Water Terrace Garden, East Terrace

BLENHEIM SP41NM, SP4416 2/37, 8/37 Water Terrace Gardens, East Terrace

GV II Water Terrace Gardens. 1925-30, by Achille Duchene for Ninth Duke of Marlborough. Limestone ashlar kerb walls with ball finials to pools and surrounding parterre beds, which form square in centre of terrace. To corners of pools are lead female statues, probably representing Venus, surmounting moulded ashlar pedestals with fretted friezes; small lead statues of putti and cloaked woman sit on kerb walls surrounding pools. Stone urns surmount wall to West Terrace (q.v.), with lead putto to south-west; tall limestone ashlar walls to south, with ball finials to wall bounding steps. Stone urns surmount low limestone ashlar wall to north, which has steps to raised walk along north side of terrace. Raised walk has lead statue of warrior with sword and shield, surmounting moulded ashlar pedestal with fretted frieze; ball finials flank steps to raised entrance to Terrace to north-east, which has lead statue of man untying sandels on similar pedestal and sarcophagus with frieze of classical figures. (Blenheim Park is included in the HBMC Register of Parks and Gardens at Grade I; Buildings of England: Oxfordshire: pp474-5; D. Green: Blenheim Palace: 1951)

Listing NGR: SP4405915994