Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is the one of the primary royal residences of HM The Queen and since the reign of Edward III the castle has been the ancestral residence of the English and later the British Monarchy.
The origins of Windsor Castle date from the 1070's during the reign of William the Conqueror which saw a fortress being built. But it wasn't till Henry I in which the castle could be livable. From 1165-1179 the castles stone palisade around the walls were changed to stone and the castle was made more reliable.
Edward III was the first monarch to be born at the castle and he had very strong links with the old fortress. At the castle he created 'The Most Noble Order of the Garter' which is the oldest and premier order of chivalry in the United Kingdom. He spent £51,000 during his reign (Today: £22,000,000) to create a castle symbolic of military strength and royal power. This castle would be the symbolism of the wealth and power of the English Monarchy up till today.
Henry VIII took a great interest to Windsor and created the King's Gate and even a tennis court at the base of the motte. Many gardens were also redesigned and hunting was prominent. During the early Georgian period the castle was neglected until the reign of George III who took a liking to the quietness of Windsor Castle as a retreat from London. This was then continued by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert who found the castle as a good place to raise their nine children and after Albert's death, Victoria saw it as a place of reclusion from London and the Royal Court which gave her the title as the Widow of Windsor.
During the reigns of Edward VII and George V the castle was redesigned and was also "decluttered" with rooms ransacked and places touched which had been left for up to a century. During the Second World War, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret were sent there for safety instead of being sent to Canada. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth also went to Windsor on the weekends and at nighttime to to rest and stay away from bomb threats. Windows were blackened out and the grounds were used by the army.
But it was in 1992 which tested the Royal Family and Windsor Castle. On the 20th November in the year branded by the Queen "Annus Horribilis" or Horrible Year which saw a lamp set fire to a curtain in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle which damaged nine State Apartments. The bill totalled £40 million and saw the Queen begin to pay Income Tax and minor royals were removed from the Civil List while the tax payer footed the bill. Luckily many of the rooms were cleared due to cleaning and majority of the furniture and paintings were salvaged. Also many plans were still available for the rooms designs and even some rooms were brought to their original state, such as the kitchens original wooden Tudor roof.
Windsor Castle is still the ancestral residence of the British Monarch and is the favored home of HM The Queen. It is a favourite tourist population with millions visiting the grounds and castle every year. Windsor Castle is the physical embodiment of the power and prosperity of the British Monarch and British nation over the past millennium and this symbol of the greatness of the former British Empire is why George V chose the name of this castle as the name of the Royal House and Royal Family in 1917.
The origins of Windsor Castle date from the 1070's during the reign of William the Conqueror which saw a fortress being built. But it wasn't till Henry I in which the castle could be livable. From 1165-1179 the castles stone palisade around the walls were changed to stone and the castle was made more reliable.
Edward III was the first monarch to be born at the castle and he had very strong links with the old fortress. At the castle he created 'The Most Noble Order of the Garter' which is the oldest and premier order of chivalry in the United Kingdom. He spent £51,000 during his reign (Today: £22,000,000) to create a castle symbolic of military strength and royal power. This castle would be the symbolism of the wealth and power of the English Monarchy up till today.
Henry VIII took a great interest to Windsor and created the King's Gate and even a tennis court at the base of the motte. Many gardens were also redesigned and hunting was prominent. During the early Georgian period the castle was neglected until the reign of George III who took a liking to the quietness of Windsor Castle as a retreat from London. This was then continued by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert who found the castle as a good place to raise their nine children and after Albert's death, Victoria saw it as a place of reclusion from London and the Royal Court which gave her the title as the Widow of Windsor.
During the reigns of Edward VII and George V the castle was redesigned and was also "decluttered" with rooms ransacked and places touched which had been left for up to a century. During the Second World War, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret were sent there for safety instead of being sent to Canada. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth also went to Windsor on the weekends and at nighttime to to rest and stay away from bomb threats. Windows were blackened out and the grounds were used by the army.
But it was in 1992 which tested the Royal Family and Windsor Castle. On the 20th November in the year branded by the Queen "Annus Horribilis" or Horrible Year which saw a lamp set fire to a curtain in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle which damaged nine State Apartments. The bill totalled £40 million and saw the Queen begin to pay Income Tax and minor royals were removed from the Civil List while the tax payer footed the bill. Luckily many of the rooms were cleared due to cleaning and majority of the furniture and paintings were salvaged. Also many plans were still available for the rooms designs and even some rooms were brought to their original state, such as the kitchens original wooden Tudor roof.
Windsor Castle is still the ancestral residence of the British Monarch and is the favored home of HM The Queen. It is a favourite tourist population with millions visiting the grounds and castle every year. Windsor Castle is the physical embodiment of the power and prosperity of the British Monarch and British nation over the past millennium and this symbol of the greatness of the former British Empire is why George V chose the name of this castle as the name of the Royal House and Royal Family in 1917.