Exterior view
by VANBRUGH, John, Photo
The picture shows the view from the parkland landscaped by Lancelot Brown (1716-1783), more commonly known with the byname Capability Brown, England’s greatest gardener.
The relationship of the building to the landscape was a crucial part of the design. Vanbrugh and Henry Wise created formal gardens and turned the surrounding forest into parkland to provide a more appropriate frame for the house; Vanbrugh also sought (unsuccessfully) to retain the nearby medieval ruins of Woodstock Manor. His triple-spanned Grand Bridge in front of the palace originally crossed three canals but now spans the lake created by ‘Capability’ Brown when he redesigned the landscaping.
View the ground plan of Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire.