Windsor Castle

Categories: British Royal Residences | Castles in England | Grade I listed buildings | Historic houses in Berkshire | Palaces in England | Visitor attractions in Berkshire | Windsor, Berkshire

Windsor Castle is, along with Buckingham Palace in London and Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, one of the principal official residences of the British monarch. Queen Elizabeth II stays there on many weekends of the year, as well as during the prestigious Royal Meeting at the nearby Ascot Racecourse. It claims the distinction of being the largest occupied castle in the world, and among the oldest.

Location and architecture

The castle is located in the Berkshire town of Windsor, in the Thames Valley to the west of London. Eton College is located about a mile to its north. It was originally built by William the Conqueror to act as a line of defence for London and has since had many additions and improvements. King Edward III made its St George's Chapel the home of the Order of the Garter in 1348. Today the inhabited wing of the castle mostly dates to within the last two centuries, much of it built under George IV.

The castle's layout dates back to the mediaeval fortifications. The lower ward (at the bottom of the accompanying illustration) is home to St. George's Chapel, while the upper ward (at the top) contains the royal apartments and grand state rooms (such as St. George's Hall, whose ceiling is decorated with the coats of arms of all the knights of the garter). The two wards are separated by the Round Tower, a descendant of the original motte of William the Conqueror's castle. The immediate environs of the castle called "The Home Park" also contains the school (St.Georges, Windsor Castle) that provides choristers to the Chapel. The castle lies within the heart of the more extensive - though now sadly depleted - Windsor Great Park.

One of the most popular tourist attractions at Windsor Castle is Queen Mary's Dolls' House, a 1:12 model (designed by Edwin Lutyens) of a house suitable for a monarch in the early 20th century.

Historical events in the castle

Some of the important events which have occurred at Windsor Castle:

• the marriage of Henry I of England and his second wife, Adeliza (1121)
• the birth of King Edward III of England (1312)
• the marriage of Edward, the Black Prince and Joan of Kent (1361)
• the burial of King Edward IV of England (1483)
• the marriage of the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Alexandra of Denmark (1863)
• the burial of King George VI of the United Kingdom (1952)
• the marriage of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Sophie Rhys-Jones (1999)
• the burial of Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (2002)
• the death and burial of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (2002)
• the twenty-first birthday of Prince William of Wales (2003)
• the blessing of the marriage of Prince Charles of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles (2005)

During the first world war, the royal family felt the need to change its dynasty name from the German "House of Saxe Coburg-Gotha" (though that name had rarely been used except by genealogists); they took their new name from the castle, becoming the "House of Windsor."

The Great Fire of 1992

see main article: Windsor Castle fire, 1992.

On 20 November 1992, a significant part of the upper ward of Windsor Castle (including St George's hall) was damaged by fire. The fire started in the Private Chapel, raged for 15 hours, and seriously damaged the northwest side of the building. An investigation found that the fire was ignited after a spotlight came into contact with a curtain over an extended period. Buckingham Palace was opened to the public for two months each summer to help to pay for the restoration of Windsor Castle, and this innovation has become permanent. The restoration work resulted in significant improvements, particularly to the arrangements of the public rooms, and the service quarters.

Security

Although this has been less well publicised than Buckingham Palace, security at Windsor Castle has occasionally been breached, most recently when an intruder 'gate-crashed' the birthday party for Prince William. Police from the Thames Valley Police and from the Royalty and Diplomatic Protection Department of the London Metropolitan Police provide the main element of physical security. The Windsor Castle Guard of the Foot Guards of the Household Division, provided by a public duties battalion in London, or by the battalion at Victoria Barracks, Windsor, contributes to this.

The Foot Guards battalion at Victoria Barracks, a quarter of a mile from the Castle, is supported by the armoured reconnaissance squadron of the Household Cavalry based at Combermere Barracks, Windsor, one mile from the Castle.

Life in the castle

Queen Elizabeth II uses the castle as her principal home, as have most Sovereigns for the past 1,000 years. The castle is in the charge of the Constable and Governor, and the day-to-day operations are under the Superintendent, who is an officer of the Master of the Household's Department of the Royal Household.

The Constable receives no salary, but has a residence in the Castle. From 1833 to 1957 the office was mostly filled by a member of the Royal Family, but now it is held by a senior retired officer of the armed forces of the Crown. He is the representative of the Lord Chamberlain within the Castle. The Constable also has nominal charge of its garrison, including the Windsor Castle Guard of the Foot Guards of the Household Division, as well as of the Military Knights of Windsor. The posts of Constable and Governor have been joined since 1660.

There was a Deputy Constable and Lieutenant-Governor from 1833 to 1989. From 1964 he was also Governor of the Military Knights of Windsor, until the office was abolished in 1989. At one time there was also a separate Constable of the Round Tower. From 1928 to 1935 this was held jointly with the post of Deputy Constable.

List of Constables and Governors of Windsor Castle

• Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Johns (2000-)
• General Sir Patrick Palmer (1992-2000)
• Admiral Sir David Hallifax (1988-1992)
• Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir John Grandy (1978-1988)
• Marshal of the Royal Air Force The Rt Hon. The Lord Elworthy (1971-1978)
• Field Marshal The Rt Hon. The Viscount Slim (1964-1970)
• vacant (1957-1964)
• Major-General The Rt Hon. The Earl of Athlone (1931-1957)
• The Rt Hon. The Viscount Esher (1928-1930)
• Lieutenant-Colonel The Most Hon. The Marquess of Cambridge (1914-1927)
• His Grace The Duke of Argyll (1892-1914)
• Vice-Admiral His Serene Highness Prince Victor of Hohenlohe (1867-1891)
• Field Marshal His Royal Highness The Prince Consort (1843-1861)
• His Royal Highness The Duke of Sussex (1842-1843)
• Major-General The Rt Hon. The Earl of Munster (1833-1842)
• The Most Hon. The Marquess Conyngham (1829-1833)
• The Rt Hon. The Earl of Harrington (1812-1829)

incomplete -

• His Grace The Duke of Montagu (1752-1790)
• Duke of St Albans c.1730
• Viscount Cobham (1st) 1716-1723
• HRH Prince Rupert of the Rhine 1668-1682
• Viscount Mordaunt -1668
• Bulstrode Whitelock c.1660
• Duke of Buckingham (1st) -1628
• Earl of Leicester 1558-
• Thomas Windesor c.1483
• Geoffrey de Langele c.1264
• Engelhard de Cygony c.1223
• Hugh de Pudsey, Earl of Northumberland and Bishop of Durham c.1190
• Richard de Lucy c.1154
• William Longchamp Bishop of Ely

List of Deputy Constables and Lieutenant-Governors of Windsor Castle

• Major-General Sir Peter Gillett, KCVO CB CBE 1978-1989
• Major-General Sir Edmund Hakewill-Smith, KCVO CB CBE MC 1964-1978
• Field Marshal Viscount Slim, KG GCB GCMG GCVO GBE DSO MC 1963-1964
• Lieutenant-General the Rt Hon Bernard Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg, VC GCMG KCB KBE DSO PC 1953-1963
• Colonel the Rt Hon Lord Wigram, GCB GCVO CSI PC 1936-1945
• Sir Frederick Ponsonby, GCB GCVO 1928-1935
• Rt Hon Viscount Esher, GCB GCVO PC 1901-1928

incomplete -

• Major-General George Scott (Deputy Governor) c.1782

External links

• Royal Residences: Windsor Castle
• Official Windsor site
• Windsor and Eton travel site

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