History of Windsor Blog - Windsor Tourist Guides

Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd will be posting some historical and quirky facts about Windsor Castle and our town. Starting at the year 1070 we should have enough to last a few months of our isolation!

So for all our local followers it’s to provide you with some information you may not know; for our overseas followers hoping you may come and visit us again soon and finally for our lovely band of Blue Badge tourist guides who have suddenly found themselves without employment, an update to keep you full of facts to use when we are once again welcoming visitors.

Day 1 - A Royal Fortress

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Windsor Castle and town history - 1 . Windsor Castle was not built as a royal residence. It was built on the orders of King William I (William the Conqueror) to defend and control the Thames Valley. Two other castles were built around the same time, at Wallingford and at Oxford. ‘Ford’ means river crossing so there must have been a strategic river crossing at Windsor too. . The castle was built on the highest point around and today when standing on the North Terrace you can see the Chiltern Hills towards Oxford. . The castle was built in wood which means that the oldest part of the castle still standing is actually the man-made hill on which today’s Round Tower stands. The computerised photo shows what it may have looked like. 📷 © Royal Collection Trust . Built between 1070 and 1086 it is further upstream from earlier royal residences at ‘Old’ Windsor. William the Conqueror put his castle at ‘New’ Windsor. In fact the town of Windsor was officially called New Windsor until 1974! _________________________ Did you know: The Crown did not actually own the land the castle was built on until 1546. The land was leased from the manor of Clewer, still part of Windsor today. _________________________ Windsor Castle A Thousand Years of a Royal Palace published by the Royal Collection Trust is a fabulous coffee table book, lavishly illustrated and at 542 pages also very heavy! . #windsor #windsorcastle #windsorhistory #lovewindsor #mywindsor #historyofwindsor #historylessonoftheday

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Day 2 - New Windsor, a Royal Residence

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Windsor Castle and town history - 2 . By 1110 King Henry II, son of William the Conqueror, began to host gatherings at New Windsor and a royal residence had been built in the area where the state apartments are today (left of photo). The town of Windsor also began to emerge with the High Street, River Street and Peascod Street dating to this time. _________________________ Did you know: The first royal wedding took place at Windsor Castle in 1121 when King Henry I married his second wife Adelicia of Louvain (west of Brussels). Henry was 53 and Adelicia was 18. They had no children. After Henry died, Adelicia went onto have seven children by her next husband! . #windsor #windsorcastle #stateapartments #history #britishhistory #historylessonoftheday #kinghenryi #royalmarriage #mywindsor #lovewindsor #royalwindsor #igerswindsor

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Day 3 - The Builder King

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Windsor Castle and town history - 3 . King Henry I’s grandson became King Henry II in 1154 and became known as the Builder King. By 1170 over half a mile of the olden wooden defences were replaced with stone walls, towers and the building of the Round Tower started. . The stone is local, from Bagshot Heath, south of Windsor. It is unique in that it cleans itself in the rain. . Originally the Round Tower was half the height it is today. King George IV in the 1820s added 10m (33 feet) to make the castle ‘more romantic’. More than once we Blue Badge tourist guides have been asked ‘so is it top half or the bottom half that is the oldest’ 😂 . _________________________ Did you know: the Round Tower is not actually round, it is a D shape with this side (pictured) flat. . #windsor #windsorcastle #theroundtower #theroundtowerwindsorcastle #history #britishhistory #historylessonoftheday #lovewindsor #mywindsor #igerswindsor #royalwindsor

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Day 4 - Windsor under Siege

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Windsor Castle and town history 4 . In 1189 Henry II died and his son Richard, known as Richard the Lionheart became King. . The first siege of Windsor Castle: In 1193 his younger brother John attempted a coup while the King was abroad and formed a garrison at Windsor Castle. . Noblemen known as Barons, loyal to King Richard besieged the castle for two months with 500 foot soldiers; 66 mounted soldiers and 67 Welsh ‘slingers’ who projected boulders by giant catapults. John surrendered the castle to his mother Queen Eleanor who kept the castle in trust for King Richard. . The castle was badly damaged during the siege. _________________________ Did you know: Richard the Lionheart visited Windsor only once, in 1189. . 📷 Parliament.com #windsor #windsorcastle #richardthelionheart #kingjohn #britishhistory #history #historylesson #historylessonoftheday #mywindsor #lovewindsor #royalwindsor

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Day 5 - Bad King John and Christmas at the Castle

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Windsor Castle and town history - 5 . John became King in 1199 after his brother Richard died. He spent the first five years of his reign abroad fighting. . When he returned it was said that ‘he loved Windsor Castle more than any other royal residence’. . For Christmas 1213 at the castle he ordered: 15,000 herrings; 3,000 capons, 1,000 salted eels, 400 pig heads; 100 pounds of fresh almonds; 20 pounds of white bread; spices; 500 pounds of wax; 1,000 yards of cloth for napkins; 20 large casks of wine for his household and 4 casks for himself. History does not record how many toilet rolls he stockpiled!!! _________________________ Did you know: We have never had another King John. Known as Bad King John his reputation as a tyrant and cruel monarch has gone down in British history. . Windsor Castle by Olwen Hedley (who worked in the Royal Library) is a fabulous book full of stories of events at the castle over the centuries. Long out of print it is available online. #Windsor #windsorcastle #britishhistory #history #historylessonoftheday #kingjohn

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Day 6 - Runnymede and Magna Carta

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Windsor castle and town history - 6 . By 1215 the nobles (barons) had had enough of King John’s tyrannical reign and rebelled against him. They captured London and forced John to negotiate with them. . On 15th June 1215 the King rode out from Windsor Castle to Runnymede meadows (pictured) by the River Thames, half way between Windsor and Staines where the barons were based. . John put his seal to Magna Carta (Great Charter), a document widely regarded as the foundation of civil liberties. It gave protection from illegal imprisonment, access to swift justice and no taxation without the barons consent. . A council of 25 barons was set up to ensure King John abided by the charter. _________________________ Did you know: In the 1920’s the meadows of Runnymede were put up for sale. Horrified that they may be used to be built upon, Cara Broughton and her husband, a British Member of Parliament bought the meadows and gifted them to the National Trust who look after this world famous site today. Cara, known as Lady Fairhaven, was American, from Fairhaven, Massachusetts and the daughter of oil billionaire Henry Huttleston Rogers who built the Virginian railroad. . 📷 visitsurrey.com #windsor #runnymede #runnymedemeadows #kingjohn #magnacarta #1215 #britishhistory #history #historylessonoftheday #nationaltrust #ladyfairhaven #fairhaven #fairhavenmass

