Windsor, England UK
Windsor Castle
The view as we came around the side of the castle.
It was a beautiful sunny day in Windsor the day we visited. As we arrived, we were able to watch the changing of the guard. After we watched that, we walked around and took pictures. Then we went into Saint George's Chapel. That was beautiful. Lastly we went into town and went to Madam Toussauds wax museum. I'm not a wax museum person. It's like watching dead people. Freaking and boring.
Entryway to the Castle
I remember the tourist guide talking about the airplanes that fly near or over Windsor Castle. At some point, an uneducated person who was visiting the castle stated "I don't understand why they would build a castle so close to the airport". Hmmmmmm, yeah. The castle was built 100s or years ago. Gatwick Airport - First flight was 1905 in North Carolina. So...there you go.....heres your sign.
Another tourist guide told us that the speed bumps are called 'Sleeping policeman" over in England. LOVE IT!
Tessa W and another Mark. Taking pictures and having tons of fun. Oh to go back to the 1980s. I took this picture as well as the next five.
This is one of my favorite pictures that I took. The castle without the people and all the lovely landscaping. If I'd had a really top notch camera this would be on my wall at home.
Madam Troussauds Wax Museum
Queen Victoria's Carriage
Saint George's Chapel
These are both internet pictures. I didn't take a picture inside the chapel. I remember being tired and sitting inside the chapel and absolutely love love love the black and white flooring in the chapel and Cathedral.
Windsor
Wikipedia
Windsor (/ˈwɪnzər/) is a historic market town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family.
The town is situated 21 miles (34 km)[1] west of Charing Cross, London, 7 miles (11 km) south east of Maidenhead, and 21 miles (34 km) east of the county town of Reading. It is immediately south of the River Thames, which forms its boundary with its ancient twin town of Eton. The village of Old Windsor, just over 2 miles (3 km) to the south, predates what is now called Windsor by around 300 years; in the past Windsor was formally referred to as New Windsor to distinguish the two.
Etymology
Windlesora is first mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. (The settlement had an earlier name but this is unknown.) The name originates from old English Windles-ore or winch by the riverside.[3][4][5] By 1110, meetings of the Great Council, which had previously taken place at Windlesora, were noted as taking place at the Castle – referred to as New Windsor, probably to indicate that it was a two ward castle/borough complex, similar to other early castle designs, such as Denbigh. By the late 12th century the settlement at Windelsora was renamed Old Windsor.
History
Windsor Castle, viewed from the Long Walk
Norman period
The early history of the site is unknown, although it was almost certainly settled some years before 1070 when William the Conqueror had a timber motte and bailey castle constructed.[6] The focus of royal interest at that time was not the castle, however, but a small riverside settlement about 3 miles (5 km) downstream, possibly established from the 7th century. From about the 8th century, high status people started to visit the site occasionally, and possibly this included royalty. From the 11th century the site's link with king Edward the Confessor is documented, but again, information about his use of the place is scant. After the Conquest of 1066 royal use of the site increased, probably because it offered good access to woodlands and opportunities for hunting – a sport which also practised military skills.
Windsor Castle is noted in the Domesday Book under the entry for Clewer, the neighbouring manor to Windsor. Although this might seem strange, it occurred because plans for the castle had changed since 1070, and more land had been acquired in Clewer on which to site a castle town. This plan was not actioned until the early 12th century. Henry I – according to one chronicle – had rebuilt it, and this followed the Norman kings' actions at other royal sites, such as Westminster, where larger and more magnificent accommodation was thought necessary for the new dynasty. King Henry married his second wife at Windsor Castle in 1121, after the White Ship disaster.
Plantagenet period
The settlement at Old Windsor largely transferred to New Windsor during the 12th century, although substantial planning and setting out of the new town (including the parish church, marketplace, bridge, hermitage and leper hospital) did not take place until c. 1170, under Henry II, following the civil war of Stephen's reign. At about the same time, the present upper ward of the castle was rebuilt in stone. Windsor Bridge is the earliest bridge on the Thames between Staines and Reading, built at a time when bridge building was rare; it was first documented in 1191, but had probably been built, according to the Pipe rolls, in 1173. It played an important part in the national road system, linking London with Reading and Winchester, but also, by diverting traffic into the new town, it underpinned the success of its fledgling economy.
