BLENHEIM Palace and Oxford Castle have been named as the top tourist attractions in the South East.

Oxfordshire walked away with a clutch of accolades from this year's annual Beautiful South awards, which celebrate the very best places for visitor's to go, eat and stay across the region.

Blenheim Palace picked up the prize for best large visitor attraction of the year, while Oxford Castle Unlocked was named the best small visitor attraction.

Meanwhile, Restaurant 56 at Sudbury House Hotel in Farington was named the best restaurant in the South East.

Other big winners included Oxford Visitor Information who were awarded silver in the best information service category and The Chestnuts in Shilton, which also placed silver for self catering business of the year.

Wisteria Cottage in Watlington was also high commended in the sustainable tourism category.

Chris Abbott, general manager at Oxford Castle Unlocked, said: “We are thrilled to scoop this award in such a sought-after category, showcasing our commitment to excellence and recognising the high quality of visitor experience that we offer at Oxford Castle Unlocked.

"This win is a wonderful way to end a really successful year at the Castle.”

The awards are run by Tourism South East to reward excellence,

The prize ceremony was held at The Grand in Brighton on Wednesday.