| Windsor Castle |
 |
The Windsor Castle is the Royal Residence of her Majesty, the Queen of England. It is the oldes ( over 900 years ) and largest occupied castle in the world. This is a large and imposing building with numerous staterooms.
The Castle covers an area of about 5 hectares (13 acres) and contains magnificent State Apartments furnished with treasures from the Royal Collection, St George's Chapel (one of the most beautiful ecclesiastical buildings in England and the burial place of 10 monarchs), and Queen Mary's Dolls House, a masterpiece in miniature. |
 |
|
The origins of Windsor were in the 7th century Saxon settlement of Windlesora, where the present day village of Old Windsor is located. The town of Windsor is correctly known as "New Windsor" - the word "new" being used in a strictly relative sense!
Windsor Castle was first built by William the Conqueror, following his invasion of England in 1066. The original structure was built from timber with earth fortifications. The Castle held an obvious strategic position on a steep hill overlooking the River Thames, and was part of a ring of castles around London, with the Tower of London, one day's march away, at its heart. The Castle was later rebuilt in stone, and grew in importance over the years. Henry II constructed the Round Tower and the original stone outer wall. Following the English Civil War, the Castle's primary role became that of a royal palace. The Castle has remained largely unchanged since the early nineteenth century, apart from the restoration work following the fire (see below). |
|
|
The Fire
The Fire of Windsor Castle took place on 20 November 1992 - ironically the 45th wedding anniversary of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. During work on some of the State Rooms in the castle, a fire broke out in the north-east part of the Castle and rapidly spread to engulf many rooms. Fortunately most treasures and works of art had been removed temporarily and so few items were lost, although over 100 rooms in the Castle were badly damaged or destroyed. The fire took 250 firefighters some 15 hours to extinguish. The Castle was renovated, the aim being to restore the damaged rooms to their former glory using authentic materials and craftsmanship, and was re-opened in 1997 after five years of work. The cost of the renovation was £37 million.
| |
| The Crooked House of Windsor |
|
One building that you cannot miss as you walk down the road in front of Windsor Castle and turn left from the Statue of Queen Victoria is THE CROOKED HOUSE OF WINDSOR. This building is historically know as the Market Cross House and was built in 1592. This was however destroyed in early 1600 because of a dispute on ownership. Shortly however a new building came up on this site.
In 1715, this new building needed to be restructured. However because of the unseasoned green oak that was used, the building acquired it's famous tilt. The crooked house is said to have a secret underground passage to the Castle which it is rumoured was used by King Charles and his mistress for their meetings. This passage is now blocked and cannot be accessed from either side. |
|
|
Thw Crooked House of Windsor is now an English Tea House where you can choose from a wide variety of traditional British Food. |
|
|
Windsor Royal Shopping (Windsor Royal Station)
The Windsor Central Station is one of the 2 stations serving Windsor . This station has now been converted into a tourist shopping centre known as THE WINDSOR ROYAL SHOPPING though a small portion still functions as a railway station.
Entrance to The Windsor Royal Shopping The station is situated opposite the main entrance of the Windsor Castle on the high street. Inside the Windsor Royal Shopping you will also find pubs and eating places.
Pub inside the complex
| |
| Visiting Windsor Castle |
Visiting the Castle
The Windsor Castle is a large castle, hence keep at least 2 to 3 hours free for this visit. The castle is open on all days except Garter Day, Easter, Christmas and an other couple of days. Opening times and access may be restricted at certain times of the year due to state functions. For accurate information, and ticket prices, see the
Official Royal Website - visitors information page
Official Visiting Hours
9.45 AM to 15.00 Hrs
Ticket Information
| Ticket Type |
Ticket Tariff |
| Adult (2009) |
£15.50 per ticket |
| Adult during closure of State Apartments (2009) |
£8.50 per ticket |
| Child (2009) |
£9.00 per ticket |
| Child during closure of State Apartments (2009) |
£5.50 per ticket |
| Concession - Senior/Student (2009) |
£14.00 per ticket |
| Concession (Senior/Student) during closure of State Apartments (2009) |
£7.50 per ticket |
| Concession Group of 15 people or more (2009) |
£12.60 per ticket |
| Concession Group of 15 people or more during closure of the State Apartments (2009) |
£6.75 per ticket |
| Family - 2 adults/up to 3 children (2009) |
£41.00 per ticket |
| Family - 2 adults/up to 3 children during closure of State Apartments (2009) |
£22.50 per ticket |
| Group of 15 or more children (2009) |
£8.10 per ticket |
| Group of 15 or more children during closure of the State Apartments (2009) |
£4.95 per ticket |
| Groups of 15 people or more (2009) |
£13.95 per ticket |
| Groups of 15 people or more during closure of State Apartments (2009) |
£7.65 per ticket |
Note: Prices are a guide only and may change on a daily basis. 
There are a number of pubs and restaurants around windsor where you can relax and have a drink.
| |
Windsor Castle
