Blenheim Palace's Formal Gardens to get major makeover

The head gardener at Blenheim Palace says the gardens at the world heritage site are to undergo their biggest change in more than 100 years.

Andy Mills wants to restore features at the famous Oxfordshire country house that have been lost during the last three centuries.

He said the plan was to make the gardens "even more stunning than ever and truly blow people away".

The project is expected to take 10 years.

Blenheim Palace is the residence of the Duke of Marlborough and was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

Its Formal Gardens have been altered over the centuries, reflecting changing horticultural styles.

Designers such as Henry Wise and Achille Duchêne, along with previous dukes, have introduced or removed parts of areas such as The Italian Garden, Water Terraces, the Walled Garden, and the Rose Garden.

Mr Mills said the site was "blessed with 90 acres of inspirational gardens".

During his research he spent "many happy hours trawling the internet" and reading reference books.

He said he discovered the area by the Cascade, a picturesque waterfall, was once "fabulous".

There was a fountain, rockery, spinning boulder gate, subterranean spring with glass skylights, rock seats, and bridges over the river to an island with an octagonal summerhouse.

"We intend to restore this area to its original grandeur," he said.

He said the project was about having "one eye on the past; a larger one to the future".

Further plans include:

Blenheim Palace was built to celebrate Britain's victory over the French in the War of the Spanish Succession and completed in 1733.

British prime minister Sir Winston Churchill was born there in 1874.

The view of the lakes and bridge was once described as the finest in England by Sir Winston's father Lord Randolph Churchill.

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