Page 89 - Cork & Tee Sample Program Flipbook, 2018

importantly to many, it was also the inspiration for the dining hall in the Harry Potter films! The
Bodleian Library, which you will see from the exterior, is quite memorable. The city also boasts
the first purpose-built museum in England, the world famous Ashmolean, which was opened to
the public in 1683 and recently underwent a $100-million renovation.

Enjoy lunch in Oxford (we highly recommended the Turf Tavern) followed by a 20-min drive to
Woodstock and Blenheim Palace, the ancestral home of the dukes of Marlborough located in a
stunning parkland setting. It is the only non-royal, non-episcopal country house in England to
hold the title of palace. One of England's
largest houses, it was built between 1705
and circa 1722. Blenheim, which is
perhaps best known as the boyhood home
of Sir Winston Churchill, was designated a
UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
After a private guided tour led by one of
the knowledgeable palace staff members,
take some time to explore the expansive
grounds. You can spend some time at the
Secret Garden and the Rose Garden, which
lead to the newly restored Blenheim Dam and Cascade. Take a specially designed ‘Walk in
Churchill’s Footsteps’ trail, which guides you around the palace and grounds to gain a better
insight into how he spent his time when visiting. There is also a “Churchill’s Destiny” exhibition
in the Stables Courtyard that focuses on the life he had at his ancestral home, from his birth to his
death. If you like, you can visit Churchill’s grave in the nearby village of Bladon before
continuing 45 min to your accommodations.

Proposed Accommodations for 2 nights: Hartwell House Hotel, a magnificent stately home
(National Trust property) with Rococo ceilings and antique furnishings, tucked away amidst 90
acres of landscaped parkland. Its most famous resident was Louis XVIII, exiled King of France.

Day 4: Bletchley Park and Waddesdon Manor. Reconnect with Martin this morning and make
your way 40 min to Bletchley Park.
This once super-secret location was the
site of Britain’s most important World
War II intelligence work. Ciphers and
codes of several Axis countries were
decrypted here including, most
importantly, those generated by the
German Enigma and Lorenz machines.
The official historian of World War II
British Intelligence has written that the

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