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Day 7 - Barons War

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Windsor Castle and town history - 7 . King John reneged on the deal and Magna Carta only lasted three months. John had it annulled by the Pope. In return the barons refused to give up London and civil war broke out. . The barons offered the throne to a French prince who brought an army to Windsor and the second siege of the castle began in July 1216. The computerised image shows what the castle probably looked like at the time, with the upper section (known as a ward) being surrounded in stone walls while the lower ward was still surrounded by wood from the 1000s. The castle had the same footprint that it has today. . During the siege the mound under the Round Tower was badly damaged. Centuries later it began to slip and underpinning was required during the 1990s. . King John made no attempt to take the castle. Instead he travelled north and died of dysentery in October 1216. _________________________ Did you know: John’s son became King Henry III at just nine years of age. . 📷 The Royal Collection Trust . #windsor #windsorcastle #kingjohn #magnacarta #history #britishhistory #historylessonoftheday #henryiii #medievalhistory #medievalhistorylovers

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Day 8 - The Chapel

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Windsor Castle and town history - 8 . In the 1220’s King Henry III strengthened Windsor Castle and the western walls were built with towers in D shapes to withstand another siege. They are known today as the Curfew Tower, Garter Tower and Salisbury Tower. They still look imposing today (second photo). . The computerised image shows what the castle looked like in the mid 1200s. . To build the new wall and towers meant taking down the old wooden fencing where houses for the townspeople had been built. The King had to compensate those whose houses were demolished. . In 1240 King Henry III built a royal chapel dedicated to King Edward The Confessor (from the 1000s) and it stood where the Albert Memorial Chapel stands today. It took eight years to complete and the original doors can still be seen today at the eastern end of St George’s Chapel. . Magna Carta was reissued by Henry III and remains the basis of law in the UK and many other countries around the world. In the 1600s Magna Carta was taken to what is now the United States of America and is the basis of their constitution. . 📷 (1) Royal Collection Trust and (2) Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd _________________________ Did you know: There is a carving of King John granting Magna Carta on the doors of the US Supreme Court. . #windsor # windsorcastle #britishcastles #history #historylessonoftheday #britishhistory #magnacarta #henryiii

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Day 9 - New Windsor, a free town

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Windsor Castle and town history - 9 . King Henry III died in 1272 and son Edward became King Edward I. . In 1277 he granted New Windsor it’s first charter and Windsor became a free borough. This meant it could administer the town itself and manage such things as collecting tolls (money) for passing under or over Windsor bridge and keeping pigs in the forest without charge. The county jail was moved to the town and it became the county town of Berkshire. . Photo is the town’s seal from the 1300s. . In 1302 Windsor sent its first members to Parliament. As a town they were allowed two representatives and they were Thomas de Shaw and Henry de Bedford. ________________________ Did you know: Edward I spent very little time in Windsor preferring a Manor House where Virginia Water stands today. . 📷 The Royal Collection Trust: Windsor Castle. A Thousand Years a Royal Palace . #windsor #royalcharter #history #britishhistory #medievalhistory #historylessonoftheday #kingedwardi

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Day 10 - The Brocas

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Windsor Castle and town history - 10 . In 1307 King Edward I died and his son became King Edward II. . In 1314 the town petitioned the King requesting the jail be removed from the town due to the town being too small and unable to feed the prisoners. It was removed to Reading. . The earliest reference to the area called The Brocas (pictured) on the Eton side of the River Thames opposite Windsor was in 1321 when John de Brocas bought land in the town. By the late 1300’s his son Sir Bernard Brocas was Master of the Horse to the King. _________________________ Did you know: Edward II’s son who became King Edward III was the first monarch to be born at Windsor Castle, in 1312 . #windsor #windsorcastle #thebrocas #eton #etonbrocas #history #britishhistory #medievalhistory #historylessonoftheday

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Day 11 - Order of the Garter

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Windsor Castle and town history - 11 . In 1348 King Edward III founded the Order of the Garter at Windsor. It is the oldest and highest level of chivalry in the country. . The King rededicated Henry III’s original chapel from the 1200s, calling it St George’s Chapel after the patron saint of England and of the order, St George. . The order comprised the monarch, his eldest son the Prince of Wales and 24 others. This remains the same today. . An historian once described the Order of the Garter as ‘a medieval boys club’, the King ensuring those close to him stayed loyal by the granting of a great honour. . The motto of the order is in Norman French - honi soit qui mal y pense - shame on he who thinks evil of it and perhaps relates to Edward III’s claim to the French throne, the colours of the order being blue and gold, the colours of France at the time. . Edward III also made provision for 26 ‘poor knights’ who were either elderly or who had fallen on hard times, often due to having to pay large ransoms if captured by the French during campaigns. . Today there are 13 ‘military knights’, retired army individuals who live in houses opposite St George’s Chapel and are very much part of the castle community. _________________________ Did you know: Men wear the garter under their left knee while women wear it on their left arm. . 📷 Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd Top left: 2016 Garter Day Top right: military knights houses Bottom left: Garter symbol Bottom right: Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Prince Charles and Prince William Garter Day 2016 . #windsor #windsorcastle #orderofthegarter #garterday #garterday2016 #history #historylessonoftheday #britishhistory #medievalhistory #mywindsor #lovewindsor #edwardiii

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Day 12 - King Edward III

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Windsor Castle and town history - 12 . King Edward III enlarged the State Apartments in the Upper Ward (area) and built a new gateway in 1359 known misleading as the Norman Gate. It has a portcullis and ‘murder holes’ to drop boiling oil onto anyone who may think to invade. The King’s household numbered nearly 600 people during this time. . His Order of the Garter ceremonies continued to take place over three days in April each year and he gave the honour to his wife Queen Philippa. . The town of Windsor outside the castle walls appointed its first mayor in 1363, John Payntor. _________________________ Did you know: On 23 April 1374 (St George’s Day) Edward III granted Geoffrey Chaucer who wrote The Canterbury Tales, a daily pitcher of wine. King Richard II the son of Edward III allowed him to exchange the wine for money. Chaucer also oversaw building work at Windsor Castle. . 📷 The Norman Gateway by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd . #windsor #windsorcastle #edwardiii #geoffreychaucer #history #normangateway #historylessonoftheday #britishhistory #medievalhistory #historyfacts #historylovers #historygeeksunite

