The Windsor Castle - A Visit to The Royal Family

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With the famous tower and huge walls plus the chance of having a glance at the Queen peeking through one of the State apartment’s windows, the castle has been attracting a lot of visitors from all around the world.

The Windsor Castle was built in 1066 by William the Conqueror – a Norman – after defeating King Harold II of England. Over the years, the castle went through massive modifications. From being made of motte and bailey in its first construction, it has now transformed into a magnificent and much-admired castle.

What You Can See There

The Castle has 3 main areas: the Lower Ward, the Middle Ward, and the Upper Ward. Many parts of these wards are open to public.

The Lower Ward includes one of England’s finest Gothic architecture, the St. George’s Chapel. Buried inside this chapel are the ten distinguished monarchs: Edward IV, Henry VI, Henry VIII, Charles I, George III, George IV, William IV, Edward VII, George V and George VI.

The castle’s iconic Round Tower dominates the area of the Middle Ward. It was just recently re-opened to public in 2011, after being closed to visitors for almost 40 years due to major construction work and being converted into office space for the Royal Archive.

Now, visitors are given the chance to experience walking up the tower’s 200 steps towards its top where they can appreciate the different sceneries across Windsor and the London skyline. There is also the “gallery” or the cannonades, where visitors can see about 16 bronze field guns of the 18th Century mounted on carriages. This is also the very place where the bowmen in Medieval times were stationed to defend the Castle.

The renowned Doll House of Queen Mary is found in the Upper Ward. This unusual london attraction took three years to complete, with about 1500 craftsmen and artists who made it exceptional by putting up electric lighting, running water (hot and cold), and even functional lavatories.

Also in the Upper Ward are the Drawings Gallery and the China museum. The gallery keeps the royal arts collected over 500 years, while the state gifts and some of the china services that are used by the Royal family are preserved in the museum.

The baroque-style State apartments in the same Ward were constructed between 1675 and 1678 for King Charles II and his wife, Catherine of Braganza. The other sequence of extravagant rooms called the semi-State apartments were created for King George IV. Although badly damaged by the major fire in 1992, it went through remarkable restorations and is now being used by the Queen herself.

As one of the principal residences of the Queen, the Windsor Castle is one of England’s most famous spots. The Queen stays in the castle on most weekends. And people won’t find it hard to know if the Queen is in residence, for whenever she is, the Royal flag is raised – regardless of the weather.

See for yourself the magnificence of the castle through a guided Windsor Tour from London. It is open every day to the public from 9:45 in the morning to 5:15 in the afternoon.