europeannovice

Is it wise to combine a visit to Blenheim Palace on the same day as a tour of Oxford?

In Oxford, we do want to see Christ Church Dining Hall for son since he is a Harry Potter fan (We missed Oxford on our first trip so touring Oxford would be a must. Son is also a C.S. Lewis fan also with Narnia being very popular too). I would also like to tour Bodleian Library, Magdalen College and take a peak into the Ashmolean museum if possible. The museum is open until 6PM. However, by the time we finish exploring Blenheim, we might not get to Oxford until late afternoon and I don't think there would be time for all the things I listed.

How much time does it take to explore Blenheim-take a palace tour of the interior and see the gardens?

If we do that in the morning (they first open at 10:30AM) then how much time would be left for Oxford? Which of the Oxford venues can we reasonably see in an afternoon?

ElendilPickle

We went to Oxford first, then Blenheim. Check what times the colleges are open to the public; the day we were there, Christ Church wasn't open and Magdalen didn't open until the afternoon, so we just walked past. We did spend a bit of time poking around Merton College, since Tolkien taught there, and we had a nice lunch at the Eagle and Child, where the Inklings met.

We got to Blenheim around 3:00. The house tour is self-guiding; we spent about an hour and a half doing that. The house is really ostentatious and I didn't care for it much, but the gardens are lovely.

Lee Ann

joannay

I think you might want to reverse the order and see Oxford first then Blenheim if there's time. I love Oxford and also see a number of houses/gardens while in the UK every year and I must say I was distinctly underwhelmed by Blenheim. I found it dull in the extreme and expensive and if I hadn't been the guest of an Englishwoman who I didn't know well I'd have departed much sooner. If you only have a day for Oxford I recommend you take your time and enjoy the city. And maybe see a more worthwhile historic home another time.

Here are some websites to browse to that end:
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/

janisj

Well - once flanner finds your thread, you'll be convinced that Blenheim is the devil's work

There are two very distinct camps when it comes to Blenheim. Half LOVE it and half are turned off by it. (Sort of like the political threads in the Lounge -- no convincing one side or the other) . . .

IMO it is definitely worth a visit. It doesn't turn me off at all. And being covered by the GBHP it costs nothing extra -- definitely not expensive. Now, IF you pay to visit it, yep --it is pricey.

Your problem is too little time for too much 'worthwhile' stuff. Is there <i>any</i> way you can swing an overnight/1.5 day excursion?? I'd spend most of a day touring Oxford and 3+ hours the next day at Blenheim. Doing both on the same day is semi-doable, but doesn't do justice to either.

W/ just one day -- then Oxford is the winner of this contest.

Irishwhistler90

My grandmother and I got straight off an international flight, bused to Oxford, checked in, and caught the bus out to Blenheim, arriving there at about 11-11:30. We ate lunch, then did the palace tour ( btw, the tour of the lower floors, with a live tour guide is excellent, the self-guided interactive tour of the upper floors is rather dull, in my opinion. I personally wouldn't waste half an hour to an hour touring the upper floor again ). Afterwards we wandered about the grounds, went as far as the bridge, then headed the other direction and caught the little train out to the maze and butterfly house. By the time we came back from there it was 5:45 ( the trains only go every half-hour, and we were way too tired to walk ), and lo and behold: the front gates to Blenheim Palace had shut at 5:30. This meant we had to go out the back way, through Woodstock, where we struggled to find a pub that was serving food, as it was too early for most of them. We got some hot chips at one of them, then waited a good hour and a half for the bus to come and take us back to Oxford.

We did the colleges the next day, though Magdalen wasnt open due to a private function, which was disappointing. We did go through Christ Church College, out the back past the Radcliffe Camera, climbed the Saxon Tower at St. Michael at the North Gate, had lunch, then visited the Bodhleian Library, came out of there at four o clock, headed down to Magdalen ( supposedly open till six ) which was closed due to a private function, so we then headed to walk past Merton College, went and did a bit of shopping on Queen St. and ended the day with a lovely fish and chip dinner at The Eagle and Child. If you want to read more detail go to my trip report: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...the-report.cfm

latedaytraveler

“There are two very distinct camps when it comes to Blenheim. Half LOVE it and half are turned off by it. (Sort of like the political threads in the Lounge -- no convincing one side or the other) . . .”


Europeannovice, I can understand why you want to see both. As Janisj says above, not everyone likes Blenheim. I was unable to get there myself on my recent trip but hope to some day. Most agree that the gardens are fabulous. Many take issue with the house.