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Day 13 - Market Cross / Queen Victoria Statue

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Windsor Castle and town history: 13 . In 1377 King Edward III who had turned Windsor Castle into a gothic palace died and his ten year old son became King Richard II. He was made a Knight of the Garter at the same time as his first cousin Henry Bolingbroke of which more later! . In 1380 Windsor town had a market cross outside the castle standing roughly where the statue of Queen Victoria is today (pictured). It was at the market cross that proclamations (important announcements) were made such as the death of a monarch and this still happens today with the town crier or mayor making the announcement. . Punishments would often take place at the market cross with people who had done wrong being put in a pillory known as the stocks. It consisted of a wooden frame into which the head and hands of a person would be locked in order to publicly humiliate them. The townspeople would throw rotten vegetables at them or even cut their hair. In more serious cases people would cut or mutilate the helpless person. Today the word ‘pilloried’ is often used to describe harassment or bullying. . In 1389 there was an outbreak of the Black Death (plague) in London and Richard II moved the court to Windsor to escape the illness. ________________________ Did you know: Richard II’s wife Isabella was sent a parrot as a wedding present from the Pope in 1396 and it is the first recorded pet at Windsor Castle. . 📷 Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd #windsor #windsorcastle #history #britishhistory #medievalhistory #historylessonoftheday #historylovers #historygeek #britishroyalty #marketcross #queenvictoria #richardii

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Day 14 - Richard II v Henry IV

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Windsor Castle and town history - 14 . In 1399 King Richard II was deposed by his first cousin Henry Bolingbroke, just three months younger than him. Henry had Richard imprisoned where he died and then took the throne as King Henry IV. . There were rebellions against Henry IV and in 1400 a group of rebels took Windsor Castle. The rebellion was quickly quashed and their leaders executed. One of these was Sir Bernard Brocas who had inherited his father’s title of Master of the Buckhounds, overseeing the hunting dogs . The families estates were taken by the Crown. . In 1405 the eleven year old Scottish King, James I was captured at sea and imprisoned in Windsor Castle for 19 years. His tower of imprisonment overlooked the Moat Garden (pictured) where he saw a young woman called Joan Beaufort walking. She was the great granddaughter of Edward III who founded the Order of the Garter and on James’ release in 1424 he married her and she became Queen of Scotland. _________________________ Did you know: King Henry IV was the first King of England to speak English as his mother tongue rather than French. . 📷 Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2019 . #windsor #windsorcastle #moatgarden #history #historylessonoftheday #history #britishhistory #englishhistory #royalhistory #britishroyalhistory #historygeek #flowers #flowersofinstagram #windsorflowers #richardii #henryiv #jamesiofscotland #joanbeaufort #joanbeaufortqueenofscots

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Day 15 - Henry V

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Windsor Castle and town history - 15 . Henry IV’s son became King Henry V in 1413. He didn’t spend much time in Windsor and is remembered as a great warrior King after his victory at the Battle of Agincourt in France in 1415 immortalised by playwright William Shakespeare and the famous quote from his play Henry V “Cry ‘God for Harry, England and St George’”. . In 1417 he entertained the Holy Roman Emperor at Windsor Castle and in 1420 married Princess Catherine of France who was the younger sister of Princess Isabella, the wife of King Richard II, who had been given a parrot by the Pope (see history no 13). . Queen Catherine gave birth to a son at Windsor Castle in 1421. King Henry V was abroad fighting and in 1422 died of disease in France. He never saw his son. . Queen Catherine married again, to Owen Tudor from Wales. It was through their grandson Henry VII that the Tudor dynasty was founded - more later. _________________________ Did you know: Henry V’s son became King Henry VI when he was just nine months old. . 📷 © Royal Collection Trust This painting of King Henry V was purchased by King Henry VIII in the early 1500s and can be seen in the Kings Rooms of the State Apartments in Windsor Castle . #windsor #windsorcastle #history #britishhistory #englishhistory #medievalhistory #historygeek #historylessonoftheday #royalhistory #henryv #kinghenryv #catherinedevalois #royalpainting

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Day 16 - Henry VI & Eton

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Windsor Castle and town history - 16 . In 1422 King Henry VI had become monarch at just nine months of age and his uncles ruled the county (regency) until he came of age. . At the age of nineteen Henry VI founded Eton College on the banks of the River Thames opposite the town of Windsor. It’s full title was The Kings College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor. . We are always asked why is it called a College when it is actually a high school and the answer is that Henry VI founded it primarily as a College for priests to learn along with the education of 70 poor boys known as Kings Scholars. They would go onto Kings College Cambridge which Henry also founded. . Henry married a French Princess Margaret of Anjou in 1445. . In 1466 200 acres of park around Windsor Castle was acquired and called the Little Park, what we know today as the Home Park. . King Henry VI struggled with mental health issues his whole life and at times was unable to govern the country leading ultimately to what we know today as The Wars of the Roses with different branches of Henry’s family trying to take control. . In 1471 Henry’s only child Edward the Prince of Wales was killed at the Battle of Tewkesbury aged just 17. King Henry VI was imprisoned in the Tower of London where he died, thought murdered on the orders of his cousin Edward who claimed the throne as Edward IV. _________________________ Did you know: Every year on the anniversaries of King Henry VI’s birth and death, boys from Eton College place white lilies on his grave at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. . 📷 Eton College © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd March 2019 Grave of Henry VI © St George’s Chapel Windsor . #windsor #windsorcastle #history #britishhistory #englishhistory #medievalhistory #royalhistory #henryvi #etoncollege #waroftheroses #historygeek #historylessonoftheday

