, and the Campaign Rooms will feature a Jewellery Quarter.

Kirstie Allsopp to film at Living Crafts

This four day craft extravaganza is the perfect place to find presents for all the family from special commissions and original gifts to quirky stocking fillers.  The pavilions will be brimming with high quality art, craft and Christmas cheer and remember to enjoy the Christmas entertainment, roasting hot chestnuts, mulled cider or steaming hot chocolate. Be inspired by the handcrafted decorations, wreaths, candles and garlands, perfect for decorating your festive home. Specialist food and drink producers in ‘Tastes of Christmas’ will tempt you with traditional treats and perfect foodie gifts: everything from handmade chocolates, wines, connoisseur preserves, oils and marinades to Christmas cakes and puddings. Blenheim Palace will be dressed for the season with sumptuous gold and glitter. The Great Court will be adorned with twinkling Christmas trees, creating a magical ambience, while the beautiful parkland, lakeside walks and formal gardens are majestic in the winter light, just waiting to be explored. A feast of winter warming food is available in the Water Terrace Café and the Oxfordshire Pantry, featuring local produce, and don’t forget to drop into the Champagne Bar!

This is a perfect pre-Christmas day out for all the family.

Visit www.livingcrafts.co.uk
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Twitter @LivingCraftsUK

Halloween Entertainment at Blenheim Palace

Families can enjoy plenty of Halloween entertainment at Blenheim Palace during October Half-Term. As the Autumn season draws in, and our thoughts turn to Halloween tricks and treats, Blenheim Palace offers the perfect family day out.

Family Halloween fun at Blenheim Palace

From 25^th October – 2^nd November the Blenheim Palace ghost train will taking families from the Palace through the spooky tunnel to the Pleasure Gardens to enjoy a whole host of haunts.

Families can lurk around the Labyrinth or take the ‘Which Witch is Which?’ trail to win some treats, get creepily crafty in the Pottering About studio and try their hand at pumpkin carving in the Pleasure Gardens Deli.

There will also be classic spooky storytelling in the cinema of the Stables Courtyard with ghostly tales including ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ and ‘The Canterville Ghost’ perfect for getting into the Halloween spirit.  

Families with older children can also experience a themed tour to learn all about Victorian Passions and Pursuits at Blenheim Palace. On Wednesday 29^th October visitors can learn about the five Victorian Dukes, their outstanding characters and their interesting wives.

There are plenty of spooky goings-on to enjoy and experience at Blenheim Palace this half term holiday for all the family.

AI WEIWEI AT BLENHEIM PALACE 1 October – 14 December 2014

Blenheim Art Foundation is delighted to announce the most extensive UK exhibition to date by celebrated Chinese artist and social activist Ai Weiwei. Opening at Blenheim Palace on 1 October as the inaugural and launch exhibition of the Blenheim Art Foundation, the exhibition will showcase more than 50 artworks by Ai Weiwei produced over the last 30 years. Featuring early photography dating to Ai’s time spent in New York in the 1980s through to new site-specific works conceived in China especially for the Palace, the show will give visitors the opportunity to experience first-hand the breadth of the artist’s practice, taking place throughout Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and its grounds.

AI WEIWEI AT BLENHEIM PALACE 1 October – 14 December 2014

Ai Weiwei at Blenheim Palace is the first major contemporary art exhibition to be presented in a building that dates back to 1704 and was famously the birth place of British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill in 1874. Inviting a new experience of Blenheim Palace by integrating artworks throughout the richly furnished palace rooms, as well as in the park and Formal Gardens, the exhibition will showcase the work of an artist known for his decisive breaking of tradition and will invite visitors to consider the artist’s particular vision, which questions what it is that we call ‘contemporary’.

A globally-recognised social activist, Ai Weiwei has not been able to leave China since 2011 when his passport was confiscated by Chinese authorities. The exhibition at Blenheim Palace is therefore realised through a close collaboration between the artist and the Blenheim Art Foundation team who have worked together with 3D plans and models of the site and grounds. New works realised for the Palace will include ‘Soft Ground (Great Hall)’, a site-specific carpet measuring 4510cm by 200cm displayed in the Great Hall; alongside hand-painted porcelain plates with ‘freedom flower’ details in the China Ante Room and ‘Sunflower Seed Stools’, also crafted in porcelain.

Seminal artworks on display will include ‘Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads: Gold’ (2010), Ai Weiwei’s reinterpretation of the legendary bronze zodiac head statues that once surrounded the fountain-clock at Emperor Yuanming Yuan’s Beijing imperial retreat and ‘He Xie’ (2010), featuring 2300 small porcelain crabs presented in the Red Drawing Room. The show will feature 55 photographs by Ai Weiwei documenting his time spent in New York 1983-1993 alongside ‘Marble Surveillance Camera’ (2010), a poignant reminder of Ai’s current situation; ‘Slanted Table’ (1997), a reconfigured Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) table; and ‘Map of China’, (2009) formed from wood reclaimed from temples also dating to the Qing Dynasty.

