Head to Blenheim Palace this autumn and see the Park burst to life with colour whilst walking around the 2000-acre ‘Capability’ Brown landscaped parkland
Take in the scenery of the Palace, Grand Bridge, Great Lake and the unusual Cedar of Lebanon tree which was used in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, whilst exploring the colours in the Park. Discover an abundance of historical monuments including the Column of Victory and Rosamund’s Well.
Find Copper Beech roundels throughout the Park, which were originally planted by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. The stunning leaves on these trees are a dark purple/ brown colour in the summer but as the season changes the leaves become gold, contrasting with the dark green evergreens in the landscape.
Blenheim Palace’s veteran Oaks are one of the most dominant features in the Park and are a favourite for most who visit for a walk. The leaves on these trees will turn a crispy golden colour before falling to the woodland floor revealing the tree and bark with all its character – some date back to before medieval times.
Discover the Field Maple, which is a small tree found around the park. Its leaves are symmetrical and pointed, and from September onwards the leaves turn a brilliant golden yellow. The Larch tree-dotted around the Parkland is the only deciduous conifer native to central Europe. Its pine needles turn also golden yellow in autumn.
Take the ‘Capability’ Brown Viewpoints Trail
See Blenheim Palace in its autumnal glory and take the new ‘Viewpoints Trail’. The 12 cherry-picked views, which each represent a classic Brownian landscape, are situated within the 2,000 acre Parkland. Visitors can download a map prior to their arrival, or can collect one from the Visitor Centre on the day.
Highlights include The Grand Bridge, which was designed by Sir John Vanbrugh to serve as the primary focus in the landscape. It was also intended to act as a viewing platform from which visitors can admire the beautiful surroundings. The Cedar trees with horizontal branches are some of Brown’s original Cedars of Lebanon which are over 300 years old.
The Woodstock entrance to Blenheim Palace boasts the finest view in England, which is one of the crowning achievements of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown’s landscaping and is the spectacular centrepiece view across the lakes. It unites all the earlier phases of landscaping into one romantic English landscape and has remained largely untouched to this day.
This entrance to the Park offers views of the Grand Bridge, lakes, Column of Victory, High Park and of course the Palace. This view was so impressive to King George III that when visiting Blenheim Palace in 1786 he remarked “We have nothing equal to this!”
Blenheim Palace – Where and how
Web: www.blenheimpalace.com
Blenheim Palace
Woodstock
Oxfordshire OX20 1PP
Tel: 01993 810530