The town of Windsor lies within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, which is located approximately 35 kilometres west of central London, on the southern bank of the River Thames. This historic town is famous for being home to Windsor Castle, one of the British Royal residences and the largest inhabited castle in the world, and Legoland, one of Britains top attractions. Windsor is itself an attractive and very photogenic town, and has many places of interest from narrow cobbled streets, leaning houses, intriguing pubs and glorious tea rooms, to family entertainment at Thorpe Park or walks along the beautiful River Thames.
‘New Windsor’ as it was first called, was established in the 12th century around the relocated Royal settlement, and developed to become a significant town during the Middle Ages. Much of its wealth came from association with servicing the royal household and the continued building of the castle. Although the town went through a period of neglect in the 16th and 17th centuries, this changed in the 19th century when a royal presence was once more established. In addition to the castle being used again, the town had an army base built and the commencement of the railways during the Victorian period, made the town more accessible. Today Windsor remains a small town which is largely Victorian. It still owes its existence to the enormous royal castle which dominates the whole area and the tourism that it now generates. During an average year over one million visitors arrive in Windsor to enjoy the history of the castle, its awe inspiring presence, its walls, towers and gates, and the picturesque St George’s Chapel!!
William the Conqueror built the first castle here 900 years ago and it became one of the principal residences of the sovereigns of England in the reign of Henry I. The conversion from fortress to palace was started in the 16th century and almost every king and queen since this time has made alterations, but what you see today is largely due to Sir Jeffry Wyattville who altered it for George IV in the 19th century. A terrible fire in 1992 severely damaged the State Apartments but restoration work was completed in 1997 and it was then, once more, open to the public. St George’s Chapel, in sharp contrast to the awesome castle, is the finest example of perpendicular architecture in the country with its graceful pinnacles, flying buttresses and fret worked parapets. It also has some of the finest fan vaulting in the world. It is burial place of ten monarchs, amongst them King Henry VIII and King Charles I, and there is a memorial Chapel to Prince Albert, the Prince Consort of Queen Victoria. In 1348, King Edward III founded England’s highest order of Chivalry here, the Order of Garter, and new knights are invested in the Garter Throne Room. The castle stands on the edge of 4800 acre Windsor Great Park, formerly a Royal Hunting ground. It is good walking country and contains, besides deer and waterfowl, a starling roost and a heronry. A 5 kilometre avenue, called the Long Walk, created by King Charles II in 1685, leads straight through Windsor Great Park to a statue of King George III on horseback, familiarly known as ‘Copper Horse’
Other sites, in the town, worthy of mention:
The Guildhall. Beautifully proportioned with open arches and elegant columns, was completed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1690, after the death of the original architect.
Eton, which lies across the river from Windsor and is home of Eton College which was founded in1440, has a quaint High Street and other interesting buildings from the 15th century.
Nell Gwynn, actress and mistress to King Charles II, lived in Church Street and the house is marked by a plaque.
The Royalty and Empire Exhibition, in the old Central Station, is a vivid re-creation of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee of 1897, with life-size waxwork figures of the period.
The Queen’s Presents and Royal Carriage Exhibition, in Park Street, has many royal carriages, some of which are still in use, and gifts given to the royal family on state tours.
Other places of interest within 30 kilometres:
Burnham Beeches, once a vast forest which extended over the Chiltern Hills though now reduced to 600 acres, has many footpaths through the huge trees and is best visited in the spring or autumn.
Chiltern Open Air Museum at Chalfont St Giles, dedicated to rescuing vernacular architecture and recreating it in something like its original rural setting. The buildings include High Wycombe Toll House, an early 18th century thatched barn converted into two cottages and a prefabricated temporary bungalow from just after the Second World War.
Virginia Water, a 150 acre lake in Windsor Great Park, designed in the 18th century.
Cliveden, a Victorian Italianate mansion with a spectacular grade 1 listed garden. The grounds are owned by the National Trust. The house is now a hotel with limited opening.
Henley-on-Thames, home to the first river regatta in the world was held in 1839, an elegant Georgian main street, a handsome 18th century bridge and a square-towered church. Fine views are had from the towpath downstream of Temple Island.
Did you know that – King George IV had the tomb of King Charles I opened in the 19th century to check that indeed he had been decapitated?
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