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

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

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           

Summertime at Blenheim Palace - What's On

Family Fun at Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace has a packed summer holiday events calendar, with everything you need to entertain all the family throughout the summer. From 26th July – 31st August daily events and activities will be taking place throughout the grounds.

Experience a different side of Blenheim Palace with the ‘Below Stairs’ tour, daily from 11am - 4pm the fascinating tours are 30 minutes long. Offering families the chance to see the Palace through the eyes of the servants, the tours start in the east Courtyard and take visitors on an unforgettable journey.

Explore the magic of Blenheim Palace and get involved in a host of interactive events and workshops on selected dates throughout the summer. Particularly perfect for families are Blenheim Palace’s Pleasure Gardens where a range of arts and crafts are being hosted in the Pottering About Craft Studio. There will be Circus Skills Workshops, Recycled Sculpture Workshops and Animal Encounter Shows. Younger children can enjoy face painting, a petting zoo and traditional Punch and Judy Shows on selected dates.

Meet all kinds of exciting creatures at the Animal Encounter Show, hosted by Charles, Fellow of the Zoological Society, who will take families on an adventure through the animal kingdom with a variety of wildlife. The Petting Zoo at Blenheim Palace houses some more familiar but no less entertaining animals including pygmy goats, lambs, pigs, rabbits, chickens, an alpaca and a miniature pony.

Children will learn lots of exciting skills, and all the family can drop-in and have a go at the Circus Skills Workshop. Practise your juggling, try plate spinning or some tricks with the diablos. Test your balance on the pedal go and your coordination with the flower sticks. For those more arty, the Recycled Sculpture Workshops are a collaborative and inclusive creative day out with families able to get involved with creating a two metre high or wide sculpture.

Ride the miniature train from Blenheim Palace to the Pleasure Gardens where fun outdoor activities will make the most of the glorious summer sunshine. The permanent attractions including the giant Marlborough Maze, Adventure Play Area and newly renovated Butterfly House are wonderful to explore and rediscover.

Fill hungry tummies with delicious snacks in the Pleasure Gardens Deli including fresh oven baked pizzas, 'shaker' salads, and tasty yoo moo frozen yogurts. Dine alfresco and book a deluxe picnic hamper or enjoy something hot from the Pleasure Gardens BBQ, with a sizzling selection of locally sourced menu options to choose from.

Summer Event Highlights

Jousting at Blenheim Palace with the Knights of Arkley
When: 1st – 3rd August
Why visit: Knights on horseback battle, falconry displays, archery.

Sportive and Family Cycling Day
When: 17th August
Why visit: An exclusive opportunity to cycle around the parkland. There is a competitive element too for serious cyclists.

Festival of Transport
When: 24th and 25th August
Why visit: A complete collection for the car enthusiast with vehicle judging and professional motor commenting throughout.

www.blenheimpalace.com/whats-on/events

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   

Classic Car Convocation at Blenheim Palace

Classic Cars

Calling all classic car fans! Blenheim Palace is hosting the Pre-50 American Auto Club ‘Rally of Giants’ on 27th July. This superlative gathering offers a rare opportunity for collectors and admirers to see the finest and most valuable examples found anywhere in Europe.

                     

There will be more than 400 classic American vehicles attending, including some of the best examples of motoring history and the most valuable. Dating from the early 1920’s through to the 1970’s the Rally of Giants is a must visit for those with a passion for American motorcars. For those with only a passing interest in motoring avocation expect your interest to be piqued with this remarkable collection of American motorcars, trucks, military vehicles and bikes.

Collectors from the UK and continental Europe will congregate to celebrate this amazing display in Blenheim Palace’s iconic landscape. The laid-back and friendly atmosphere is perfect for admiring, dreaming of buying, purchasing and selling. The rally offers a fabulous backdrop to a really good time at Blenheim Palace.

Enjoy a full day out in Blenheim Palace’s house and gardens with delicious food and refreshments available in the wonderful eateries.

