Blenheim Palace opens for the new season on 16th February 2008 with a special exhibition about Victorian Technology including displays from the Great Western Railway Society and Milton Keynes Museum. Discover what the Victorians did for Blenheim Palace; the installation of a telephone system in the Palace and how the railway was brought to Woodstock. Inside the Palace, learn about the 8th Duke's pioneering experiments with telephones and electricity in the exciting visitor experience 'Blenheim Palace: The Untold Story'.

The 8th Duke, George Charles Spencer-Churchill, had been somewhat wild in his youth but in 1844 he faced the responsibilities of looking after the Palace and the Estate. He is most remembered as the Duke who sold off many of the precious paintings but he should also be remembered as a scientist with a great interest in the new inventions of Queen Victoria's era.

The exhibition will feature displays from the Great Western Railway Society including photographs of the 'Fair Rosamund', the engine that ran on the railway between Kidlington and Woodstock after the line was opened in 1890; artefacts from the great days of the GWR such as engine number plates and a name plate, photographs of the Woodstock Station and railway excursion posters dating from the Victorian times, as well as original signs, signal box bells and signalling apparatus.

Displays from the Milton Keynes Museum will include Victorian Telephones with explanations of the development of early models with separate mouth and ear piece to later Victorian models.

Special family tours will be available inside the Palace focussing on the Victorian era including how the Palace was heated, Victorian leisure and fashions, and how the telephone system was installed in the Long Library and remains for visitors to see today. More can be discovered about the development of the telephone and phonograph and the 8th Dukes experiments at Blenheim Palace in the permanent visitor experience 'Blenheim Palace: The Untold Story'.

Whether you are looking for a great family day out, or a unique lesson in history, a day at Blenheim Palace will be a day to remember.

Blenheim Palace is set in 2,100 acres of spectacular parkland in the heart of the Oxfordshire Cotswolds and is only eight miles from Oxford.

Visit www.blenheimpalace.com