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Day 17 St George's Chapel

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Windsor Castle and town history - 17 . Edward IV who took the throne from his cousin Henry VI in 1471 made his greatest mark on Windsor Castle with the building of St George’s Chapel as we see it today (picture 1). The new chapel which was begun in 1475 was situated immediately next to the Henry III’s much smaller chapel from the 1200s. . Between 1478 and 1481 the Horseshoe Cloister (picture 2) was built to accommodate priests which today house the men of the choir (lay clerks) and their families. . By 1483 the magnificent quire with its incredible carved seats (stalls) has been completed (picture 3). . King Edward IV stated in his will that he wished to be buried in his new chapel and when he died aged just 40 years old in 1483 he was the first king to be buried there (picture 4). His wife Elizabeth Woodville was buried with him in 1492. . Over the King’s tomb there was his coat of chain mail covered with velvet and embroidered with pearl, gold and rubies. It disappeared in the 1650s when the monarchy was abolished and Oliver Cromwell’s army occupied Windsor Castle after the English Civil War of which more later. . On the death of Edward IV his 12 year old son became Edward V in 1483. ________________________ Did you know: St George’s Chapel was not completed in Edward IV’s lifetime. It took over 50 years to finally finish the chapel, completed by Edward IV’s grandson Henry VIII in 1528. . 📷 (1) St George’s Chapel, Christmas 2019 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (2) The Horseshoe Cloister 2019 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (3) St George’s Chapel quire © royal.uk (4) Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville’s tomb © findagrave.com . #windsor #windsorcastle #stheorgeschapel #horseshoecloister #history #englishhistory #historylessonoftheday #historygeek #royalhistory #medievalhistory #edwardiv #elizabethwoodville

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Day 18 The Princes in the Tower

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Windsor Castle and town history - 18 . In 1483 12 year old King Edward V and his younger brother Richard were put under the guardianship of their uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester where they resided in the Tower of London. . They also had a sister Elizabeth of York about whom more later. . No-one really knows what happened to the two young princes (known as The Princes in the Tower). They were never seen again and two months later their uncle took the throne as King Richard III. . In 1484 Richard III ordered that the body of Henry VI (pictured) who was deposed in 1471 be transported from nearby Chertsey Abbey to St George’s Chapel at Windsor. Saintly occurrences were said to be happening at his grave and the reburial of the King at Windsor brought pilgrims into the town and much needed money to St George’s Chapel. . The grave of Henry VI is opposite that of his cousin who deposed him, Edward IV. The two cousins brought back together for infinity. _________________________ Did you know: The Two Princes also had another brother, Prince George who died at Windsor of the plague aged just two years old in 1479. Had he lived there would have been three princes in the Tower. He is buried close to his parents in St George’s Chapel. . 📷 © Royal Collection Trust One of the earliest paintings in the Royal Collection Trust, artist unknown and painted in the early 1500s. It can be seen in the King’s Rooms in the State Apartments of Windsor Castle. . #windsor #windsorcastle #stgeorgeschapel #history #britishhistory #englishhistory #historygeek #historylessonoftheday #medievalhistory #henryvi #theprincesinthetower #edwardiv #elizabethofyork #richardiii #royalhistory #kingsofengland .

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Day 19 - War of the Roses

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Windsor Castle and town history - 19 . After just two years on the throne Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field and in 1485 Henry Tudor claimed the throne as King Henry VII, the first monarch of the Tudor dynasty. . His claim to the throne was extremely tenuous, his mother Lady Margaret Beaufort was a direct descendant of King Edward III who founded the Order of the Garter (history 11) while his grandmother Catherine’s first husband had been Henry V (history 15). . In 1486 Henry VII married the 20 year old Elizabeth of York, the sister of the two princes in the Tower (history 18) and the two houses which had been at war for so long were united - the red rose of Lancaster and the white rose of York became the Tudor rose. Henry and Elizabeth’s son became the most famous Tudor monarch, King Henry VIII. . With his claim to the throne being weak Henry VII became obsessed with security and between 1498 and 1501 added a three storey tower on the North Terrace to the west of his private apartments at Windsor Castle. Only very few trusted individuals were allowed there and the lower walls were windowless for added security. The photo shows it as how it looks today, radically altered over the centuries. _________________________ Did you know: Henry VII’s wife is the only English royal who can claim to be the daughter of a King (Edward IV); the niece of a King (Richard III); the sister of a King (Edward V); the wife of a King (Henry VII); the mother of a King (Henry VIII) and the grandmother of a King (Edward VI). . 📷 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2019 . #windsor #windsorcastle #history #britishhistory #englishhistory #royalhistory #tudors #tudorhistory #tudordynasty #henryvii #elizabethofyork #historygeek #historylessonoftheday

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Day 20 - Henry Tudor

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Windsor Castle and town history - 20 . In the early part of his reign Henry VII decided to create a Tudor dynasty burial place at Windsor Castle and replaced the original 1200’s Garter Chapel with a Lady Chapel, known today as the Albert Memorial Chapel (pictured). . It took four years to complete and was finished by 1498. In the centre was to be a shrine to the saintly Henry VI with his body being moved a second time. It never happened. . Henry VII changed his mind and decided to be buried at Westminster Abbey in London instead of Windsor. . The little chapel lay empty until in the 1520s it was to become the final resting place of Thomas Wolsey, adviser to Henry VIII. It never happened. . It was then earmarked in the mid 1500s as the burial place of Henry VIII himself. It never happened. . After the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 after the English Civil War it was destined to be a tomb house for the executed King, Charles I. It never happened. . In mid-Victorian guidebooks to Windsor Castle the chapel is described as Wolsey’s Tomb House. . In 1861 Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert died. He was buried in a mausoleum at Frogmore in the grounds of Windsor castle and the Queen turned the chapel into a memorial to him. It took 15 years to finish and was completed in 1875. . As well as a memorial to Prince Albert, it also contains the tomb of Victoria’s youngest son Prince Leopold who died in 1884 and the tomb of her eldest grandson Prince Albert the Duke of Clarence who died in 1892. . The Albert Memorial Chapel although tagged onto St George’s Chapel is not managed by the College of St George, it is under the responsibility of the Royal Household. _________________________ Did you know: Prince Albert the Duke of Clarence died of pneumonia after catching influenza in the pandemic of 1889-1892. He was 28 years old. . #windsor #windsorcastle #albertmemorialchapel #tudorhistory #britishhistory #englishhistory #royalhistory #henryvii #henryviii #thomaswolsey #charlesi #victorianchapel #ladychapel #historylessonoftheday #queenvictoria #princealbert #princeleopolddukeofalbany #dukeofclarence #dukeofclarenceandavondale #influenzapandemic

