Windsor Castle - a symbol of power, royalty and of yesteryear...

I think I can say without any hesitation that Windsor Castle is a place worth visiting if you make your way to the old country of England. It is a place magnificant in stature, splendid in its setting and divine in its interior - it is also a veritable testament to the sheer power and will of the Norman royalty that in times past conquered both the English landscape and its people.

As I mentioned in my previous post I headed to Windsor Castle in the month of October - Sunday, 8th October to be precise. After seeing Station Jim at the otherwise mundane Slough station I headed off on the Windsor/Eton train towards my goal. The train journey is well worth the undertaking (though I imagine that approaching Windsor by boat on the Thames river would be even better). Through the train window one can see the dominance of Windsor Castle, set on its rocky hilltop, approaching in the distance. The view is further enlightened by the view of the Thames river is at its doorstep and the towns of Windsor and Eton lying spread out beneath its view.


















Windsor Castle from the river...

This setting also tends to give some important clues to the original purpose of the castle; the reason for its founding and construction. Without needing to go into a lot of detail (though I am tempted I assure you) it is safe to say that the castle was founded by William the 1st (the Conquerer) as part of a series of fortifications across the Thames Valley and England that were designed to pacify the countryside and its people. The castle is thus almost a 1000 years old in its origin, and though it has been added to and upgraded substantially since, it is still enclosed within the geographical outline created by William when he had its first wooden walls and inner keep built. William chose the site well, it is on the only real hilltop in the area, it has a good view of both the river and the surrounding countryside and is for these reasons eminently defensible. In the years since this founding the castle has evolved considerably - from ever more impressive fortifications to a palace and residence for English royalty - with all the requisite wealth and splendour that goes with such a position.

A shot of Windsor Castle from the air shows why William chose this spot for his fortifications in the region.

Upon arriving in this place where far greater men and women have tread, I was greeted by some truly awe inspiring sites:



The lower outer wall - to the left and right of where I was standing.


I can also safely recommend the town of Windsor, which lies around the castle - there are some great shops to visit, charming side streets and buildings, the river and crossing to Eton and walks and parks to satisfy the most tired of minds.

Here are some examples of what you can see and experience:

A souvenir shop with a difference - see below...

Fairly self-explanatory I think...

The bridge over to Eton.

To enter the castle itself is quite cheap (about 9 Pounds or so), while the audio guides provided do an enviable job of guiding oneself around the accessible parts of the castle (don't worry I didn't enter any inaccessible parts). The most impressive, and also the oldest, part of the castle is initially the central keep (called the Round Tower). The rather annoyingly featured camera I had with me at the time does little to really show the scope of this edifice, but it is something impressive in its own right - even without the rest of the castle.

In any case I first explored the outer parts of the castle - the walls, the various gates, courtyards, towers and St George's chapel that make up the majority of what is accesible to visitors. This is a great experience, for me anyway, I felt a mixture of tangible feelings as I explored - awe, mystery, a sense of connection to the greater things of history and some plain old sheer satisfication (just for being there). And this was all before I managed to enter into the majestic settings of the State Apartments...

Key to the map above:

• A: The Round Tower
• B: The Upper Ward, The Quadrangle (as this courtyard is known)
• C: The State Apartments
• D: Private Apartments, overlooking the East terrace
• E: South Wing, overlooking The Long Walk
• F: Lower Ward
• G: St. George's Chapel
• H: Horseshoe Cloister
• L: The Long Walk
• K: King Henry VIII Gate (principal entrance)
• M: Norman Gate
• N: North Terrace
• O: Edward III Tower
• T: The Curfew Tower

Joshua, the daggy bedraggled one, visits the seat of lords and noblemen of vintage most high - fortunately he was not thrown out on this occasion.

All of this exploring of the largest inhabited castle in the world was not without some tiredness to the legs, so I was happy to finally head into the State Apartments. I recommend heading in by late afternoon if you ever manage to make your way here, as the wait before this time is somewhere between long and interminable (a wait I declined to enjoy). The State Apartments are really something to behold - wealth and artistry on a level well beyond anything I can even begin to imagine being in Australia. This was my first time inside any palace, let alone a royal palace, so I was all the more appreciative of what I was seeing. Of course since this time I have been to three other palaces - Hampton Court Palace (also owned by the English Royal family), Grand Ducal Palace, Luxembourg, and the superlatively large Palace of Versailles - so it is now almost normal (almost) for me to visit these type of sites.

I wasn't able to take any photos inside the State Apartments (perhaps a good idea, since the quality of my camera left little to be desired) but I can only recommend that if any of you do travel to the UK or Europe that you see, if not Windsor Castle, at least one of the many similar palaces around Europe on the inside. Check out this site for a preview of what I am talking about:

http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page574.asp

Dedication to duty is aptly summed up by this picture.

In my next post, another day - another palace...