The town of New Windsor, as an ancient demesne of the Crown, was a privileged settlement from the start, apparently having the rights of a 'free borough', for which other towns had to pay substantial fees to the king. It had a merchant guild (known by the 14th century as the Fraternity or brotherhood of the Holy Trinity) from the early 13th century and, under royal patronage, was made the chief town of the county in 1277, as part of its grant of royal borough status by Edward I's charter. Somewhat unusually, this charter gave no new rights or privileges to Windsor but probably codified the rights which it had enjoyed for many years. Windsor's position as chief town of Berkshire was short-lived, however, as people found it difficult to reach. Wallingford took over this position in the early 14th century. As a self-governing town Windsor enjoyed a number of freedoms unavailable to other towns, including the right to hold its own borough court, the right of membership (or 'freedom') and some financial independence. The town accounts of the 16th century survive in part, although most of the once substantial borough archive dating back to the 12th century was destroyed, probably in the late 17th century.
The Last Supper by Franz de Cleyn in the West Gallery of Windsor parish church of St John The Baptist.[7]
New Windsor was a nationally significant town in the Middle Ages, certainly one of the fifty wealthiest towns in the country by 1332. Its prosperity came from its close association with the royal household. The repeated investment in the castle brought London merchants (goldsmiths, vintners, spicers and mercers) to the town in the late 13th century and provided much employment for townsmen. The development of the castle under Edward III, between 1350–68, was the largest secular building project in England of the Middle Ages, and many Windsor people worked on this project, again bringing great wealth to the town. Although the Black Death in 1348 had reduced some towns' populations by up to 50%, in Windsor the building projects of Edward III brought money to the town, and possibly its population doubled: this was a 'boom' time for the local economy. People came to the town from every part of the country, and from continental Europe. The poet Geoffrey Chaucer held the honorific post of 'Clerk of the Works' at Windsor Castle in 1391.
The development of the castle continued in the late 15th century with the rebuilding of St George's Chapel. With this Windsor became a major pilgrimage destination, particularly for Londoners. Pilgrims came to touch the royal shrine of the murdered Henry VI, the fragment of the True Cross and other important relics. Visits to the chapel were probably combined with a visit to the important nearby Marian shrine and college at Eton, founded by Henry VI in 1440, and dedicated to the Assumption; which is now better known as Eton College. Pilgrims came with substantial sums to spend. From perhaps two or three named inns in the late 15th century, some 30 can be identified a century later. The town again grew in wealth. For London pilgrims, Windsor was probably – but briefly – of greater importance than Canterbury and the shrine of the City's patron Saint Thomas Becket.
Tudor and Stuart periods
The Market Place and Windsor Guildhall
With the closures of the Reformation, however, Windsor's pilgrim traffic died out, and the town began to stagnate about ten years afterwards. The castle was considered old-fashioned and shrines to the dead were thought to be superstitious. The early modern period formed a stark contrast to the medieval history of the town. Henry VIII was buried in St George's Chapel in 1547, next to Jane Seymour, the mother of his only legitimate son, Edward (Edward VI). Henry, the founder of the Church of England, may have wanted to benefit from the stream of pilgrims coming to the town. His will gives that impression.
Most accounts of Windsor in the 16th and 17th centuries talk of its poverty, badly made streets and poor housing. Shakespeare's play The Merry Wives of Windsor is set in Windsor and contains many references to parts of the town and the surrounding countryside. Shakespeare must have walked the town's streets, near the castle and river, much as people still do. The play may have been written in the Garter Inn, opposite the Castle, but this was destroyed by fire in the late 17th century. The long-standing – and famous – courtesan of king Charles II, Nell Gwyn, was given a house on St Albans Street: Burford House (now part of the Royal Mews). Her residence in this house, as far as it is possible to tell, was brief. Only one of her letters addressed from Burford House survives: it was probably intended as a legacy for her illegitimate son, the Earl of Burford, later the Duke of St Albans.
Windsor was garrisoned by Colonel Venn during the English Civil War. Later it became the home of the New Model Army when Venn had left the castle in 1645. Despite its royal dependence, like many commercial centres, Windsor was a Parliamentarian town. Charles I was buried without ceremony in St George's Chapel after his execution at Whitehall in 1649. The present Guildhall, built in 1680–91, replaced an earlier market house that had been built on the same site around 1580, as well as the old guildhall, which faced the castle and had been built around 1350. The contraction in the number of old public buildings speaks of a town 'clearing the decks', ready for a renewed period of prosperity with Charles II's return to the Castle. But his successors did not use the place, and as the town was short of money, the planned new civic buildings did not appear. The town continued in poverty until the mid 19th century.
In 1652 the largest house in Windsor Great Park was built on land which Oliver Cromwell had appropriated from the Crown. Now known as Cumberland Lodge after the Duke of Cumberland's residence there in the mid 18th century, the house was variously known as Byfield House, New Lodge, Ranger's Lodge, Windsor Lodge and Great Lodge.[8]
Georgian and Victorian periods
Photochrom of Windsor and Windsor Castle looking across the Thames, 1895
In 1778, there was a resumption of the royal presence, with George III at the Queen's Lodge and, from 1804, at the castle. This started a period of new development in Windsor, with the building of two army barracks. However the associated large numbers of soldiers led to a major prostitution problem by 1830, in a town where the number of streets had little changed since 1530. In the 18th c. the town traded with London selling the Windsor Chair which was actually made in Buckinghamshire.