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Day 21 - Tudor Windsor

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Windsor Castle and town history - 21 . In the early 1500s Windsor town’s corporation paid for a new ducking stool. This was used to punish women who had been found guilty of being a gossip, arguing or being aggressive. . The ducking stool was a wooden chair attached to a wooden bar that had wheels (picture 2). The woman could be wheeled around the town in a public display of humiliation before being wheeled to the River Thames (picture 1) and ducked into the river the number of times the magistrate had specified. This unfortunately sometimes proved fatal. Ducking stools were used in England until the early 1800s in some parts of the country. . At Windsor Castle in 1503 work began again on St George’s Chapel with the magnificent nave being built with Taynton stone (picture 3). The stone came by river from the quarries in Oxfordshire over 60 miles away. . The money for the building came from a friend and Chancellor of the Exchequer to King Henry VII, Sir Reginald Bray. His emblem was a hemp-bray used to crush hemp for the making of rope. He is buried in St George’s Chapel. _________________________ Did you know: The emblem of Sir Reginald Bray (picture 4) appears 175 times mainly in the ceiling of the nave which was completed by 1509. . #windsor #windsorcastle #stgeorgeschapel #history #royalhistory #britishhistory #tudorhistory #thetudors #historylessonoftheday #henryvii #taynton #tayntonstone #riverthames #duckingstool 📷 1) River Thames at Windsor © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2019 2) Ducking stool, Leominster, England 3) The nave of St George’s Chapel from the outside © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2019 4) Hemp-bray emblem

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Day 22 - King Henry VIII

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Windsor Castle and town history - 22 . In 1509 Henry VII died and his eldest surviving son became King Henry VIII. One of the first things he did at Windsor Castle was to add the magnificent gateway entrance which bears his name, the Henry VIII Gate. . The towers either side housed prisoners with a courtroom over the arch. . In 1519 a huge cavalcade rode through the archway for a Garter festival. Each duke was permitted sixty horses in their retinue and each knight sixteen. . Henry VIII also decreed that any knight of the Garter unable to attend the celebrations had to wear their full Garter robes wherever they were or whatever they were doing on that day. . At the top of the Henry VIII gate there are five carvings - the fleur de lys for France; the pomegranate for Aragon (where Henry’s first wife Catherine was from); the Tudor rose; the Beaufort portcullis (symbol of Henry’s maternal grandmother Margaret Beaufort) and a castle. . Directly over the archway (picture 2) is Henry VIII’s cost of arms which has the lion of England on one side and the Welsh dragon on the other in a nod to the Tudors Welsh heritage. At the end of the Tudor dynasty in 1603, the Scottish James I who became King of England took off the Welsh dragon and replaced it with the unicorn that we see on the royal arms today. _________________________ Did you know: Henry VIII had an older brother Arthur who died aged 15 of the sweating sickness described as “a malign vapour which preceded from the air”. It swept through England in an epidemic during the late 1400s/early 1500s and was thought to have been a virus transmitted to humans via animals. . #windsor #windsorcastle #henryviiigate #henryviiigateway #tudors #tudorhistory #thetudors #henryviii #englishhistory #royalhistory #britishhistory #history #historylessonoftheday #historygeek #arthurofwales #sweatingsickness 📷 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2019

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Day 23 - King Henry VIII & St George's Chapel

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Windsor Castle and town history - 23 . By 1528 King Henry VIII had completed St George’s Chapel which his grandfather Edward IV has started in 1475. . There was to have been a magnificent tower at the centre of the chapel to house the bells which had temporarily been put in the Curfew Tower overlooking the town. . The tower was never built and the bells remain in the Curfew Tower to this day and it’s a common question we get asked “why are the bells not in the chapel?”. . Instead of a tower, the chapel had vaulting over the centre. From inside you can look up and see Henry VIII’s coat of arms together with those of his Knights of the Garter who Henry got to pay for the completion!! (Picture 2). _________________________ Did you know: Henry VIII held so many events at Windsor Castle that the town corporation restricted the number of horses that visitors were allowed to bring into the town! . #windsor #windsorcastle #stgeorgeschapel #orderofthegarter #history #englishhistory #britishhistory #royalhistory #tudors #thetudors #tudorhistory #historylessonoftheday #historynerd #mywindsor #lovewindsor 📷 berkshirehistory.com

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Day 24 - Henry and Jane Seymour's Vault at St George's Chapel

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Windsor Castle and town history - 24 . In 1537 King Henry VIII’s third wife Jane Seymour gave birth to his long awaited son (the future Edward VI) at Hampton Court Palace, 18 miles downstream from Windsor Castle. . Henry was so convinced that the child would be a boy (after two girls Mary and Elizabeth by his first and second wives) that he had a Garter stall (seat) prepared for the child in St George’s Chapel. . Twelve days later Jane was dead due to childbirth complications. Henry VIII decreed she should be buried in St George’s Chapel. He did not attend the funeral himself. The chief mourner was his eldest daughter Mary who was at the head of a procession of horses all draped in black velvet who brought Jane’s body from Hampton Court and into Windsor Castle via the Henry VIII gate. It was the first funeral of a Queen at the chapel since King Henry’s grandmother Elizabeth Woodville’s burial in 1492. . The mayor of Windsor was paid for the streets of Windsor to be cleaned where the funeral cortège would pass. . Jane remained Henry’s ‘favourite wife’ and is the only one of his six wives buried at Windsor. She is buried with Henry in a vault under the centre of the quire with the black stone (ledger) shown at the bottom centre of the photograph. _________________________ Did you know: Henry VIII’s brother in law and great friend Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk (married to Henry’s sister Mary) is buried just a few feet away from Henry to the right of the photograph. Charles Brandon managed to survive 40 years of friendship with the King, even after almost once killing Henry in a joust. Charles was a Knight of the Garter and although he wanted to be buried in Lincolnshire, Henry insisted he should be buried in the chapel. We often see Tudor history enthusiasts who come to St George’s Chapel especially to see his grave. . #windsor #windsorcastle #stgeorgeschapel #janeseymour #queenjaneseymour #henryviii #tudors #tudordynasty #thetudors #charlesbrandon #britishhistory #royalhistory #englishhistory #historylesson #historylessonoftheday #historygeek #marytudor 📷 stgeorges-windsor.org

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Day 25 - The Windsor Martyrs

