April 2004
BBC Oxford went back in time... | |
|  | | Blenheim Palace celebrates it's 300th anniversary |
| | In 1704 on the north bank of the river Danube, near a small village called Blenheim John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough defeated the forces of Louis XIV and saved Europe from French domination. |
| | | The sound of canons and the smell of muskets filled the air on May bank holiday weekend as Blenheim Palace launched 'A Call To Arms'. On Saturday May 1, BBC Radio Oxford had a special programme live from Blenheim Palace. The station went back to 1704, the year the Duke of Marlborough and his troops defeated the French at the Battle of Blenheim. The station brought you local travel and news from the time. Here is a taster of the programme where you can listen history coming alive: |
Jeremey Vine - our man in Paris
The Pox outbreak in Banbury
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It was the latest in a series of special events, marking the 300th anniversary of John Churchill's momentous victory at the Battle of Blenheim. If you visited the Palace from Saturday 1st to Monday 3rd May you would of felt the grit, determination and emotion of men about to fight for the glory of Queen and Country. The troops prepared to march off to the Battle of Blenheim, and you got a real insight into what it was like to be a soldier in the campaign of 1704. The weekend began with a march from Woodstock Gate to the Triumphal Arch, where an inspection of the troops took place, before they marched back to the Great Court to take the salute by His Grace, The Duke of Marlborough. The troops then went back to their campsite at the lakeside in the Palace grounds and you could watch soldiers skirmishing from 3pm to 4pm as a band of men put their battle tactics into action. There was a drill practice and the hourly changing of sentries as well as a daily parade and band concert in front of the Palace. | | | |
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