A number of fine houses were built in this period, including Hadleigh House on Sheet Street, which was built in 1793 by the then Mayor of Windsor, William Thomas. In 1811 it was the home of John O'Reilly, the apothecary-surgeon to George III.
Windsor Castle was the westernmost sighting-point for the Anglo-French Survey (1784–1790), which measured the precise distance between the Royal Greenwich Observatory and the Paris Observatory by trigonometry. Windsor was used because of its relative proximity to the base-line of the survey at Hounslow Heath.
The substantial redevelopment of the castle in the subsequent decade and Queen Victoria's residence from 1840, as well as the coming of two railways in 1849, signalled the most dramatic changes in the town's history. These events catapulted the town from a sleepy medieval has-been to the centre of empire – many European crowned heads of state came to Windsor to visit the Queen throughout the rest of the 19th century. Unfortunately, excessive redevelopment and 'refurbishment' of Windsor's medieval fabric at this time resulted in widespread destruction of the old town, including the demolition of the old parish church of St John the Baptist in 1820. The original had been built around 1135.
Later periods
Most of the current town's streets date from the mid to late 19th century.[9] However the main street, Peascod Street ( /ˈpɛskɒd/) is very ancient, predating the castle by many years, and probably of Saxon origin. It formed part of the 10th-century parish structure in east Berkshire[citation needed] and is first referred to as Peascroftstret in c. 1170. The 1000-year-old royal Castle, although the largest and longest-occupied in Europe, is a recent development in comparison. "New Windsor" was officially renamed "Windsor" in 1974.
Religion
St John the Baptist's parish church
All Saints' parish church
The original parish church of Windsor is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist and is situated adjacent to the High Street. The church is said to have dated from the time that King Henry I moved the Royal Court to the Castle site from Old Windsor to ‘New Windsor’. By the reign of Henry II (c. 1110), the church was clearly established as there are references to its existence and its previous incumbents.[10]
In 1543, the three Windsor Martyrs, Churchwarden Henry Filmer, Robert Testwood and Anthony Pearson were burnt at the stake nearby in Deanery Gardens.[10]
The ancient building had Saxon arches and Norman work and by the 18th century it was ‘a vast building with 10 side altars and several chantries’ and perhaps 8 gabled roofs. A central tower, surmounted by a wooden cage containing the bells, supported a small spire.[10]
By all accounts, in 1818 the high cost of repairs to the old building (£1400) brought forward plans for a complete rebuild at a cost of £14,000. Charles Hollis was appointed architect and, between 1820-22, the new building was erected with cast iron columns that were floated down the Thames. The ribs that support the roof are also cast iron. The new church, Gothic in style with a pinnacle tower containing the bells, was finally consecrated on 22nd June 1822 by the Bishop of Salisbury.[10]
In 1870 the chancel and the apse were added by the noted church architect Samuel S Teulon. HRH Princess Christian and 70 clergy attended the opening. The chancel screen was added in 1898 as a thank offering for the 60 year reign of Queen Victoria. In 1906 the Hunter Organ was installed. To allow for its installation, the north side gallery was reduced in length.[10]
The more recent parish church of All Saints' is situated on Frances Road. The incumbent vicar is the Revd Ainsley Swift.[11] The author Thomas Hardy trained as an architect and joined Arthur Blomfield's practice as assistant architect in April 1862. Between 1862 and 1864 he worked with Blomfield on All Saints'.[12] A reredos, possibly designed by Hardy, was discovered behind panelling at All Saints' in August 2016.[13][14]
Tourism
Entrance to Legoland Windsor Resort
As a result of the castle, Windsor is a popular tourist destination and has facilities usually found in larger towns: two railway stations, a theatre and several substantial hotels. Various boat trips operate on the River Thames, with connections to Maidenhead and Staines-upon-Thames. In winter, Alexandra Gardens hosts a temporary ice rink.[15]
Near the town is Legoland Windsor, the only Legoland park in the United Kingdom and the largest Legoland park in the world in terms of area. Legoland Windsor was built on the site of the former Windsor Safari Park.
Shopping
Central Station refashioned as a shopping precinct
As a tourist town there are many gift shops around the castle, together with shops and restaurants in Windsor Royal Shopping[16] inside Windsor & Eton Central railway station. The main shopping street, Peascod Street, includes an independent department store, W J Daniel & Co., noted for its large toy department, as well as national chains such as Marks & Spencer and Boots. King Edward Court,[17] a pedestrian-only shopping centre, has a Waitrose supermarket alongside other stores including H&M, Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe, New Look and Zara.