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Windsor Castle and town history - 25 . In the 1530’s King Henry VIII created a wooden walkway called a wharf along the North side of the Royal Apartments. From here he could watch the hunt in the Little Park (Home Park) below. There was a bridge that crossed the castle ditch enabling the King to reach the Little Park and this was the first time since the 1000’s that the castle was no longer defensive, the bridge being a permanent structure. You can see the bridge to the left of the drawing. . Ten years later three local men were burnt at the stake below the wharf. Religious persecution was taking hold and five years previously an Act of Parliament was passed abolishing diversity in religious opinions. . The three men were Robert Testwood, Henry Filmer a tailor and Anthony Pierson a radical preacher. A fourth man John Marbeck was organist at St George’s Chapel and local legend says he was pardoned because the King liked his music. . The condemned men were walked through the streets of Windsor and put to death below Henry’s wharf. On hearing the news, the King is said to have whispered “Alas poor innocents”. _________________________ Did you know: There is a Testwood Road, Filmer Road and a Pierson Road in Windsor. . #windsor #windsorcastle #stgeorgeschapel #windsormartyrs #history #tudorhistory #royalhistory #britishhistory #tudors #thetudors #history #historylessonoftheday #historygeeksunite

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Day 26 - Death of Henry VIII

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Windsor Castle and town history - 26 . By the 1540s King Henry VIII was a shadow of his former athletic self. Weighing almost 400 pounds (28 stone) and with a waist measuring 58 inches he was moved around his palaces on a series of ropes and pullies - a Tudor version of a Stannah stairlift! . His armour from 1540 can be seen at Windsor Castle. . In 1547 he died in London and his body was brought to St George’s Chapel, Windsor for burial. The funeral processions took two days to arrive at Windsor, was over four miles long and led by eight horses draped in black carrying the king’s burial carriage. . It took 16 yeoman of the guard to lower the heavy coffin into the vault where his third wife Jane Seymour’s coffin lay. _________________________ Did you know: Henry VIII executed five of his Knights of the Garter during his reign. . #windsor #windsorcastle #stgeorgeschapel #henryviii #tudors #thetudors #tudorhistory #britishhistory #royalhistory #history #historylessonoftheday #historygeek . 📷 © rct.uk

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on May 10, 2020 at 6:16am PDT

Day 27 - King Edward VI & Queen Mary

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Windsor Castle and town history - 27 . King Henry VIII’s son by Jane Seymour became King Edward VI at just nine years of age. He hated Windsor Castle and said of it “Methinks I am in prison, here be no galleries nor no gardens to walk in”. He survived measles and also smallpox but his immune system was poor and he died of tuberculosis aged just 15. . His older half sister Mary, daughter of Henry VIII’s first wife Catherine of Aragon, became Queen in 1553 aged 37. . The following year she married Phillip II of Spain and arrived at Windsor where they were met by the mayor at the bottom of Peascod Street (today Windsor’s main shopping street). From there there was a great procession with trumpets up the hill and into the castle where Phillip was created a Knight of the Garter. . Mary’s father Henry VIII had decreed there should be 13 ‘Poor knights’ (see history 11) but there wasn’t enough accommodation for them. So she had more houses built (picture 1) and used stone from nearby Reading Abbey which her father had closed down 15 years before. They are still lived in by the Military Knights as they are known today. . The large tower (picture 2) today known as the Mary Tudor tower has a very rare example of Mary and Phillip’s coat of arms (picture 3) as their marriage only lasted four years until Mary’s death in 1558. _________________________ Did you know : The poor knights in Mary I’s time had to be unmarried, were forbidden from frequenting Windsor’s taverns and alehouses, and prohibited from bringing women into their houses unless ‘for a reasonable cause’! . 📷 1 and 2 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2019 3 © stgeorges-windsor.org . #windsor #windsorcastle #edwardvi #henryviii #maryi #marytudor #thetudors #tudorhistory #history #royalhistory #britishhistory #englishhistory #historygeek #historylessonoftheday #historylesson #militaryknights

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on May 12, 2020 at 8:47am PDT

Day 28 - Queen Elizabeth I

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Windsor Castle and town history - 28 . After Queen Mary I’s death in 1558 her younger half sister Elizabeth (daughter of Henry VIII’s second wife Anne Boleyn) became Queen, meaning all three of Henry’s children had become monarchs. . The great wharf her father had built along the North Terrace had fallen into disrepair and during the 1570’s it was rebuilt in stone. . The initials E.R. for Elizabeth Regina (Latin for Queen Elizabeth) can be seen over an archway on the Terrace. More than once tourist guides have been asked if it stands for Emergency Room! . A visitor to the castle from Germany remarked in 1598 that the new wharf was ‘a walk of incredible beauty, 380 paces in length’ from where you could see fields and meadows and the River Thames. . Elizabeth I found the castle cold and rundown. She liked walking along the North Terrace but didn’t like being russled by the wind. . She had a long gallery built on the North Terrace to walk in if the weather was inclement. That gallery was incorporated into Royal Library in the 1800s. ———————————— Did you know: The same German visitor who described the North Terrace in 1598 also said of Elizabeth I that she was ‘fair, but wrinkled, her eyes small yet black and pleasant, her nose a little hooked, her lips narrow and her teeth black’! She was 64 at the time. . #windsor #windsorcastle #tudors #thetudors #tudorhistory #history #royalhistory #britishhistory #englishhistory #historylessonoftheday #historygeek #castlehistory #britishmonarchy . 📷 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2019

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on May 14, 2020 at 5:32am PDT

Day 29 - Elizabeth in Windsor

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Windsor Castle and town history - 29 . Throughout the reign of Queen Elizabeth I outbreaks of the plague were a constant threat and she regularly moved the court to Windsor where, being 25 miles upstream from London, the air was said to be ‘sweet’. . The plague was spread by rat fleas and in 1593 there was a major outbreak in London. All the theatres were closed and 20,000 people died during the outbreak, 24% of the City and surrounding areas. . Elizabeth spent this time at Windsor Castle where she celebrated her 60th birthday (portrait of what she looked like around this time). . Eventually the plague reached Windsor and the outbreak lasted one year. In 1604 enough money was raised to built a ‘pest house’ in the town on Sheet Street close to the castle. . The pest house was used to house and often forcibly quarantine those with the plague and other diseases such as tuberculosis, cholera and smallpox. Those who died were buried in the area where Victoria Barracks stands today. . The Windsor pest house was demolished in the 1730s to make way for a workhouse. _________________________ Did you know: No-one was permitted to come into Windsor from London during the plague outbreak. Elizabeth I had a new gallows built outside the castle to hang anyone who broke the rules! . #windsor #windsorcastle #elizabethi #tudors #thetudors #royalhistory #britishhistory #history #tudorhistory #history #historylessonoftheday #theplague #windsorhistory 📷 © npg.org.uk

