Windsor: A Castle Fit for a King

The first castle was built here around 1080 when William the Conqueror (r.1066-1087) raised an artificial earthen mound crowned with a wooden keep on the ridge overlooking the Thames River as part of his defensive ring around London.

In 1110, his son Henry I (r.1100-1135) set up a royal residence here, where in 1121 he married his second wife, Adelaide of Louvain. The castle has been the favoured residence of many monarchs since, including the current Queen Betty, who spends her summers and weekend here. Look for the Royal Standard flying over the castle rather than the Union Flag to tell she’s home; if not you can visit the Semi-Staterooms where she lives. You can also get a glimpse of the magnificently overstated Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House.

In the 1170s Henry II (r.1154-1189) built a series of Staterooms in the Lower Ward, where in 1175 he held the Great Council a forerunner of the modern parliament. Later kings moved the Staterooms to the Upper Ward where they are now the castle’s major attraction. In the 1220’s Henry III (r.1216-1272) built a small chapel (now Albert Memorial Chapel) in the Lower Ward, and between 1475 and 1528, the kings of House of York constructed the neighbouring St George’s Chapel. These are the final resting places of many Royals and are a big tourist draw.

And if none of this takes your fancy, then just wander around the grounds gaping in wander at the magnificent towers and battlements that represent over 900 years of royal history in dull grey stone.

Quick Tips:

Prices are one the extortionate side, with tickets costing £12/£10. Which I’m not exactly happy about, considering that Betty isn’t exactly short of a few bob and that she got the taxpayers to foot the bill for the restoration work after the great fire of 1992, but I’m sure that this will all be redressed after the revolution comes.

Opening times are a little erratic, with the chapels closed for services on Sundays, the North Terrace garden open in August and September only, and the Semi-Staterooms closed during the summer months when Betty is wandering around them in her underwear. Try to time your visit for a day without a Y in it to ensure that everything is open.

Best Way To Get Around:

Windsor is only 21 miles from London and can be reached by train from Waterloo. Trains run every 30 minutes and the castle is a ten-minute walk up the hill from the Windsor & Eton Riverside Station.

Henry III (r.1216-1272) built the first chapel here in 1240 while he was in the process of renovating the Staterooms of his grandfather Henry II. This has been the centre of the castle’s religious life ever since. Edward III (r.1327-1377) founded the College of St George here as the spiritual home of his newly created chivalric Order of the Garter in 1348 following his victories in France at the start of the Hundred Years War (1337-1453). This was established to reward those who had fought alongside of him and to foster military pride among his subjects for future campaigns in his foolish quest to claim the French crown.

The War of the Roses (1455-1487) was a time of uncertainty for the English monarchy and between 1475 & 1528 the House of York set about constructing the magnificent St George’s Chapel to reaffirm their ‘divine right’. Work on the Choir commenced under Edward IV (r.1461-1483), who became the first English monarch to be buried here (although the body of his predecessor Henry VI was later moved here), and was finished in 1484 under his brother Richard III (r.1483-1485). Built in the English Perpendicular Gothic style the choir is truly awe-inspiring, with its slender pillars, tall windows, 15th century carved stalls and sumptuous 18th century Sovereign’s Stall all overhung with the colourful banners of the Knights of the Garter.

Henry VII (r.1485-1509), the first of the Tudor kings, added the resplendent fan-vaulted ceiling, the Nave and renovated Henry III’s old chapel before work was finally completed under his son Henry VIII (r.1509-1547) whose burial vault is given pride of place at the centre of the Choir. The Nave is home to the enormous West Window, which at 36 foot high is the third largest in England. Henry VIII also added the new gate into the Lower Ward alongside of which his daughter Mary I (r.1553-1558) constructed lodgings for the Military (Poor) Knights of the Order of the Garter originally hired by Edward III to say his prayers for him at the daily services here.

Charles I (r.1625-1649) was interred in Henry VIII’s magnificent vault following his execution in London, and a number of the Hanoverian Kings are buried here including ‘mad’ King George III (r.1760-1820) and his two sons George IV (r.1820-1830) and William IV (r.1830-1837). Queen Victoria (1837-1901) had George Gilbert Scott convert Henry III’s chapel into a magnificent marble and gold memorial to her late husband Prince Albert, now dominated by Alfred Gilbert magnificent 1892 tomb for Edward VIII’s eldest son.