As the inaugural exhibition of the Blenheim Art Foundation, Ai Weiwei at Blenheim Palace marks a new programme of contemporary art, which will see exhibitions presented at the palace by internationally acclaimed contemporary artists. It is founded by Lord Edward Spencer-Churchill, whose family have resided at Blenheim Palace since it was built in the early 18th century, and whose father the 11th Duke of Marlborough is the current owner. A dedicated collector of contemporary art, Lord Edward has long held the ambition to launch a contemporary art programme at Blenheim Palace. He realises Blenheim Art Foundation with newly appointed Director, Michael Frahm.

Lord Edward Spencer-Churchill, Founder, Blenheim Art Foundation, said:  “The launch of the Blenheim Art Foundation is a very exciting moment for Blenheim Palace. We are delighted to be able to host an artist of the calibre and eminence of Ai Weiwei at Blenheim and hope that our new programme of contemporary art, beginning with this exhibition, will challenge and inspire our visitors.”

Michael Frahm, Director, Blenheim Art Foundation, said: “This exhibition presents an extensive view of the artist's diverse practice spanning more than three decades from the early 1980s in New York to modern day Beijing, where he is today confined to the borders of China. Ai Weiwei's way of approaching the world challenges the status quo and he continues to raise critical questions on social, cultural and political issues. It has been a true pleasure working with Ai Weiwei, turning our vision into reality, and it is a great privilege for us to launch Blenheim Art Foundation with one of the most important living artists.”

About Ai Weiwei

Born in 1957 in Beijing, Ai Weiwei is one of the most influential cultural figures of the 21st century. A prolific artist and social activist, based in Beijing, he has been a vocal critic of democracy and human rights in China. Ai was arrested in 2011 and held for 81 days without charge, sparking global protest. His passport was confiscated and he is currently detained in China where he lives and works in restricted conditions. 

Recent and current solo exhibitions include Evidence, Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin; Ai WeiWei in the Chapel at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Ai Weiwei: According to What?, Pérez Art Museum Miami; Ai Weiwei. Resistance and Tradition, Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporaneo, Seville, Spain; German Pavilion, Biennale de Venezia, Italy. With Herzog & de Meuron, Ai Weiwei was architect for the National Stadium of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. @Large Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz will open on Alcatraz Island on 27 September 2014.

About Blenheim Art Foundation

Blenheim Art Foundation launches on 1 October and will establish a new programme of contemporary art at Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire. Offering visitors a unique opportunity to experience contemporary art in the historic setting of the palace and its celebrated grounds, the not-for-profit foundation aims to give the greatest number of people access to the most innovative contemporary artists working today. www.blenheimartfoundation.org.uk

About Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace was a gift from Queen Anne and a grateful nation to the 1st Duke of Marlborough for his great victory at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704. Designated by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site in 1987, Blenheim Palace carries a unique aura of history and achievement. The Palace is also home to the 11th Duke of Marlborough and his family, and is the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. 

For more information - http://www.blenheimpalace.com/whats-on/exhibitions/ai-weiwei-at-blenheim-palace.html

August Jousting Tournament at Blenheim Palace

Jousting Tournament

Expect a spectacular battle beneath the backdrop of Blenheim Palace as knights charge full tilt in traditional kilt on the South Lawn.  Featuring the noble ‘Knights of Arkley, known for their fearless and bold characters, the knights will charge full force in a momentous jousting knockout. Each jousting tournament will be staged twice daily over the weekend starting at 12-noon and 3pm. Families can pick their colours and cheer on their chosen knights all hoping for victory.

As well as the gallant knights and their mighty steeds battling for glory in the jousting tournament, the weekend will be packed with historic action and family friendly entertainment.

Watch a thrilling falconry display and see the birds of prey in action. As well as falcons, families will also have a chance to meet a Harris Hawk, Eagle Owl and American Kestrel. Enjoy falconry displays and the entire family can test their aim and try their hand at archery too.

For smaller children, there will be the magical puppet theatre, ‘The Dragons of Wye-ten’. The shows are full of jousting knights, princesses to be rescued, castles to be stormed and fire breathing, sword fighting yet very friendly dragons. There will also be an Interactive Show where children get to be the puppeteers, putting on their very own joust with 35 puppets and Yumi the 12ft long dragon.

After working up quite the appetite watching the battles and displays families can enjoy food, refreshments and tournament treats on the South Lawn along with a medieval stand with lots of historically themed goodies.

The Pleasure Gardens Deli BBQ will also be grilling some nutritious goodies and children will also love taking the miniature train to get there. Blenheim Palace’s Pleasure Gardens are a dedicated family friendly area with permanent features like the Marlborough Maze, Adventure Play Area, Giant Games and Butterfly House.

www.blenheimpalace.com/whats-on/events

WHAT:            Jousting on horseback
WHEN:           1st - 3rd August
WHY VISIT:    Knights on horseback, battles, falconry displays, archery and much more!
ADMISSION:  Park & Gardens ticket required: Adult £13.50 / Child £6.60 (Age 5-16) /

Concession £10.20 / Family £36.00 (2 Adults & 2 Children)
WEBSITE:       www.blenheimpalace.com for more information
INFO LINE:     0800 849 6500