By MARK HUGHES-MORGAN

Churchill's birthplace: Blenheim Palace has a long and fascinating history


THIS IS LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF A FAIRYTALE
Well spotted - Vanbrugh's Baroque masterpiece has been given a Gulliver's Travels makeover for Christmas to tie in with the new Jack Black film version shot here in the summer.

LOOK AT THE TINY HOUSES!
The Long Library has a display created by the Doll's House Emporium, which worked on the film. The yuletide makeover of the Saloon - where the Duke of Marlborough's celebrate Christmas - references the banquet in the Palace of Lilliput (filmed in the Great Court).

WHERE DO WE START?

Gape awe-struck at the facades, then start with the state rooms downstairs. Upstairs is the interactive Untold Story.

IT'S A LOVELY SETTING . . .

There are 2,000 acres, including 80 acres of formal gardens. Try the symbolic maze (with cannons referencing the Battle of Blenheim,), the Versailleslike Water Terraces, the rediscovered Secret Garden . . .

I'M EXHAUSTED!
Don't miss the Temple of Diana, where Winston Churchill proposed to his wife Clemmie. Look out for Gladys Deacon, beautiful second wife of the ninth Duke. She is the head of two Sphinx on the lower Water Terrace, and those are her eyes in the ceiling of the Great Hall . . .

ANY DEALS?
Free annual upgrade with every palace and gardens ticket. (The house and formal gardens close on December 13, reopening in February, but the park is open daily except Christmas Day.)

DETAILS
Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxon (0800 849 6500, www.blenheimpalace.com). Entry to palace, park and gardens: £18 adult; child (five to 16) £10; family £48. Park and gardens: £10.30, £5, £26.


source: dailymail