Star of stage and screen Sir Ian McKellen to open Blenheim Palace Flower Show 2016

Award-winning actor Sir Ian McKellen will officially open this year's Blenheim Palace Flower Show.

Sir Ian, one of the UK’s most respected actors and star of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, will open the popular show being staged from June 17-19 in the stunning grounds of the magnificent country house which is home to the 12th Duke of Marlborough.

Sir Ian, who has gained over 60 awards for acting and who was awarded the Companion of Honour by the Queen in 2007 for ‘services to drama and equality’, says: "I am really looking forward to visiting Blenheim Palace on Friday 17th June. It is 300 years since the birth of Capability Brown. It will be intriguing to see how he transformed the Palace’s parkland and how it looks today.”

For more information or to book discounted advance tickets to the Blenheim Palace Flower Show, visit: www.blenheimflowershow.co.uk. Advanced tickets are priced from £12 for adults and £5.50 for children at the gate. Concessions and family tickets are also available.

A record number of floral and garden exhibitors are taking part this year which marks the fourth edition of the Blenheim Palace Flower Show at the World Heritage Site in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, which was the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.

Show Director Matthew Upson, Managing Director of Aztec Events, says: “Blenheim Palace Flower Show has really established itself as one of the great summer occasions and there couldn’t be a finer setting for a flower show than the beautiful landscape of Blenheim Palace.”

Upson says the show which was launched in 2013 is hugely popular, attracting tens of thousands of visitors of all ages and appealing to both experienced and novice gardeners.

At the heart of the show will be a 20,000 square foot Grand Floral Pavilion featuring more than 30 floral displays and a large selection of flowers and plants from the UK’s finest plantsman.
The show will be also feature a selection of inspiring Show Gardens designed by some of the UK’s leading garden designers including a garden for the Blackbird Trust created by students. Visitors can also browse and purchase the latest products from hundreds of floral and garden exhibitors, or sample and purchase foods and nibbles in the food marquee.

About Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace is the home of the 12th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. This masterpiece of 18th-century Baroque architecture boasts over 300 years of history and is a World Heritage Site, surrounded by more than 2000 acres of 'Capability Brown' landscaped Parkland and Formal Gardens. Not only an iconic part of history, Blenheim Palace is a living and changing experience with a wealth of events, themed tours and exhibitions throughout the year.

For more information, please see:
www.blenheimpalace.com

PAUL SMITH ASSOCIATES
14th April 2016