A stroll through any garden center is likely to turn up decorative objects inspired by the classical world. A concrete statue based on the Venus de Milo, terracotta plant pots shaped like Grecian urns, and herb beds in a 2,000-year-old bas-relief style – all are popular choices for the landscaper of refined tastes. But for one garden, that dream of classical style was not, in the end, a fantasy. In the grounds of Blenheim Palace in England, built in the 18th century, a marble-fronted tub that