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• Section Links
  • Confirmed Attendance
  • Schedule/Itinerary
  • Bladon Church & Eating in Woodstock
  • Blenheim Palace, Gardens, & Park
  • Travel Maps
  • Photos of Trip (by MV)

• Confirmed Attendance

  Paul Barnes Jeremy Karl Cockcroft Martin Vickers Simon Jacques Richard Stephenson Vesna Middelkoop	Sandra Gonzalez Saborido Kennedy Abuga Ralph Sabry-Grant Dmitry Strusevich Paul Stukas Jonathan Targett
  Apologies for absence: John Bensted, Olivier Leynaud, Peter Hutchins.

• Schedule/Itinerary

  09:30-09:45

  Meet at Paddington Station at the centre of "The Lawn" end (platforms 1-8). Note that some trains leave from the surburban part of the station at the far end of Paddington, so please leave sufficient time for walking to the far end should the train leave from there! IMG to provide rail tickets (obtained from JKC). [Since many off-peak trains from Paddington seem to be frequently over-crowded due to a stinginess in the provision of train coaches, it will be a good idea to board the train promptly!]

  09:52-10:55

  Depart on the 9:52 train from Paddington to Great Malvern & Worcester via Oxford, destination [Long/Church] Hanborough with scheduled arrival time 10:55.

  10:55-11:45

  Walk from [Long] Hanborough rail station to Woodstock via the village of Bladon, visiting Churchill's tomb on route. Distance is 1.8 miles according to various pub guides! [Note: the Oxford Bus & Morris Motors Museum is now sited on the old station's goods yard.]

  11:45-13:15

  Beer & Lunch in Woodstock at "The Black Prince" (see below for further details) paid by IMG.

  13:15-18:00

  Visit to Blenheim Palace, Gardens, & Park (see below for further details) paid by IMG.

  18:00-18:10

  Meet up outside the Marlborough Arms Hotel on the main A44 road (Oxford Road) for No.20 bus back to Oxford. Cost £2.80 to be paid by individuals.

  18:10-18:37

  Depart on Stagecoach bus 20 from Woodstock to Oxford Gloucester Green bus station. [Alternative bus departures on 20/20A are 17:10, 17:30, 18:50 with journey times just under half an hour. Warning: there are very few evening buses after the 18:50.]

  18:37-19:00

  Short walk (10-15 minutes) on foot between bus and rail stations.

  19:00-19:55

  Depart Oxford for London Paddington. [Alternative train departures could be 18:00, 18:30, 19:30 with journey times just under 1 hour.]

• Bladon Church & Woodstock Pubs, etc.

  Bladon church is a late Victorian church famous for being the final resting place of Sir Winston Churchill & his wife Clementine. The original 12thC medieval church was completely demolished in 1802.

  There are many drinking and eating establishments in Woodstock so we will be spoilt for choice! A brief list is given below.

  Kings Arms Hotel (19 Market Street) Macdonald Bear Hotel (Park Street) The Black Prince (2 Manor Road) The Crown Inn (31 High Street) The Feathers Hotel (Market Street) The Killingworth Castle Inn (Glympton Road, Wootten) The Kings Head (11 Park Lane) The Lamb (33 Park Street)

  The Marlborough Arms Hotel (26 Oxford Street) The Punch Bowl (12 Oxford Street) The Queens Own (59 Oxford Street) The Star Inn (22 Market Place) The Woodstock Arms (8 Market Street) Vickers Hotel (7 Market Place) White House Inn (1 Grove Road, Bladon)

  Lunch is booked for midday at "The Black Prince". A typical menu is given below:

  Starters
  Garlic & Herb Bread (v)	£ 2.50
  Field Mushrooms (v)	£ 4.50
  Roasted Pepper & Goat's Cheese Tart (v)	£ 4.00
  Sticky Chicken Wings (4-6)	£ 4.00
  Main Course
  Beer Battered Cod with Chips & Mushy Peas	£ 7.00
  Grilled Scottish Salmon Steak	£ 8.50
  Supreme of Chicken with Garden Sage Cream	£ 8.00
  8oz Sirloin Steak	£ 9.50
  Marinated Lamb Steak	£ 9.50
  Grilled Goat's Cheese Salad (v)	£ 7.00
  Pasta of the Day (v)	£ 6.50
  Desserts
  Homemade Apple Crumble	£ 3.50
  Strawberry & Double Cream Tart	£ 3.50
  Selection of Dairy Ice Creams	£ 3.00
  Cheese Platter	£ 4.50

• Blenheim Palace, Gardens, & Park

  Full details are on the Blenheim Palace web site. A few points to note by way of summary:

  • It is a World Heritage Site
  • Home of 11th Duke of Marlborough
  • Battle of Blenheim (Germany) in 1704 (victory over the French)
  • Birth place of Sir Winston Churchill
  • Beautiful parkland landscaped by 'Capability' Brown in 1760's
  • Vanbrugh's Grand Bridge
  • Palace surrounded by sweeping lawns and formal gardens

A general view of the palace from the Column of Victory is shown below:


• Travel Maps

  National Rail route from Paddington (bottom-right) to Hanborough (top-left):

  
  (Click for larger map)

  Local Ordinance Survey map of Blenheim Palace:

  
  (Click for larger map)

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