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Day 30 - Shakespeare

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Windsor Castle and town history - 30 . Queen Elizabeth I held the Order of the Garter ceremony and festivities wherever she happened to be, not always at Windsor. However in 1561 there was a ceremony at St George’s Chapel for her first cousin Henry Carey, Lord Hunsdon being made a Knight of the Garter. He paraded through the town and up into the castle with a retinue of 300 men all dressed in orange taffeta which must have been a sight to see! . Lord Hunsdon was also patron of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men which was the playwright William Shakespeare’s acting company. . In 1597 Queen Elizabeth I commissioned William Shakespeare to write a play about Falstaff, a character from Shakespeare’s plays about Henry IV and Henry V. . Legend has it that Shakespeare was given just 12 days to write about Falstaff falling in love and that play was The Merry Wives of Windsor and first performed in Vicar’s Hall in Windsor Castle (photo 2). The hall is not open to the public today. . Many parts of Windsor town are mentioned in the play including the White Hart and the Garter inn directly opposite the castle walls where the 19th century hotel The Harte and Garter stands today. . In the play Falstaff is tormented at Herne’s Oak in the Little Park (Home Park). The oak was said to be where a hunter called Herne hanged himself many centuries earlier. . The actual tree which stood in the area to the left of photo 1 (looking at the Long Walk from the top of the Round Tower) was cut down in the 1700’s. Local people then began to tell visitors that Herne’s Oak was a completely different tree only for that tree to be blown down in a storm in Queen Victoria’s time. In the early 1900s King Edward VII planted a commemorative tree at the site of the original Herne’s Oak in the private grounds of the castle. _________________________ Did you know: During the time when William Shakespeare visited Windsor the town had 8 inns, 5 taverns and 8 alehouses. . #windsor #windsorcastle #elizabethi #tudorengland #tudorhistory #royalhistory #britishhistory #englishhistory #thetudors #williamshakespeare #shakespeare #themerrywivesofwindsor #windsorgreatpark 📷 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2018

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on May 18, 2020 at 7:30am PDT

Day 31 - James I

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Windsor Castle and town history - 31 . The Tudor dynasty ended in 1603 with the death of Queen Elizabeth I. None of Henry VIII’s children had children so the English crown passed to Elizabeth I’s cousin James VI of Scotland. He was the son of Mary Queen of Scots and became James I of England, the first of the Stuart dynasty to reign for the next 111 years. . James I stayed at Windsor Castle regularly and loved to hunt. The first Ranger of Windsor Great Park had been appointed jn 1601 and by 1607 there were an estimated 1,800 deer in the Great Park and 240 in the Little Park (Home Park). Photo is the Home Park today. . However James was never popular in Windsor because he closed both the Great and Little Parks to the people of the town. Previous monarchs had turned a blind eye to those collecting firewood, hunting rabbits or showing visitors Herne’s Oak (see history 30). James I had several locals thrown in jail and when the town mayor pleaded with the King to allow them access, the King told him that offenders would be whipped. _________________________ Did you know: although the two crowns of Scotland and England were united in 1603, their political union of Great Britain did not take place until over one hundred years later in 1707. . #windsor #windsorgreatpark #windsorcastle #homeparkwindsor #thestuarts #stuarthistory #britishhistory #royalhistory #history #englishhistory #jamesiofengland #windsorhistory #historylessonoftheday . 📷 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2017

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on May 20, 2020 at 6:32am PDT

Day 32 - Church Street

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Windsor Castle and town history - 32 . King James I brought back the Order of the Garter ceremony to St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle and huge processions of knights took place from London to Windsor. In 1618 James I decreed no more than 50 people could be in each knight’s procession. . The small medieval streets opposite the castle were filthy and the town’s corporation made residents clear any dungheaps, prohibited them from keeping pigs on the streets and made them pave the area outside their houses with cobbles. Photo shows a much improved Church Street today, directly opposite the Henry VIII gate of Windsor Castle - no dungheaps or pigs!! . James I died in 1625 and his son became King Charles I. The new king was as unpopular in the town as his father had been and there were riots over access to Windsor Great Park with fences torn down and deer killed. . The town of Windsor had become Puritan in its outlook with people fined if they didn’t attend church, for drunkenness or swearing. . By the 1640’s Charles I had not called a Parliament for over ten years, dark clouds were looming over Windsor and the town was not on the side of the King.......... _________________________ Did you know: In 1637 ‘women and persons of inferior quality’ were banned from sitting in the Garter stalls (seats) in St George’s Chapel. . #windsor #windsorcastle #stgeorgeschapel #stuartdynasty #thestuarts #jamesi #charlesi #windsorhistory #royalhistory #britishhistory #history #historylesson #historylessonoftheday 📷 © Windsor Tourist Guides 2017

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on May 22, 2020 at 9:59am PDT

Day 33 - Charles I

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Windsor Castle and town history - 33 . King Charles I had not held a Parliament since the late 1620’s and by 1642 civil war had broken out between the King and his supporters (Royalists) and Parliament led by Oliver Cromwell (Parliamentarians). . The townspeople of Windsor supported the Parliamentarians throughout the war and being a Puritan town in 1642 they removed a painted crucifix which had been placed ten years previously at the market cross which stood in the area of Queen Victoria’s statue today. . The King fled north from Windsor Castle and the Parliamentarian troops entered the castle without a shot being fired. One month later the Royalists under the command of the King’s nephew Prince Rupert of the Rhine attempted to take back the castle but the west walls built four hundred years before, survived the attack and the castle remained under Parliamentary control for the whole of the civil war. . The Dean of St George’s Chapel was impeached and sent to the Tower of London although he managed to hide altar plate and books relating to the Order of the Garter under the floorboards. All other chapel staff had to leave although the Poor (Military) Knights were allowed to stay. . By November 1648 Windsor Castle became the headquarters of the Parliamentary army and the following month Charles I was to return to the castle one last time........ as a prisoner. _________________________ Did you know: by 1643 there were 16,000 foot soldiers and 3,000 cavalry in the town. . 📷 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2019 . #windsor #windsorcastle #stgeorgeschapel #thestuarts #stuartdynasty #charlesi #olivercromwell #englishcivilwar #windsorhistory #history #britishhistory #historylessonoftheday #aroyallovestory