Transport
Windsor & Eton Riverside railway station
Windsor is accessible from Junction 6 of the M4 and from Slough via a 3 mile long dual carriageway. Bus services in the town are mostly provided by First Berkshire & The Thames Valley, although a park-and-ride service and one local route are operated by Courtney Coaches.
Windsor has two railway stations. Windsor & Eton Central railway station has a shuttle service to Slough. Windsor & Eton Riverside station provides a service to London Waterloo. Both stations were built at around the same time in the 19th century, as the two train companies which owned the lines both wanted to carry Queen Victoria to Windsor, with the first line opened gaining the privilege.[18] From 1883 to 1885, the London Underground's District line's westbound service ran as far as Windsor.
Windsor has frequent bus services to/from London Heathrow Airport, Victoria Coach Station in central London and Legoland Windsor Resort.[19]
Windsor is linked to the town of Eton (on the opposite bank of the River Thames) by Windsor Bridge. Originally a fully trafficked road bridge, Windsor Bridge is now for pedestrians and cyclists only. To the south of the town lies Windsor Great Park and the towns of Old Windsor, Egham and Virginia Water.
Windsor lies on National Cycle Route 4 (London – St David's). The main access roads serving the town have adjacent cycle paths or nearby alternative traffic-free cycle routes.
Notable residents
HM Queen Elizabeth II
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As well as HM Queen Elizabeth II and other British Royal Family members, Windsor has many other notable residents both former and current.
Comedian Billy Connolly lived in Windsor for several years in the 1990s.
Australian pop singer Natalie Imbruglia owns a house on White Lilies Island in the Clewer village area of Windsor.
New Zealand motorcycle racer Bruce Anstey has a home in Windsor, and spends some of his time there with his partner, Anny.[20]
Actor Michael Caine lived at the Old Mill House at the end of Mill Lane, Windsor during the 1960s and 1970s. The house was subsequently sold to guitarist Jimmy Page, of the rock band Led Zeppelin, who sold the property in 2004.
Chelsea and England footballer Peter Osgood was born and resided for many years in Windsor.
Dhani Harrison, musician and son of George Harrison, was born in Windsor.
Circus Co-Owner Billy Smart Jr. lived in St. Leonard's Mansion in heart of Windsor Safari Park, where he entertained celebrated persons from Princess Margaret to The Beatles. Also sold his St. Leonard's Hill guest house to comedian Freddie Starr and later lived in Ascot Place, which is now apartments and has a plaque and statue dedicated to Billy Smart Jr.
Margaret Oliphant, 19th century novelist and historical writer, lived at Clarence Crescent. Today the house is named "Oliphant House".
Ranulph Fiennes, adventurer, explorer and author was born in Windsor.
Full size replica Hurricane at Windsor which was the boyhood home of Sir Sydney Camm
Sir Sydney Camm, designer of the World War II fighter aircraft the Hawker Hurricane, lived at 10 Alma Road. A memorial in the form of a replica Hawker Hurricane is displayed near Baths Island, close to where the Slough to Windsor & Eton railway line crosses the River Thames.[21]
Zinzan Brooke, New Zealand rugby union international, who formerly played amateur rugby for Windsor Rugby Football Club.
Hugh Thomas, historian, was born in Windsor.[citation needed]
Sport
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Windsor's senior football team is Windsor F.C. The team currently play in the Combined Counties League Premier Division and their home is Stag Meadow, granted to the original club by King George VI in 1911. The ground, in Windsor Great Park, is one of the most iconic football locations in the UK. The club's president is the famous BBC commentator Barry Davies.
Windsor Cricket Club's clubhouse and pitches are at Home Park in the shadow of Windsor Castle. The club played host to a 2006 Lord's Taverners cricket match. The Windsor 1st team currently play in Division 2A of the Thames Valley League.
Neighbours, Windsor Rugby Club also use the ground and the team currently plays in the Southern Counties – South Division.
Several other local sports clubs are based at Home Park, including: Hockey and archery clubs, and the Datchet Dashers running club.
Royal Windsor Rollergirls were one of the first roller derby leagues to be founded in the UK in 2007, they regularly hold games at Windsor Leisure Centre.
Education
State schooling is provided by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead through a system of three-tier schools. The town is served by 11 first schools for children aged up to 9 years old. From here, they attend one of 4 middle schools until the age of 13:
Dedworth Middle School
St Edward's Royal Free Ecumenical Middle School
Trevelyan Middle School
Pupils aged 13 – 18 are provided for at the town's two single-sex secondary schools:
The Windsor Boys' School
Windsor Girls' School
In addition, several independent schools operate in the town, including:
Brigidine School
St George's School, Windsor Castle
Politics
Windsor Seal
For more details on this topic, see Windsor (UK Parliament constituency).