To find out more information about the Pre50AAC and the ‘Rally of Giants’ visit the Pre '50 American Auto Club website: pre50aac.com

www.blenheimpalace.com/whats-on/events

WHAT:            The Pre 50 American Auto Club ‘Rally of Giants’

WHEN:            27^th July

WHY VISIT:    A must visit for classic car enthusiasts and collectors.

ADMISSION:  Park & Gardens ticket required: Adult £13.50/ Child £6.60 (5-16 yrs)/ Concession £10.20/ Family £36 (2 adults, 2 children)

WEBSITE:       www.blenheimpalace.com for more information

INFO LINE:     0800 849 6500           

The Queen's Beasts at Blenheim Palace

Using a mix of more than 1,000 discarded tin cans, car parts, water boilers and even a fire extinguisher, contemporary British sculptor Tom Hiscocks has created a stunning new interpretation of the ‘Queen’s Beasts’ - a set of 10 heraldic animals depicting the genealogy of Queen Elizabeth II.

'The Queen's Beasts'

The original sculptures were commissioned by the Ministry of Works to stand outside Westminster Abbey for the Queen’s coronation back in 1953.

Made from plaster, they were later given to Canada and stone replicas made in 1958 which now reside in Kew Gardens.

Tom’s newly-imagined ‘Beasts’ were first introduced to the Queen during her 2012 Diamond Jubilee tour, and they have now taken up residence in The Pleasure Gardens at Blenheim Palace as part of a new outdoor sculpture exhibition which opens this week.

He was inspired to recreate the ‘Beasts’ to reflect their traditional values encompassing strength, harmony, purity, power, wisdom, swiftness of purpose and military might, in a contemporary context.

Tom’s use of recycled materials is also a comment on the use and sustainability of resources today where so much is considered disposable.

‘The Queen's Beasts’ by Tom Hiscocks are on display in the Pleasure Gardens at Blenheim Palace from May 1st - June 30th.

Blenheim Palace Jousting Tournament – May Bank Holiday

Enjoy an exciting historical jousting tournament at Blenheim Palace from 3rd – 5th May. Recreating the glorious jousting matches of Britain’s 13th Century, knights will take to their noble steeds in a daring display of bravery, bravado and skill. 

Jousting Tournament

The spectacular battle is taking place on May bank holiday weekend situated on the South Lawn and featuring the noble ‘Knights of Royal England’. Gutsy, fearless and bold, the knights engage in a courageous 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 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 with two shows daily starting at 11.30am and 2.30pm.

Jousting Tournament

Furthermore families can get stuck in and have a go at archery on Blenheim Palace’s South Lawn as well as exploring the extensive grounds and parkland and taking a ride on the miniature train to the Pleasure Gardens. Once there families can enjoy the permanent features like the Marlborough Maze, Adventure Play Area and Butterfly House.

For smaller children there will be two rather exciting Dragon Puppet Shows. Watch Alefreck the Brave, a dragon who wants to be a knight in shining armour, and The Smallest Dragon who has a special mission to rescue the Princess. 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 or in The Oxford Pantry and explore the gift shop.

For an unforgettable day out, there is no better destination than Blenheim Palace as the thrilling battle takes place, perfect for entertaining all of the family.

www.blenheimpalace.com/whats-on/events

Newly-restored Butterfly House Re-opens to Visitors

Blenheim Palace’s new Butterfly House has re-opened its doors to visitors following a £100,000 renovation project.

Restored Butterfly House

Kia Hopewell Smith, aged nine, at
Blenheim Palace's newly restored
Butterfly House

A group of youngsters helped release dozens of exotic butterfly species from Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines in to the new house.

As well as creating an entirely new structure to house the collection, the renovation programme has also increased the overall size of the butterfly area, and doubled the size of the water feature.

There is also a whole new hatchery area where visitors can see the pupae develop within their chrysalises before being released in to the main area.

Garden staff have also been hard at work planting 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 been a huge amount of work to get the Butterfly House open but we’re all absolutely delighted with the results.

“The work has safeguarded the building for many years to come and has also allowed us to improve the overall visitor experience while also developing and adding to the existing facilities for the butterflies.

“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” she added.

http://www.blenheimpalace.com/