To me it would be of historic interest since Winston Churchill was born there in 1874 and the estate remained a “moral compass” for him throughout his life. His first cousin and intimate Sunny Blanford, 9th Duke of Marlborough, married his reluctant bride Consuelo Vanderbilt of Newport in 1895. Her fortune helped restore the estate to former glory. The marriage, which produced two male heirs, was most unhappy for both parties. They later divorced and Sunny married his long time paramour Gladys Deacon in 1921.


That marriage proved more disastrous for poor Sunny than the first. Gladys let the house go to wreck and allowed all her dogs to have the run of the place, fowling up the ancestral rugs and tapestries. Theirs was an ugly divorce.


With the heavy death taxes after WWI, subsequent heirs decided to open the estate to the public to provide upkeep for the property and income for themselves. Just read THE CHURCHILLS IN LOVE AND WAR by Mary Lovell which tells the fascinating story.

In any case, I hope time allows you to see both Blenheim and Oxford.

Dukey1

I don't think anybody would be nearly as interested in one of the so-called "great" houses unless it WERE "ostentatious"...I mean if want a GE kitchen, stay home.

I enjoyed the grounds at Blenheim as much as anything and I thought SOME of the interiors were a bit dreary but dreary or not, worth the visit IMO.

texasbookworm

With all the literary ties in Oxford (Lewis, Tolkien, HPotter and more) I think you'd be happier spending all of a day in Oxford and not rush. Magdalen (and probably some others) Colleges don't open until after noon generally. The Ashmolean deserves some time. Just walking around Oxford is worth a half day. As janisj says, is there any way to have more time there?

There are a variety of excellent (well, I'm extrapolating from our one experience and from hearing good reports) walking tours from the Tourist Information office.

Will you have a car? You could see Lewis's house and grave, and/or Tolkien's grave. IF you have the time.

Check the Colleges' websites for visting hours--they are all independent.

And if you want and have time, you could check out trip reports from several people on this thread with info about Oxford days--click on my screen name, or Elendilpickle's for example and Irish...gave her link. You will see that Oxford is at LEAST a day's worth if you want to see some of those things you mentioned. I've been there 4 times, repeating a few things but haven't even scratched the surface in most ways.

nytraveler

IMHO don;t try to see both in one day - you will be disappointed with both. Either do 2 day trips - or do as we did and stay overnight in Oxford (where there is SO much to see)..

KayF

I have to agree with comments above - the ground floor of Blenheim is worthwhile but don't bother with the upper floor. I thought it was very odd upstairs and had to ask someone how I could leave, from memory it was all one way and I'd had enough. The grounds are lovely and you can pay just to see the grounds which is cheaper. Of course you can see the outside of the house this way.

I think seeing all you want in Oxford plus Blenheim in one day would be impossible and would pick Oxford if you have to choose only one.

Kay

flanneruk

" then waited a good hour and a half for the bus to come and take us back to Oxford."

Buses are routinely roughly every half hour till about 1930. Except on Sundays, when the only bus after 1756 is 1926. Irishwhistler obviously lives in a microtown where there's no need to check Sunday bus timetables. In my experience,probably the only such 4,000 pop town on the planet, and I'm envious of him or her.

I'm staying silent about the site of Britain's greatest act of cultural vandalism (after the Prods' fanatic destruction of England's entire visual heritage and an extraordinary proportion of our books and manuscripts of course). But Oxford-Blenheim-Oxford writes off at least four hours: 15mins ave wait for bus: 30 mins to the Palace Gates, 20 mins' walk to Palace means 2.5 hrs has gone without looking at anything), however little time you waste at Blenheim.

But as for "Most agree that the gardens are fabulous"...

I've never met a solitary, single human being believe anything so utterly absurd. As 18th century wanton destructions of existing landscape go, bits of the grounds at Blenheim are occasionally pretty. As long as you limit yourself to the couple of acres immediately round the house: most of the walled Blenheim estate is a steppe-like expanse of featureless grass where there used to be pleasant Cotswold countryside till it was stolen from the British people for the Churchills to turn into a failed sheep-grazing experiment.

But to call even those few pretty acres "fabulous"?

Historically interesting, maybe (they're now famous for being
designed by Capability Brown. So was just about every other bit of formal landscaping in England - and this was neither his earliest nor among his best). But they'd struggle to make it into Oxfordshire's top 100 gardens.

You'd do infinitely better to go (for FREE!!!!) into Worcester College gardens while in Oxford. Still nowhere near "fabulous". But prettier, handier and surrounded by buildings designed by a competent 18th century architect.

julia1

Must agree with flanner on Blenheim gardens. The gardens near the house are suitable and enjoyable for a little stroll, but not particularly interesting for the planting and nowhere near the best that England can offer. The park is of historical interest to some gardeners because of Capability Brown's work there employing massive numbers of men to move massive amounts of earth to change landforms and plant massive numbers of trees to create an idealized landscape of sorts. The exterior of the house itself is somewhat overwrought and best admired from a distance.

europeannovice

Thank you all for your wonderful comments. I thought it might be pushing it to try to see both in one day. Of course, I do want to see Blenheim anyway so I can determine which "camp" to join

We plan on purchasing the Great British Heritage Pass so the admission to Blenheim will be included. Is Blenheim Palace as over-the-top as the inside of the Chateau at Versailles? I found the Chateau to be too ostentatious if there could be such a thing.

