A bastion of English royalty for almost 1,000 years, I’ve long wanted to visit the beautiful castle of Windsor. Just a short train ride from London, it commands the landscape from its hilltop overlooking the river. On this sunny spring Sunday we wandered the grounds between St George’s Chapel and the State Apartments, soaking in the peaceful atmosphere and the sense of history. The State Apartments drew us out of the sunshine with stories of banquets had and knights dishonoured. When we’d seen all we could short of hopping the fence into the Queen’s private apartments (not recommended) we headed down the Long Walk for a proper Sunday roast and views of the park surrounding the Castle. A perfect Sunday excursion!
The ancient detail of St George’s Gate, one of the entrances to the Castle
Gorgeous gardens by the Round Tower
The imposing St George’s Chapel
The original castle at Windsor was constructed in the 11th century, and since Henry I in 1100 has continuously been a royal residence, the longest-occupied palace in Europe. It is supposedly one of the Queen’s favourite residences and on days like this, I can see why – the sun-soaked stones glowed against the blue sky and for a castle, it felt quite cosy despite the grandeur. My only regret was that, as it was a Sunday, we couldn’t further follow in royal footsteps and step into the Chapel, but we did get to observe the residents of Windsor on their way to and from services.
The Order of the Garter is the premier order of British chivalry – 24 Companions (plus the Queen and Prince of Wales) who are honoured for their contribution to public life or personal service to the monarch. This doorway features their emblem and motto (Shame on him who thinks evil of it), and is the residence of the Governor of the Miliary Knights.
Kiwis in Windsor – thanks to Jamie Grupen-Hall for the photo!
Details of Windsor
You can’t take photos inside the State Apartments, so I’ll leave it to your own visit (or your imagination!) to picture the lofty wood-panelled ceilings of the long halls, the soft hues of the ladies’ bedrooms and the scale and detail of Queen Mary’s Dolls House – a huge and intricately detailed example of life in a 1920s residence. Incredibly, some parts of the State Apartments were completely destroyed in a fire in 1992, but virtually all of the furnishings in those rooms had been moved the day before for restoration works so were not lost. If you can chat to one of the helpful volunteers, ask them to show you the photographs of the gutted Castle… it is astounding. As a life-long Shakespeare nut, I was also blown away by the exhibition celebrating 400 years of his legacy since his death, including royal copies of the First, Second and Third Folios – amazing!
Peeking into the Queen’s private apartments
The Norman Gate, originally built by Edward III
There is so much to see in the Castle, but the sunshine (and our stomachs) called us out again after a few hours. A friend’s recommendation was to take the Long Walk running from the Castle to the statute of King George II. First, we stopped off at the excellent if unimaginatively named Windsor Castle pub, for a delicious Sunday roast. Highly recommended!
In the end, only Emma and I could summon the enthusiasm to walk off those fluffy potatoes and head for the king’s statue. The Long Walk is just over 4km each way, and the views back to the Castle and over Windsor made it well worth the extra effort.
Emma contemplating a royal existence
Visiting Windsor was a fascinating glimpse into royal life – how the other 0.000000001% live! For more information for your own visit, click here.
Have you ever visited Windsor Castle, or another royal residence?
Want more royal reading? How about Riding with the Royals at Versailles, or when the storm hit at Edinburgh Castle?
