What, a reasonable person might ask, do these two individuals have in common? Besides both being English?

(I am not even going to make you go down to the bottom of the page for ….)

the answer?

Both were born within two hours drive of my current location and said birth places can both be visited on the same afternoon.

Churchill and Blenheim Palace

Sir Winston Churchill was born 1874 at Blenheim Palace and spent much of his youth there. Built starting in 1705 by the 1st Duke of Marlborough, it has been in one branch of the family or another ever since and currently the residence of the 11th Duke & Duchess of Marlborough. Note: His parents had enough sense not to name him George. In that family the legacy is not a good thing.

(for the Morris Dancing Fans – there is a note that there were three groups which performed at the corner stone laying ceremony:  one of young men, one of young women, and the last of aulder women….. So much for the “women don’t do Morris Dancing Crowd” They certainly did something with that name in 1705!)

Any who, one heads south from exit 9 off the M40 and follow the signs.

the front gate

side garden

Blenheim Palace 1

inner courtyard

center courtyard 2

tree in the back garden

tree in the back garden

back of the castle

I would show you picture of the interior, but photography is not allowed.

Shakespeare and Stratford-upon-Avon

So, since we were out and about it seemed like a good idea to continue on.

the town

Shakespeare's House

the entrance

yes, really

Although it was toward the end of the day, we wandered through the house which belonged to the family for several hundred years post Shakespeare. After a time as an Inn, the house was purchased in the mid 1800s to be restored and available to the public.