Tuesday 16 April 2019

Exploring Windsor castle (Berkshire)…….! Where the royals reside!



               
Walls of the Windsor castle 


Day trips from London are literary endless. On our sixth day of the trip, we decided to explore Windsor castle, much-desired trip after the celebrated Prince Harry and Princess Meghan tied their knot. There are various ways to visit Windsor castle from London, situated 24.4 miles from the city heart. You can self -drive which takes 30 minutes from the city center, or might take a taxi which will bill around £65- £75. The cheapest and easiest way is to alight a train and you can reach Eton riverside within 54 minutes.

There was a huge queue when I visited the fort at 11 am. People from around the globe wait outside the gate to buy entrance tickets to explore the iconic structure denoting British royalty. Windsor castle is one of the most photographed structure and gets telecasted whenever the media wants to focus any event emphasizing the royal family of Britain. The flag (Royal standard) hovering at the top of the structure denotes the presence of Queen The mother inside her residence or if she has left for the day. You may purchase an entrance ticket from the queue or look for skip the queue tickets online.

     
The dome of the tower 

 A brief history of the Windsor palace: Sneaking a peek into history, the original castle was built way back in the 11th a century after the Norman invasion took place. It’s been in use by the British monarchs since the reign of Henry I. The rooms in the palace are the finest expression after Georgian taste. The fort was used as a military headquarter by the parliamentary forces during the time of English civil war. The castle was rebuilt and reconstructed in several eras and different rulers. There were several damages done to the iconic fort form wars and attacks it suffered. When King Edward VII came to the throne in 1901, he was obsessed with the modernization of the Windsor castle with zest and enthusiasm. In 1992, a part of the fort suffered from fire attack where 9 of the staterooms were worse affected. Today some parts of the castle are open for public viewing thereby attracting large funds required for maintaining and restoration process of the iconic residence of British monarchs.

                  
The royal choir busy performing 
The day was hot and the queue was long. I had to wait a long time before the ticketing counter. The ticket cost me £22.5 per person, the charge of touring the Windsor castle. The various divisions inside the Windsor palace are- middle ward, upper ward, state apartment, lower apartment and the park outside the fort.

       
Middle ward of the castle 


Middle ward: At the heart of the Windsor castle is a middle ward, where a bailey is formed around an artificial hill. The round tower, based on the top of the motte, was originally built in the 12th century. Then again in the 19th century, it was rebuilt by architect Jeffry Wyatville, which imposed more height and silhouette to the structure. The recent height of the tower is criticized to be disproportionate to its width. The Norman gatehouse resides to the Eastern exit. The gate was heavily decorated and had medieval lion masks, which is a traditional symbol of majesty.


Articles in use in the stateroom


The Windsor castle in my camera 


Upper ward:  The upper ward of Windsor Castle has a number of major buildings enclosed by the upper bailey wall. The structure forms a quadrangle. The buildings situated in the upper wall are characterized by the usage of flint and mortar for galletting, and that originally started in the 17th century. We saw the main entrance and the royal guard on duty. The scene was much recollected when the media covers any event inside the castle. During 1992, a massive fire broke out thereby permanently damaging some rooms of the state house, but restoration work went on in full swing.

                 
The grand state apartment

State apartments: Major parts of the upper ward is occupied by the state apartments. The modern buildings follow medieval foundations which were laid by King Edward III. The ground floor comprises cellars and the grander first floor comprises the main part of the palace. The interiors of the state apartment were designed by designer Wyatville. The rooms are of Gothic, classical and Rococo style. The grand reception has the best design.
    
Windsor castle gallery 

Lower ward: Lying below and west to the round tower is the lower ward. Most of the portions are medieval design, and they were reconstructed during the Victorian era by Edward Salvin. On the western side of the chapel, there is a grand Victorian staircase, which is used during the ceremonial occasions. 
There is a curfew tower, which is one of the oldest surviving parts of the lower wards that was in use during the 13th century. They serve as the secret exit of the occupants during the time of siege.

      


Park and landscape: The park area extends over a longer stretch. The castle garden stretches eastwards to form the upper ward across and surrounded by chestnut and plane trees. The Eton College is placed a half mile from the palace, across the Thames River, which reflects the royal foundation by Henry VI. Well, there are tour agents who arrange for an afternoon tea session after the palace tour.

Royal tea in the royal palace. Nothing compared to it.



1 comment:

  1. So gorgeous, i am so impressed with this whole project, Your work is amazing! thanks for sharing.
    Windsor castle tours

    ReplyDelete

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