The magnificent Blenheim Palace and the beautiful surrounding grounds which are a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, are to host a pop up caravan site this coming October. The site will be Caravan & Motorhome Club member-exclusive site and will run for 50 days from Friday 11th September to Sunday 1st November inclusive.
All visitors will receive 30% off the costs of Blenheim Palace admission tickets for the Palace, Park and Gardens and 20% off purchases made at the Blenheim Palace Gift Shop.
The site is going to be situated next to Bladon Chains Caravan and Motorhome Club campsite.
All pitches include Electric Hook Up (EHU) at a maximum of 16 amps. And those hoping to use this service should bring with them a 25m mains cable to hook up to the field box.
Fresh water will be available on site but taps will be limited It is highly recommended that those arriving in Campervans and motorhomes fill up before they arrive onto the Bladon Chains site. Black, grey and dry waste disposal will be available on the Bladon Chains Caravan and Motorhome Club campsite some 200 metres away.
There will be temporary shower and toilet facilities on site but again given the limited capacity the advise is: “use your own facilities whenever possible.”
The only non-royal, non-episcopal country house in England to hold the title of palace. Blenheim Palace is the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough and is notable as the birthplace and ancestral home of Sir Winston Churchill.
One of England’s largest houses, it was built between 1705 and 1722, and became designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
The land upon which the palace was built is close by the village of Woodstock. It was given as a gift, John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough by Queen Anne who sought to reward him for his military triumphs culminating in the Battle of Blenheim.
The gift however was not without strings attached! Her Majesty insisted that a peppercorn rent be paid annually to the Crown and that each year the Duke should send to the Crown a copy of the French royal flag on the anniversary of the Battle of Blenheim. The tradition continues to this day and the flag is displayed on a 17th-century French writing table within Windsor Castle.
The home of the Churchill (later Spencer-Churchill) family it has been witness to various changes to the interiors, park and gardens in the 300 or so years that have followed. One of the most significant being the a complete redesign of the surrounding landscape by Capability Brown in 1764. The 4th Duke employed Brown to enhance the landscape, with tree planting, creating man-made undulations and a lake. Brown achieved the last instruction creating a huge stretch of water created by damming the nearby River Glyme. He also grassed over the great parterre and the Great Court.
At the end of the 19th century, the palace was saved from ruin by funds gained from the 9th Duke of Marlborough’s shortlived marriage to the American railroad heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt.
The Blenheim Palace pop-up campsite will also provide campers with easy access to the many other beautiful attractions that Oxfordshire offers. The nearby Bladon Church is within walking distance and is the site of Churchill’s modest but memorable grave.
Whilst in the area a visit to Oxford is also a must and one of the easiest and most pleasant ways to see this historic university town is by open-topped bus. For those interested in art and archaeology, the Ashmolean Museum houses intriguing exhibitions spanning five floors. In complete contrast, the site is also within easy reach of the lovely Cotswolds with its picture-postcard villages of Burford, Bourton-on-the-Water and Northleach and the wonderful riverside campervan park at Benson