The Cowyards, Blenheim Park

Blenheim Palace (below) was designed by Sir John Vanbrugh and built between 1705 and 1722 and the estate was landscaped by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown in the 1760s. It was inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987, because the Palace represented the beginning of a new style of architecture, unlike anything seen before it, and it went on to have a great influence both in England and abroad.

The park in which the Palace is set represents a stunning example of the English Landscape School of Art. The park's design incorporated many elements from the original landscape for the Palace to produce the perfect setting for an extraordinary building.

Blenheim has enjoyed a long association with the local communities that surround it, benefiting both the lives of the individuals who live there, and the health of the local economy. The Estate is an important local landowner, generating both jobs and visitors who support local businesses. 'The Cowyards', is Blenheim Estates' first commercial property venture and the development scheme involves the sympathetic conversion of a Grade II listed, disused model farm, dating back to circa 1860.

Ridge has acted for Blenheim, undertaking the design and management of the project, and are leasing the whole building, relocating their Oxford office from September 2006.

The design of 'The Cowyards' development respects the character of the listed buildings and their setting, with the new construction working alongside existing materials. Historic details have been carefully conserved and sensitive consideration has been given to the new use of the building to enhance the existing features. It provides four linked office buildings, with two internal courtyards, offering 17,000 square feet of prestigious office accommodation within the tall stone wall of the parkland boundary.

Blenheim Palace