Windsor is part of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead which is administered by an elected unitary authority. The mayor is Cllr John Lenton (Conservative).
The current Member of Parliament for the Windsor constituency (which includes surrounding small towns and villages, such as Eton and Datchet) is Adam Afriyie (Conservative), who was elected at the 2005 General Election. Afriyie is notable for being the first black Conservative in the House of Commons.
In 2012 the council reintroduced the role of town crier to the Borough. The previous town crier had retired in 1892 and for 110 years the post remained vacant.[22]
Twin towns
Windsor is twinned with:
Germany Goslar, Lower Saxony, Germany (since 1969)
France Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de- Seine, France (since 1955)
St George's Chapel - Windsor Castle
St George's Chapel is the place of worship at
Windsor Castle in England, United Kingdom. It is both a
royal peculiar and the chapel of the
Order of the Garter. The chapel is governed by the
dean and Canons of Windsor.
The
chapel is located in the Lower Ward of the castle, which is one of the principal residences of
Queen Elizabeth II. Additionally, this place is the
planned burial site for the queen.
The day-to-day running of the chapel is the responsibility of the religious
College of St George, which is directed by a
chapter of the
dean and four
canons, assisted by a
clerk, virger (traditional spelling of
verger) and other staffers.
The Society of the Friends of St George's and Descendants of the Knights of the Garter, a registered charity, was established in 1931 to assist the College in maintaining the chapel.
History
St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, left, 1848, showing the absence of the King's Beasts on the
pinnacles.
In 1348,
King Edward III
founded two new religious colleges: St Stephen's at Westminster and St
George's at Windsor. The new college at Windsor was attached to the
Chapel of St Edward the Confessor which had been constructed by
Henry III in the early thirteenth century. The chapel was then rededicated to the
Blessed Virgin Mary,
St Edward the Confessor and
St George the Martyr. Edward III also built the
Aerary Porch in 1353–1354. It was used as the entrance to the new college.
The
Quire of St George's Chapel, by Charles Wild, from
W.H. Pyne's
Royal Residences, 1818.
St George's Chapel became the
Mother Church of the
Order of the Garter, and a special service is still held in the chapel every June and is attended by the members of the order. Their
heraldic banners hang above the upper stalls of the
choir where they have a seat for life.
The period 1475–1528 saw a radical redevelopment of St George's Chapel, set in motion by
Edward IV and continued by
Henry VII and
Henry VIII. The thirteenth century Chapel of
St Edward the Confessor was expanded into a huge new Cathedral-like chapel under the supervision of
Richard Beauchamp,
Bishop of Salisbury,
and the direction of the master mason Henry Janyns. The Horseshoe
Cloister was constructed for the new community of 45 junior members: 16
vicars, a deacon gospeller, 13 lay clerks, 2 clerks epistoler and 13
choristers.
St George's Chapel was a popular destination for pilgrims during the
late medieval period. The chapel was purported to contain several
important
relics: the bodies of
John Schorne and
Henry VI of England and a fragment of the
True Cross held in a
reliquary called the Cross of Gneth. These relics all appear to have been displayed at the east end of the south choir aisle.
The Chapel suffered a great deal of destruction during the
English Civil War.
Parliamentary forces broke into and plundered the chapel and treasury
on 23 October 1642. Further pillaging occurred in 1643 when the
fifteenth-century chapter house was destroyed, lead was stripped off the
chapel roofs, and elements of
Henry VIII's unfinished funeral monument were stolen. Following his execution in 1649,
Charles I was buried in a small vault in the centre of the choir at St George's Chapel which also contained the coffins of
Henry VIII and
Jane Seymour. A programme of repair was undertaken at St George's Chapel following the
Restoration of the monarchy.
The reign of
Queen Victoria saw further changes made to the architecture of the chapel. The east end of the choir was reworked in devotion to
Prince Albert; the Lady Chapel, which had been abandoned by
Henry VII, was completed; a royal mausoleum was completed underneath the
Lady Chapel; and a set of steps were built at the west end of the chapel to create a ceremonial entrance to the building.
Queen's Beasts
The "Beasts" shown atop the pinnacles
On the roof of the chapel, standing on the pinnacles, and also on
pinnacles on the sides, are seventy-six heraldic statues representing
the Queen's (or King's) Beasts. They represent fourteen of the heraldic
animals: the
lion of
England, the
red dragon of
Wales, the
panther of
Jane Seymour, the
falcon of
York, the black bull of
Clarence, the
yale of
Beaufort, the white lion of
Mortimer, the
greyhound of Richmond, the white
hart of
Richard II, the collared silver
antelope of Bohun, the black dragon of
Ulster, the white
swan of Hereford, the
unicorn of
Edward III and the golden
hind of
Kent.
