Windsor Castle - Windsor, Berkshire (Pvt)
As one of the official residences of the reigning
monarch, Windsor castle dominates the surrounding town not only by sheer bulk,
but also by the international tourists who are drawn here; presumably to an idea
of what the monarchy is and how it is tied to English history in a way that many
English people do not consciously think about.
The castle itself covers a huge area (13 acres) - some
open to the public and some not and the security is naturally tight (and the
entrance fee very high). The royal family presently visit the castle frequently
throughout the year and it is used for ceremonial visits from various Heads of
State. Because of this continuing official role in British political and state
affairs, the castle houses some of the major art works in the royal collection.
The oldest of the royal residences, Windsor has
developed over almost a thousand years of occupation. The artificial earthen
mound in the centre of the castle was begun under William the Conqueror around
1080. The Round Tower (actually oval) which sits on top of the mound was first
built by Henry II in the twelfth century and he also added some residential
apartments to the north and state apartments to the south. The stone
curtain wall was established under Henry II and the impressive rounded towers
along the south, town-ward side were added by his grandson, Henry III, in the
1220's. Under his father, King John's time, Windsor had suffered damage under
two sieges, but had withstood the attacks.
His immediate successors being busy in Scotland
and France, it was not until the mid and later fourteenth century that Edward
III continued to expand Windsor again. The old castle gained new, luxurious and
prestigious buildings, becoming a grand Gothic palace with a huge Great Hall.
The new Order of the Garter was based here (as it continues to be) and the Lower
Ward became the College of St. George in 1348. The Upper Ward was transformed
from 1357 into the royal residences and Great Hall, which were used by successive
monarchs with little alteration up until the seventeenth century.
The main addition during this time was the magnificent
Perpendicular St. George's Chapel in the Lower Ward, built by Edward IV in 1475.
It was originally roofed in wood, but the intricate stone fan vaulting was added
under Henry VII before 1509. The building was completed under Henry VIII by
1528. Ten sovereigns are buried here, the most recent being the present Queen's
father in a simple and moving vault along the east side. In the south east
corner there is the most incredible marble monument to Princess Charlotte, the
daughter of William IV, who died in childbirth in 1817, thus altering the
succession to Queen Victoria. Although not huge fans of funerary monuments
(often either gruesome or sentimental) we found the sheer skill of the carving
well worth studying and the whole has genuine pathos. Since George III, who
liked Windsor best of all his residences, every British monarch has been buried
here.
Behind and below the Chapel is a courtyard surrounded
by the most delightful medieval half-timbered buildings, developed from those of
Henry III's time. These are presently private residences, whose inhabitants must
surely pay for their privileged accommodation by living in a part-time
zoo. An archway on the other side of the Chapel leads out to the North
Terrace, originally constructed by Henry VIII, and views across the town. Eton
College's fifteenth century Chapel can be clearly seen. Henry VIII also built
the main gateway into the castle, which is used as the exit point for visitors.
The State Apartments, which form a large part of the
tour of the castle, were radically transformed under Charles II from the
medieval royal apartments of his predecessors. The fact that his father, Charles
I, had been imprisoned here in 1648 before his trial and execution obviously did
not put him off. While retaining the separate sets
of rooms for King and Queen, he created the most splendid Baroque place in
England, perhaps as a way of proclaiming a new, modern order for British Royalty. Although the outside stone walls remained little changed, the interior
was glamourised by the best artists and craftsmen of the day. The walls were
panelled in oak, with intricate and naturalistic carvings by Grinling Gibbons
and ceilings painted by Antonio Verro. The rooms which remain least altered
since Charles II's time are the Queen's Presence and Audience Chambers and the
King's Dining Room.
Under George III, Windsor again became a favoured royal
residence and thus further alterations were made. Much of the panelled walls
were covered in damask and the new state entrance and staircase were built to
James Wyatt's Gothic design. George's son raised the height of the Round Tower
and Wyatt's nephew, Jeffry Wyatville did extensive further work, including the
Waterloo Chamber and the construction of the huge St. George's Hall from the old
Hall and Chapel. It was this Hall which was so severely damaged in the fire at
Windsor in 1992. The room has undergone restoration by British craftsmen and is
now one of the most stunning parts of the castle. The green oak timbers in the
hammer-beam roof and the crisp carving convey a subtle blend of the traditional
with the modern. The Lantern Lobby is a wonderful space, reminiscent of the
Lantern at Ely Cathedral, but also with echoes
of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century Arts and Crafts
movement.
The only major addition to the castle under Queen
Victoria was the splendidly over-the-top Albert Memorial Chapel, between the
North Terrace and St. George's Chapel. Here you can see the confidence and
richness of high Victorian design in all its glorious vulgarity.
The tour of the castle according to the (exorbitantly
priced) guidebook focuses very much on the State Apartments and there is much to
enjoy here, although the rooms themselves are not to our taste. My own chief
pleasure in all these rooms is the sheer quality of paintings - part of the
royal collection naturally - with so many already familiar through reproductions
in books. Holbein's famous portrait of the square-set Henry VIII, a captivating,
anonymous portrait of Queen Elizabeth I when a Princess and the melancholy
triple portrait of Charles I by Van Dyck are all stunning. Everywhere are
portraits of the famous and powerful, but also there are Venetian scenes by
Canaletto and English painters such as Hogarth and Reynolds are also
represented.
We found Windsor Castle visually and historically rich,
but naturally full of tourists from all over the world. If, as we are, you are
interested in castles both for the changing architectural styles and history
attached to them, Windsor has much to recommend it. But, unlike most of the
smaller and workmanlike castles we have visited, it lacks charm and atmosphere
generally (notable exceptions being St. George's Chapel and Hall) and will
probably be somewhere to visit once only.
