Interesting Towns/Pretty Villages
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Windsor

Windsor Town

Windsor Town

Known as "Royal Windsor" because of its many Royal and historical associations, Windsor Town is famous not only for its huge Castle but for its many and varied other attractions. The following will whet your appetite!

 

Left: Windsor Castle by Chris Parry - reproduced by kind permission

 

 

 

 

 Windsor Castle

The Castle is the largest continuously inhabited castle in the World and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.  The State Apartments and the public areas of the Castle, together with St. George's Chapel, are normally open to the public. The ceremony of Changing the Guard is at 11.00 am every day in the spring and summer months, and every other day in the autumn and winter months. The Royal Apartments are the setting for new exhibitions of Royal treasures:  in 2006 the palace hosted an exhibition of photographs from The Queen's remakable 80 years to celebrate her 80th Birthday. Services take place daily in St. George's Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle, to which the public are admitted.

As Windsor Castle is used for State Occasions like the visits of foreign Heads of State it is occasionally closed at short notice and visitors should check in advance of their peoposed visit.


For further information call  0891 505 454
Tickets may be purchased on the day from the Admission Centre.
For advanced booking call  020 7766 7304 

E mail to bookinginfo@royalcollection.org.uk 
Web :http://www.royalcollection.org.uk


Nearest Train Station: Windsor.  Parking available but at some distance from the Castle itself.

 Windsor Great Park


Windsor , SL4
Tel: 01753 860222

Most travellers think they have seen everything once they finish with Windsor Castle, but Windsor Great Park has delights as well. Great in name and in nature, this five thousand acre park complements the castle's awesome size.

Windsor Great Park is dominated by Home Park, which is in fact closed off to the public. You can see the Savill Gardens, which are a 35 acre stretch of woodland, and Frogmore, the Royal Mausoleum with the tombs of Queen Victoria and her beloved Albert, which is open in May.

You can take the Long Walk, just about four miles in length, which gives you some superb views of the great Castle and the surrounding parkland.

The Savill Gardens, designed in 1932, and reckoned to be one of the finest gardens in the world, has a beautiful display of magnolias, rhodendrons and assorted other flowers and trees. From a purely aesthetic point of view, it should not be missed.

The Copper Horse, a massive statue of a noble horse, was erected in the reign of George IV. A memorial to George III, it definitely inspires a sense of awe.

Windsor Great Park is so large that you probably will not see all of it, unless you are a fast, fit hiker. However, its epic scale and beautifully kept gardens make for a truly memorable summer afternoon stroll.

You can contact Windsor Great Park 01753 860222.

The Thames Path

Off Eton High Street, Eton , SL4

The Thames Path along the Eton banks is a not-to-be-missed walking experience. The staggering view of Windsor Castle from the banks, the boats that laze elegantly on the banks of the Thames, and the sumptuous swans who always add the finishing touch to a river scene and who allow you to walk amidst them without any anxiety at all, are all typical of the Thames Path at Windsor. Do not miss a gentle stroll along the Thames path at this point and enjoy the river scene.

 

Windsor Bridge and the Thames

A short stroll from the bridge - which is a pedestrianised one and which leads to the old town of Eton, famous for its College - is the old Railway Station wich has now been converted into a museum.
 

 St. George's Chapel Windsor

This amazing building is one of the architectural marvels of the Middle Ages.  Built as a chapel for the Knights of the Order of the Garter it lies within the Castle walls and has been the scene of Royal weddings and funerals for centuries.  The intricate fan vaulting on the ceiling of the Chapel - all made of stone, but looking like it has been made of icing sugar - draws gasps of amazement from visitors.  The 23 carved wooden stalls of the Knights of the Garter are in the Choir, and over each of of the stalls  hangs the personal banner of the Knights, who number among their members Sir Edmind Hillary and Margaret Thatcher.  One of the great days of pageantry for which the UK is famous occurs each June, when the 24 Knights all have lunch with the Queen in the Castle, then process down the hill to the Chapel for their annual rededication service. 

This draws thousands of visitors to witness the spectacle.  The Knights of the Garter are personally chosen by the Queen herself, and she rewards people who have had records of public service and have "made a difference" to our society.

 Below: Garter Procession with Sir Edmund Hillary and Margaret Thatcher

 

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