[1]
The original beasts dated from the sixteenth century, but were removed in 1682 on the advice of Sir
Christopher Wren. Wren had condemned the
Reigate
stone, the calcareous sandstone of which they were constructed. The
present statues date from 1925, when the chapel was restored.
[2][3]
Garter Service
Emblem of the Order of the Garter
Members of the Order meet at Windsor Castle every June for the annual
Garter Service. After lunch in the State Apartments in the Upper Ward
of the Castle they process on foot, wearing their robes and insignia,
down to St George's Chapel where the service is held. If any new members
have been admitted to the Order they are installed at the service.
After the service, the members of the order return to the Upper Ward by
carriage or car.
Members of the public outside St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, waiting to watch the Garter Procession
The Order once enjoyed frequent services at the chapel, but, after
becoming infrequent in the 18th century, they were discontinued after
1805. The ceremony was revived in 1948 by
King George VI for the 600th anniversary of the founding of the Order, and has since become an annual event.
Heraldry
After
their installation, members are each assigned a stall in the chapel
choir above which his or her heraldic devices are displayed.
A member's sword is placed below a helm which is decorated with a mantling and topped by a crest,
coronet or crown. Above this, a member's heraldic
banner is flown emblazoned with his or her
arms. A
Garter stall plate,
a small elaborately enamelled plate of brass, is affixed to the back of
the stall displaying its member's name and arms with other
inscriptions.
On a member's death, the sword, helm, mantling, crest, coronet or
crown, and banner are removed. A ceremony marking the death of the late
member must be held before the stall can be assigned to anyone else.
This ceremony takes place in the chapel, during which the
Military Knights of Windsor carry the banner of the deceased member and offer it to the
Dean of Windsor, who places it on the altar.
The stall plates, however, are not removed; rather, they remain
permanently affixed somewhere about the stall, so the stalls of the
chapel are festooned with a colourful record of the members throughout
history.
Chantries
Choir of St George's Chapel
St George's Windsor is among the most important and ambitious medieval
chantry foundations to have survived in England. The college, itself a medieval
chantry,
also contains a number of independent chantries in the form of altars
and small chapels dedicated to various members of the English monarchy
and also to a number of prominent courtiers, deans and canons. Masses,
the Office and prayers would be offered in these chantries for the good
of the founder. Interestingly, Henry VIII had intended a chantry to be
set up in the Chapel, despite the fact that he instituted the religious
changes which brought about the Reformation in England and the eventual
suppression of chantries.
The much admired iron gates in the sanctuary of the chapel as well as
the locks on the doors of the chapel are the work of the Cornish
metalsmith
John Tresilian.
[4]
The status of the college as a royal foundation saved it from
dissolution at the Reformation. As a result, many of the smaller
chantries within the chapel were preserved. These are the only remaining
chantries of their kind in England which have never formally been
suppressed.
Rutland/St Ledger Chantry
The St Ledger
Chantry, forming the northern transept of St. George's Chapel, was founded in 1481
[5] by
Thomas St. Leger (c.1440–1483), second husband of
Anne of York, Duchess of Exeter (1439–1476), the eldest surviving daughter of
Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and thus elder sister to Kings
Edward IV (1461–1483) and
Richard III (1483–1485). It was later named the Rutland Chantry in honour of Anne's son-in-law
George Manners, 11th Baron de Ros (whose effigy, with that of his wife Anne St Ledger, is situated in the chantry), father of
Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland. A
Monumental brass
in memory of Anne of York and her husband Sir Thomas St Ledger survives
on the east wall of the St Ledger Chantry, the inscription of which
records that the chantry was founded "with two priests singing
forevermore":
"Wythin thys Chappell lyethe beryed Anne Duchess of Exetur suster
unto the noble kyng Edward the forte. And also the body of syr Thomas
Sellynger knyght her husband which hathe funde within thys College a
Chauntre with too prestys sy’gyng for ev’more. On whose soule god have
mercy. The wych Anne duchess dyed in the yere of oure lorde M Thowsande
CCCCl xxv"
Weddings
The chapel has been the site of many royal weddings, particularly of the children of Queen Victoria. These weddings include:
Burials
The chapel has been the site of many royal funerals and interments. Persons interred here include:
Altar
- Edward IV, King of England (1461–1470; 1471–1483), in 1483
- Henry VI, King of England (1422–1461; 1470–1471), (reburial) in 1484
- Elizabeth Woodville, Queen Consort of Edward IV (1464–1483), on 12 June 1492