The House of Windsor continues to use the chapel both for the annual procession of the Order of the Garter re-established by George VI (r.1936-1952) in 1948, and for burials. Edward VIII (r.1901-1910) & Queen Alexandra, George V (r.1910-1936) & Queen Mary, George VI (r.1936-1952) & Queen Elizabeth (The Queen Mother) and their daughter Princess Margaret are all interred here. The Chapels are truly impressive, built on a grand scale and well worth a visit.

Henry II (r.1154-1189) built the first private Staterooms here in the 1770s and it was a popular residence for many of the successive kings including Edward II (r.1307-1327) whose son Edward III was born here. Edward III (r.1327-1377) lavished money upon his court and between 1357 and 1368 had the Royal Residence rebuilt under the supervision of William Wykeham. A stone vaulted undercroft was constructed that supported duplicate sets of rooms for the king and queen, as well as the Great Hall and Royal Chapel. Henry VII (r.1485-1509) added a west-wing that his granddaughter Elizabeth I (r.1558-1603) converted into the Long Gallery that houses the Royal Library.

Between 1673 & 1684 Charles II (1649-1685), whose statue stands in the Quadrangle, appointed architect Hugh May to refurbish the interiors in baroque style. The best surviving examples of this are The King’s Dining Room, The Queen’s Presence Chamber and The Queen’s Audience Chamber with delicately carved oak panelling by Edward Gibbons and ornately painted ceilings by Antonio Verro including one of Queen Catherine riding a swan drawn chariot towards the temple of virtue. Despite all of Charles II’s hard work his grandchildren William III of Orange and Mary II would move the royal residence to Hampton Court letting the castle fall into disuse for many years.

In 1789 George III (r.1760-1820) moved the royal residence back here and appointed architect James Wyatt to lighten the interiors by tearing out Gibbon’s oak panelling and putting up brightly coloured hangings instead. In 1823 the extravagant George IV (r.1820-1830) proceeded to complete his father’s work in grand style appointing architect Jeffrey Wyatville, the nephew of John Wyatt, to add the Garter Throne Room, Waterloo Chamber, and knock together Edward III’s Great Hall and Royal Chapel to form the enormous Gothic St George’s Hall. He also refurbished many of Charles II’s Staterooms to suite the King’s Versailles influenced taste on of the best examples of this being the gilt-edged Grand Reception Room. George IV took up residence in 1828 but Wyatville didn’t complete his work until 1830 under George’s brother William IV (r.1830-1837). Despite spending much of her reign here Queen Victoria (r.1837-1901) made few changes except for the addition of a Private Chapel designed by Edward Blore.

On the 20th of November 1992 a fire ignited by a spotlight, broke out in Queen Victoria’s Private Chapel and swept through the Staterooms. Most of the artwork was in storage at the time, due to electrical works, but many of the ornate decorations were damaged or destroyed. Restoration work was carried out to restore the damaged rooms to Wyatville’s original designs. The Private Chapel, the Holbein Room and the roof of St George’s Hall were, however, considered beyond repair and architect Giles Downes was commissioned to refurbish them in a "Modern" Gothic style that sits uneasily alongside Wyatville’s, especially in the jarring Lantern Lobby that replaces the Private Chapel. The repairs were completed in 1997 and the Staterooms are once again open to visitors.

A true insight into the private life of the Royals can be gained by examining some of the minor attractions that are on show here at the castle.

Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House is one of these and can be found in a specially constructed room on the North Terrace. Built by Sir Edwin Luytens this 1 to 12 scale replica of an Edwardian Stately Home was presented to Queen Mary, the wife of George V (r.1910-1936), in 1924. No expense was spared in preparing this astonishing record of contemporary design. The water and electrics are fully functional, the furnishings come from the workshops of the leading manufacturers, tiny LPs can be played on the minuscule gramophone, the bottles of wine in the cellar contain genuine vintage wine, the painting were commissioned from famous artists and the books were hand-written by popular authors. You can also view the two dolls presented to Princesses Betty and Margaret on a state visit to France along with their wardrobes of genuine Hermĕs, Vuilton and Cartier. The neighbouring galleries housed in the footings of William Wykeham’s stone-vaulted undercroft created in the 1360s for Edward III (r.1327-1377) are home to some of the treasures from the Royal Collection. The main gallery hosts regularly changing exhibitions of royal regalia, antiquarian books, Old Masters’ or any other junk that Betty finds kicking about in her attic and the China Museum houses her large collection of dining services, when she’s not eating her sandwiches off of them obviously.

The Semi-Staterooms were created in the 1820’s for the personal occupation of George IV (r.1820-1830) and are still used by the current royal family. The Green Drawing Room with its gilded ceiling and the Crimson Drawing Room with its Bernasconi plaster work were both decorated by Morel and Seddon and are fine examples of Regency style design reflecting the personal tastes of the Regent himself. While the Octagon Dining Room with its dark marble chimney-piece and the State Dining Room that once housed a magnificent portrait of his father (destroyed in the fire of 1992), reflect the Gothic style that was prevalent in England at that time. The later Royals have left their own personal touches including Ludwig Gunner’s magnificent Axminster carpet laid down in the Green Drawing Room by Queen Victoria (although she presumably got Albert to help her tac down the edges) and Sir Gerald Kelly’s state portraits of George VI (1936-1952) and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) hung in the Crimson Drawing Room by their daughter Betty. Be warned that these rooms are closed to the public during the summer months when Betty is in residence.

These minor exhibits are curiously engaging and offer a chance to feel what it really means to be a Royal, for whatever that is worth.

The grounds of the modern castle still conform to this original plan of the first castle built here by William the Conquer (r.1066-1087) around 1080. A variation of the standard motte and bailey design that was adapted for use on ridge it features a central motte with twin baileys on either side.

The short walk up Castle Hill from the Visitors Entrance takes you past the pleasant little Jubilee Garden created in 200 to celebrate Queen Betty’s Golden Jubilee. From here you get a wonderful view of the magnificent Round Tower built by Henry II (r.1154-1189) and sat atop the earthen motte that is all that remains of William I’s original fortress. The Curtain Wall with its square towers and the St George’s Gate also date from this time of Henry II. Pause here to glancing through the gates into the Quadrangle that forms the heart of the Royal Staterooms for an excellent view of the statue of Charles II (r.1660-1685) and the State Entrance with its bearskin wearing Grenadier Guard. In the small hall to the side you will find a dry and poorly presented history of the castle that is best skipped as you dash headlong into the castle.

Wander around the base of the Round Tower with its pleasant rock garden to the misnamed Norman Gate added by, the Plantagenet, Edward III (r.1327-1377) in the early 1360s as a formal entrance to his newly constructed Staterooms. Behind is the Northern Terrace, which affords fantastic views across the River Thames, and provides access to the Staterooms, which are one of the highlights of a visit to the castle. You emerge into the Engine Court from where you can get a view of the other-side of the Quadrangle, which includes the King George IV Gate and the King Edward III tower added by their namesakes.

Wandering back down the hill you come to the Lower Ward where Henry III (r.1216-1272) built a small chapel (now Albert Memorial Chapel) in the 1220s and Edward IV (r.1461-1483) started work on the magnificent St George’s Chapel in 1475 that was finally completed by Henry VIII (r.1509-1547) in 1528. The exit from the castle is via the King Henry VIII gates also added by the great Tudor King and alongside of which can be seen the lodgings for the Military (Poor) Knights of the Order of The Garter added by his daughter Mary I (r.1553-1558). Out front of the castle is a statue of Queen Victoria and Henry III’s fine Curtain Wall with five round towers including the appropriately named King Henry III Tower.

The exterior of the castle was standardised under Charles II with solid castelations and round-arched windows, which were mostly replaced with Gothic style windows by George III (r.1760-1820). George IV made further enhancements to the silhouette of the castle by heightening the Round Tower and adding some extra castelations completing the final look of the spectacular castle that now dominates the small town of Windsor.