Blenheim Palace
In Woodstock, Oxfordshire
Can one really call Blenheim a "house"? This place is massive, overwhelming, ostentatious, and amazing for all that. A gift from the grateful Queen Anne to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, for his victory over the French at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704. Designed by Vanbrugh, and completed by Hawksmoor, with grounds by Capability Brown. Winston Churchill was born in a small room just off the main entrance. Take your time, there's an awful lot to take in. Official web site

While you're visiting Blenheim Palace, take in the nearby Oxfordshire County Museum in
Woodstock (Tel 0993 811456). The museum is housed in a 16th-century house, and contains rural crafts, in addition to a superb "Oxfordshire through the Ages" exhibit.

Didcot Railway Centredidcot railway centre
Didcot, Oxfordshire
Didcot houses the steam engine collection from the old Great Western Railway in the original engine shed. Check ahead for the dates of their Steamdays, when the old warhorses come out of the shed and take you for a ride.

Broughton CastleBroughton Castle, Oxfordshire
2 m SW Banbury, on the B4035
Home of the Fiennes family for over 600 years, begun about 1300 as a fortified manor. Maintains its medieval roots, though much of the decor is Tudor.

Waddesdon Manor
6 m NW Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, on A41, National Trust
Created by Baron Rothschild beginning in 1874, a French chateau sprouts in the Vale of Aylesbury. Contains an opulent collection of the family's French treasures, including Sevres porcelain, carpets, paintings, and furniture once belonging to Marie Antoinette and Louis XIV. Web site

Thames Path
This long-distance walking trail follows the Thames River for 180 miles from its source to London. Around Oxford, the trail passes the remains of Godstow Abbey, whose most famous resident was Rosamund de Clifford - "Fair Rosamund" of legend - supposedly poisoned by Eleanor of Aquitaine after she discovered that Henry II had taken Rosamund as his mistress.

The Thames Path crosses peaceful water meadows and wanders through lovely waterside villages, making for a delightful outing for an afternoon or a full day. web site

More Oxford Attractions

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