- Edward VII, King of the United Kingdom (1901–1910), on 20 May 1910
- Alexandra of Denmark, spouse of Edward VII (1863–1910), on 28 November 1925
- George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Bedford
- Mary of York
- the coffins of two unidentified children suggested to be Princes in the Tower
Quire
- Jane Seymour, Queen of England, in 1537
- Henry VIII, King of England and Ireland, in 1547
- Charles I, King of England, Scotland and Ireland, in 1649
- Stillborn son of Queen Anne (last monarch of the House of Stuart), in 1698.[6]
Royal Vault
- Princess Amelia of the United Kingdom in 1810
- Princess Augusta, Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel in 1813
- Princess Charlotte of Wales in 1817
- Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen Consort of the United Kingdom, in 1818
- George III, King of the United Kingdom, in 1820
- Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn in 1820
- Princess Elizabeth of Clarence in 1821
- Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany in 1827
- George IV, King of the United Kingdom, in 1830
- William IV, King of the United Kingdom, in 1837
- Princess Augusta Sophia of the United Kingdom in 1840
- Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, Queen of the United Kingdom, in 1849
- Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge (1774–1850) (reburial) in 1930
- George V, King of Hanover, in 1878
- Princess Augusta of Hesse-Cassel (1797–1889) (reburial) in 1930
- Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge in 1897
- Francis, Duke of Teck in 1900
Near West Door
King George VI Memorial Chapel (North Nave Aisle)
Albert Memorial Chapel
Other
- William, 1st Baron Hastings (1431–1483), a nobleman and close friend of King Edward IV; in the north aisle of St George's Chapel, next to Edward IV.
- Anne St. Leger (1476 – 21 May 1526) and her husband George Manners, 11th Baron de Ros (22 Aug 1465 – 23 Oct 1513) in the private Rutland Chapel [8]
- Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, in 1545
- Christopher Villiers, 1st Earl of Anglesey, in 1631
- Henry Somerset, 1st Duke of Beaufort (1629–1700) and his ancestors in the private Beaufort Chapel; the original monument by Grinling Gibbons was moved to St Michael and All Angels Church, Badminton, in 1878.[9]
- Very Revd Dr Penyston Booth (1681–1765), Dean of Windsor
- Dejazmatch Alemayehu Tewodros, son of Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia, on 21 November 1879
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Changing the Windsor Castle Guard
Changing the Windsor Castle Guard,
takes place in the spectacular surroundings of the oldest and largest
occupied castle in the world.
Traffic is stopped and the bustling High Street
is transformed into a Parade Ground, lined by residents and visitors,
waiting to see the Guards led by a Regimental Band march to and from
changing the Windsor Castle Guard.
To see the Changing the Guard ceremony inside the
castle, where the Regiment, who have been on duty for the previous 24
or 48 hours handover to the New Guard, you will need to purchase a
Windsor Castle ticket.
Unless The Queen is in official residence the
Windsor Castle Guard change ceremony takes place in the Lower Ward with
the New and Old Guard entering and leaving through the Henry VIII Gate.
When The Queen is in official residence the
ceremony takes place on the lawn of the Quadrangle outside the Royal
Apartments when the Guards march all the way up to the top of Castle
Hill and enter through the St George's Gate.
Following the ceremony the Old Guard and Band return along the High Street on their way back to barracks.
Irish Guards Mounting the Windsor Castle Guard
Windsor Castle Guard Change - Fast Facts
https://changing-guard.com/changing-guard-windsor-castle.html
- Changing the Windsor Castle Guard
is the ceremony where the regiment who have been on duty for the
previous 24 or 48 hours handover responsibility for protecting Windsor
Castle to the New Guard.
- The ceremony begins at 11:00 following a march by the New Guard, led by a Regimental Band, from Victoria Barracks.
- Dates and times the Windsor Castle Guard is scheduled to change are published in our calendar as soon as they have been confirmed.
Please check as changes can/do occur, sometimes at short notice.
- The Windsor Castle Guard is normally provided by one of the five regiments of Foot Guards from the Household Division, instantly recognisable in their bearskin caps and scarlet tunics.
- Musical support is provided by a Regimental Band or Corps of Drums with pipers occasionally taking part in the ceremony.
- Don't touch, impede or get to close to the Guards
they are highly trained infantry soldiers, who in addition to their
combat role undertake ceremonial duties, not actors.
- Watching the Guards and Band march to and from the Castle is free of charge.
- To see the handover ceremony, which takes place
within the Castle precincts you will need to purchase Windsor Castle
entry tickets.
Available online, recommended,or by joining the queues at the ticket office on the day.