From the comments above, the second floor is less impressive than the first. As far as palaces, we can only compare Versailles with Hampton Court Palace based on our previous trip and in our opinion we enjoyed the interiors of Hampton Court better than the Chateau. I actually couldn't wait until we found the Hall of Mirrors and then we could leave. Maybe it was the crowds at Versailles that hampered the experience.

I thought the gardens of Versailles were spectacular when the fountains were running and the grounds were expansive but I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the Hampton Court Palace gardens more.

We do want to see Hidcote gardens next time-again covered under the pass.

Back to Oxford--we were dispointed last time that we could not get there (son got sick) so Oxford is a definite. Maybe I can work around an overnight. At least then even if the interiors of the buildings are off limits we can wander around the outside and courtyards (I hope) and try to see Blenheim the next morning. But then something else has to give--don't know what yet.

Texasbookworm,
I remember reading that you stayed at an interesting B&B while in Oxford. Is it within walking distance to some of the colleges, if so which one(s)?

flanneruk

" At least then even if the interiors of the buildings are off limits we can wander around the outside and courtyards (I hope) 2

You can't.

Even when open to visitors, colleges allow access only to quadrangles ("courtyards" are things they have elsewhere), their chapel, sometimes the Hall and some gardens. Occasionally the odd other building (like Christ Church's art gallery). But 99% of their space is ALWAYS off limits (these are people's private rooms and working libraries). Virtually none have anything interesting you can see from outside, though some of the streets they're in are pretty.

The non-collegiate university buildings have much the same opening hours. You really do need to research and organise yourself around them: otherwise you miss a lot of the point.

latedaytraveler

Europeannovice, I hear what you are saying about Versailles – too much gilt and too many mirrors. I found the rooms very repetitious. And, of course, the crowds were enormous. We went in mid-May and I can only guess how congested the site must be in the summer months.

I had the same feeling at the Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna. These 18th century royals really tried to outdo themselves in splendor.

Spending more time in Oxford sounds good – hope your son enjoys it.

texasbookworm

No, the B&B we stayed in for our-Oxford-with-a-car was not within walking distance; we walked across the street and caught a local bus. Worked great. If you go back to my 2010 TR you can read specifics. Pickwick House on London Road. (So we actually didn't use the car IN Oxford, but we drove from LHR past a couple Lewis stops before parking the car at the B&B and using public transport and our feet, and then the next day as we left we drove by Wolvercote Cemetery.)

Listen to what Flanner says above about access and hours; if you enter Magdalen College during open hours, you will, in addition to having access to the quad and the chapel and looking around the outside of the lovely buildingns, be able to walk along Addison's Walk along the Cherwell, where Mr. Lewis and Mr. Tolkien and other friends and Inklings walked and talked. Even without the draw of those writers, it is a pretty place.

Irishwhistler90

Flanneruk, if you had actually read my trip report, you would have realized that the bus was actually running VERY late, even by local standards, and it was a Tuesday. The bus, a per the timetable was scheduled to arrive at 6:50, but didn't get there until 7:45ish, the driver claimed that there was some sort of accident that held him him up.

To answer the question about Versailles: Blenheim is very different! I would say that Versailles is better value for money, and offers loads more to look at than Blenheim. Also, photography is allowed at Versailles, and not allowed inside Blenheim. Blenheim has a few "coloured" state rooms ( red, green, etc. ) and a grand library ( which I never saw at Versailles, and libraries are pretty neat ), as well as a dining room etc. It's nice, but not over the top, and the lady giving the tour made everything very interesting.

Irishwhistler90

No, it was actually probably about 8:20 now that I think about it. 7:45 wouldn't have been quite as bad.

KayF

You might think about doing a guided walk in Oxford, organised by the tourist information office. Details will be on their website. Usually you can arrive earlier, get your tickets, then come back at the appointed time.

I seem to recall the tour guide was able to take us into some parts of buildings that would have been off limits. Flanner is correct, they are very strict about who is allowed where and tourists cannot wander at will around the colleges.

Kay

texasbookworm

Yes, as KayF says and I said above, the guided walks out of the TI office are worth a look; some general, some thematic (We took Inspector Morse one). Great way to get overview in a couple hours, maybe with some special-ness for your tastes, and then go back to particular interests. We made reservation before we left the States and picked up tickets that day.