Windsor Castle is the largest castle still in operation in the world. The Queen of England lives here most weekends, and I understand that she prefers this to
Buckingham Palace in London proper, which she considers to function more as an office than a home.
One English friend said, "You want to see a castle? Go to Windsor.
That's a castle."
On that advice, we paid the £14.20 per adult ticket and the £8 per child ticket to tour the place. If you live in England, make sure you get your ticket stamped to allow you entry into the castle for a full year. Different parts of the castle open in different seasons. For instance, the Semi-State Rooms were closed in the summer 2007 but are re-opened in the autumn.
So what is the castle like inside? This is certainly a large complex. The architecture reminds me strongly of the
Tower of London, which makes sense as the buildings were originally constructed around the same time. Windsor has expanded over the years, but architects have been faithful to the original design.
An audio wand tour that comes with your ticket talks about the history of the castle. In the summer season, you can also join a free guide at certain times of the day. I like live tours, so this is what we did. Our live guide was an Italian, but she obviously loved England. She ushered our group quickly around the outer grounds, pointing out when different buildings had been erected. Apparently Windsor was built with defense in mind. However, it hasn't had to withstand attack often. The most significant sieges were during the reign of John of
Magna Carta fame. Later, Elizabeth I spent a good deal of time here because she felt safe within the thick walls.
After the live tour, we stood in line to go into the State Apartments and to see Queen Victoria's dollhouse. A girl at heart, I loved looking at the masterfully crafted miniatures and the small doll outfits on display that were gifts to the current queen and her sister when they were still children.
My husband liked the Great Hall the best. The heraldic shields of many knights are on the ceiling. You'll see some of the shields are "empty." These belonged to knights who brought shame on their families and lost favor with the monarch.
The one thing that I have to go BACK to visit is St. George's Chapel where Henry VIII is buried. Keep in mind, due to religious services, it's
closed on Sundays.
How do you get to the castle? Windsor is not difficult to reach by train from London, and the train station is within easy walking distance of the castle. If you are driving a car, you'll see exit signs on the M4. There are a couple of different pay-lots near the castle that you may use.
Castle hours: Opens 9:45am daily with last admission at 4pm.