- Ticket holders are recommend arriving at Windsor
Castle no later than 10:00 to allow sufficient time to get through the
airport style security checks before the ceremony starts.
Where to Watch
On the Parade Route
Guard Mount begins with the New Guard and Band forming
up outside the Guard Room at Victoria Barracks from where they will step
off at approximately 10:45 to march up Sheet Street, wheeling left into
the High Street, past the Parish Church and the Guildhall, then turning
right onto Castle Hill by Queen Victoria's Statue and up the hill into
Windsor Castle.
Discover what you can see, from the various locations, along the
Guards Route, complete with a map and pictures.
Inside Windsor Castle
Changing the Windsor Castle Guard normally takes place outside the Guard Room in the
Lower Ward.
Standing by the railings, just below
St George's Chapel,
will give you a good view of the ceremony. Plan to be there by 10:30,
at the latest, as when the Old Guard turn out the crowd grows quickly.
T
here are
uniformed Wardens who will point you in the right direction and provide advice.
When Her Majesty The Queen is in official residence at Windsor Castle
the ceremony takes place in the Upper Ward, on the lawn of the
Quadrangle, close to the entrance to the State Apartments.
Standing next to
St George's Gate, inside the Castle, will let you see the Guards and Band march right past you literally close enough to touch.
From the railings at
Engine Court you can see the entire ceremony with The Queen's Private Residence providing a spectacular backdrop.
From time to time other areas, including the Moat Path, are opened to let visitors watch the ceremony.
The friendly uniformed Wardens will guide you to these when available.
The Ceremony
The Windsor Castle Guard is normally provided by
one of five Regiments of Foot Guards, of the Household Division, in
their full-dress uniform of red tunics and bearskin caps accompanied by a
Regimental Band, Corps of Drums or occasionally by a Pipe Band.
Changing the Guard, also known as the Guard
Mount, begins with the Windsor Castle Guard forming up outside the Guard
Room to await the arrival of the New Guard.
(When The Queen is in Official Residence they form up on the Quadrangle, close to the entrance to the State Apartments).
The New Guard march into the Castle, behind the Band, and halt before turning to face the Windsor Castle Guard.
The New Guard slow march towards the Windsor Castle Guard with the Band playing their Regimental Slow March.
Coming to halt the
Windsor Castle Guard and New Guard 'Present Arms'
before the Captains of the Guard hand-over, with a symbolic touch of
their left hands, the Castle keys.
From that time forward the New Guard will be responsible for the security of Windsor Castle until they are relieved..
Handover complete the Band form a semi-circle and play a selection of music.
Sentries are then posted to relieve those from the old guard who have remained at their posts during the handover.
When all the sentries have been relieved and the
old guard is complete the duty bugler informs the Director of Music
that the handover is complete and the Band reforms.
Advancing towards the New Guard, to the strains
of their Regimental Slow March, the Old Guard wheel right, and as they
approach the Castle Gates break into quick time for the march back to
their barracks.
The New Guard, remaining in the Palace, is given
the order to 'Slope Arms' and is referred to from this point as 'The
Windsor Castle Guard'.
The Windsor Castle Guard then retires to the
Guard Room where the will remain on duty for 24 or 48 hours. During that
time a Guardsman will have 2 hours on sentry duty and then 4 hours off.
Getting to Windsor Castle
Windsor is 30 miles (50km) West of London.
By Train
From London you can get to Windsor from both Waterloo and Paddington stations.
Trains from Waterloo to Windsor
& Eaton Riverside Station depart every half hour throughout the day,
hourly on Sundays. The journey takes about an hour and 20 minutes.
Windsor & Eton Riverside -
About a 10 minutes walk.
Trains from Paddington to Windsor Central depart every 10 to 15 minutes throughout the day. The journey takes about 35 minutes.
You have to change trains at Slough.
By Bus
Greenline bus number 702 leaves from Victoria
Colonnades, near London Victoria Coach Station every half hour,
approximately, during the day. The journey takes about an hour.
By Car
Windsor is accessible via the major motorway networks of the M3, M4, M25 and M40
The journey time from London is approximately 40 minutes and Heathrow airport is about 15 minutes away.
Parking throughout Windsor is controlled and quite expensive.
Consider the Long Term parking if you are
visiting Windsor Castle as a 20 minute walk saves about a third of the
cost of short term parking in Windsor centre.
Another option is to use the
Park and Ride services
at Legoland Windsor or Windsor Home Park. Parking at Legoland is free.
Parking at Windsor Home Park is "pay and display". There is a small
charge for bus fare.
About Windsor Castle
Find out more about and what you can see inside
Windsor Castle
when you purchase a ticket to visit the oldest and largest occupied
castle in the world, to watch the Windsor Castle Guard change ceremony.
