Windsor Castle
Wednesday 17 April 2013
Windsor Castle is the residence for the royal family when outside of London. Quite often they are there during the Winter months and more often then not it's more of their preferred family home. It would have to be one of the most elaborate, gold encrusted and sparkling buildings I've ever seen.
One feature that stays in my mind is the vibrant green wallpaper from the early 1800 century. The colour in the wallpaper is possible from cyanide imbedded in the wallpaper and obviously for safety, there is now clear perspex covering the wallpaper to stop people touching the wallpaper and poisoning themselves.
Fun Fact: The original castle was built in the 11th century by William the Conqueror after the invasion of the Normans into England. Not until the time of Henry I it has been used by all monarchs, and is the longest occupied palace in Europe.
Windsor Castle is sectioned into different areas, some open to the public and most private to the royal family and staff:
Private areas:
The Round Tower
The Upper Ward, The Quadrangle
The State Apartments
Private Apartments
South Wing
Edward III Tower
The Curfew Tower
Open to the public:
Lower Ward
St George's Chapel
Horseshoe Cloister
King Henry VIII Gate
The Long Walk
Norman Gate
North Terrace
The grandeur, opulence, and extravagance of the Castle bedazzles your every senses. plush red carpets, guided gold, oversized paintings and gold frames, fourposter beds with handmade quilts that had taken months to make from the finest materials hundreds of years old.
Oversized hallways for the upstairs and arrow and hidden passageways for the help.
Each room has its purpose and no room used for more than one purpose. A morning room for those hours of the day, a day to take the sun in the afternoon, a room for to entertain, a room to meet visitors and I’m sure a room to breathe in and a room next door to breathe out, in.
Windsor Castle is truely an incredible statement of opulent architectural grandeur. Its gothic features, 13.5 acres of land housing a fortification, a grand palace, and the reminisce of an ancient small town.
Forgive me if I’m incorrect; however, I believe we were allowed to walk thorough the rebuilt section of the halls burnt out in the great fire of 1992. Many rooms were resurrected to represent the their original state, yet many modern materials were used and modern methods used to hide modern structural improvements.
The great dining hall is an opulent statement of times never seen by the average person. Statements of military shields telling history of the monarchy over the centuries, and a quaint museum displaying many important moments of British history were on display, including the round bullet that wounded Admiral Nelson; in the combat losing the sight of his right eye during the campaign in Corsica.
The entrance to Windsor Castle is worked by a lovely team of volunteers and workers who love their part in the history of the Castle. You can’t blame them for being so positive and excited about going to work each day at a historic location steeped in controversy and excitement, that is Windsor Castle.
My friend and I visited during the week, hence, the crowds were minimal, yet I could envision hoards of worthy sightseers wishing to learn something different about the country they were visiting or the country in which they live. It's a site to visit outside of the big smoke of London central.
The rose garden at the bottom of The Round Tower is kept in a pristine and immaculate condition. A private path from inside the Tower leads down to the bottom of the garden. Of course, we are kept outside by a long wall and path on a different level, as seen in my picture.
This view is of the The Upper Ward, The Quadrangle with the South Wing directly in front of you, the Private Apartments to the left and the tall structure on the far left is the entrance to The State Apartments. The Edward III Tower is on the top right corner of my photo.
Of course, being up cose and personal with the Castle is something magical. Waiting for Mom to arrive can be somewhat of a tense feeling. It can be a little prostrate at times, but in the standing up position.
St. George's Chapel was closed at the time of our visit. As you can see crowd control fencing was erected in preparation for our visit. Stangely, no one knew we were coming. Thankfully, we didn't have to avoid the crowds and put our emergency excape plan into action, involving the The Queen's Helicopter (part of the Royal Household), No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron of the Royal Air Force, as The Queen was out picking up her jewels at the Tower, so I was lead to believe.
The Lower Ward is the main exit back towards the main street. Strange to experience the main street of a normal living after experiencing the grandeur of Windsor Castle.