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on May 24, 2020 at 5:10am PDT

Day 34 - Shakespeare

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Windsor Castle and town history - 34 . Just over fifty years had passed since William Shakespeare’s play The Merry Wives of Windsor had first been performed at Windsor Castle when in December 1648 King Charles I was escorted to the castle as a prisoner. . He had with him a second edition of the folio of Shakespeare’s plays, the word folio pertaining to the way the paper was printed and folded. The King wrote comments in the margins of the book and also wrote “Dum Spiro Spero” (While I breathe, I hope), with his signature CR for Charles Rex, Latin for King Charles, picture 2. . He was banned from celebrating Christmas as the Puritans did not permit ‘immemorial pleasures of the season’. . On the 19th January 1649 Charles I was transferred to London, found guilty of treason against his own people and executed by beheading on the 30th January 1649. . The King’s original copy of his folio is in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle and periodically it comes out on display, most recently for World Book Day earlier this year. Two American teenagers were with me on a tour that day and I took them to see it, telling them to look at it closely and to remember what they had just seen - one of the rarest books in the world, one that had belonged to a King whose writing could be seen clearly and a King who had been been executed. I told them that they would be able to tell that story to their English or Drama teacher. I like to think they will thank me for that one day!!! ________________________ Did you know: The Royal Library at Windsor Castle also contains the second shirt that King Charles I wore at his execution (not on public display). The King wore two shirts to keep out the January cold as he did not wish people to think he was shivering with fear at his execution. . #windsor #windsorcastle #charlesi #williamshakespeare #secondfolio #worldbookday2020 #britishhistory #englishcivilwar #thestuarts #stuartdynasty #royalhistory #royalwindsoruk #windsorhistory #historylessonoftheday 📷 bbc.co.uk

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Day 35 - Burial of the executed Charles I

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Windsor Castle and town history - 35 . On 7th February 1649 the body of the executed King, Charles I was brought back to Windsor in a procession of two troops of horses and four carriages carrying the King’s servants. Local legend has it that his body was placed on an oak table in the Dean’s house next to St George’s Chapel. . As his coffin was later transferred by soldiers into the chapel, eyewitnesses reported that snow began to fall. Many years previously Charles had worn white at his coronation. The ‘White King’ was now having a white funeral. The picture shows a 19th century depiction of the King’s funeral which can be seen in the Houses of Parliament. . The Bishop of London was in attendance but prohibited from speaking as the army commander of the castle declared it unlawful. The Bishop wept as the coffin was lowered without ceremony into the vault already containing the bodies of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour where it remains to this day. . The country was now a republic, the monarchy and House of Lords were abolished. Oliver Cromwell was created Lord Protector and the British Isles were under military rule. It would remain that way for the next eleven years. _________________________ Did you know: In the 1800s a royal physician opened the coffin of Charles I and took a small piece of neck bone. Many years later his family contacted the royal family, returned the bone in a small box which was then lowered into the vault and placed on top of the King’s coffin. . 📷 © parliament.net #windsor #windsorcastle #royalwindsoruk #thestuarts #stuartdynasty #britishroyalhistory #royalhistory #charlesi #olivercromwell #history #historylesson #historylessonoftheday #stgeorgeschapel

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on May 28, 2020 at 7:37am PDT

Day 36 - The Commonwealth at Windsor Castle

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Windsor Castle and town history - 36 . Throughout the 1650s, the time of the Commonwealth as it became known, Windsor Castle was used as a military barracks, a prison and as home to families of Parliamentary soldiers who had been killed. . The executed King’s heir, Charles, was exiled throughout Europe for nine years. His cousin was King Louis XIV of France. . The House of Commons considered selling off Windsor Castle in 1652 but decided against it and sold the Great and Little Parks instead, having divided them into plots. Two years later Oliver Cromwell repurchased the Little Park. . The Poor (Military) Knights continued to be housed at the castle, their number was increased from 13 to 18 and new buildings built for their accommodation. These buildings stood where the barracks are today (pictured) and were demolished in 1847. . Oliver Cromwell died of natural causes in 1658 and the country, tired of Puritan rule with atrocities having been committed throughout the British Isles, no longer had the appetite for military rule. Windsor town had not prospered under the regime and so it was with ‘great joy’ that on the 12th May 1660 that Charles was proclaimed King Charles II from the market cross, the bridge and the castle gate. . The period of ‘ Restoration’ had begun, the ‘Merry Monarch’ as King Charles II was known was back and the fun was about to start.......... _________________________ Did you know: The Poor (Military) Knights were present at Oliver Cromwell’s funeral at Westminster Abbey. . 📷 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2017 . #windsor #windsorcastle #windsorhistory #royalhistory #charlesii #olivercromwell #history #britishhistory #historylessonoftheday #historygeek #stuartdynasty

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on May 30, 2020 at 6:42am PDT

Day 37 - Charles II

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Windsor Castle and town history - 37 . King Charles II was thirty in 1660 when the monarchy was restored. One of the first things he did was to reopen the theatres which had been closed under Puritan rules and for the first time allowed women onto the stage. . He visited Windsor Castle that year and found it in a state ‘exceedingly ragged and ruinous’. Three hundred soldiers were still in residence. . He spent the remainder of his reign improving the castle and the parks of which more later. . In 1662 he married a Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza although he continued to have many mistresses. . His best known mistress was Nell Gwynn (picture 2), an actress he met at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London. She was 17 and he was 37. The diarist Samuel Pepys called her ‘pretty, witty Nell’. . She had two boys with the King, one of whom died young. The eldest , Charles, was given the title Earl of Burford and later created the Duke of St Albans. Nell was popular in Windsor and the King gave her a house on the edge of the park called Burford House in St Albans Street where she stayed whenever the King was in residence at the castle. Today the house stands within the castle walls and is part of the Royal Mews. . In 1687 Nell died after suffering a stroke. She was just 37 years old. Her family continued to reside at Burford House until it was bought back by the crown in the 1700s. _________________________ Did you know: King Charles II had at least twelve acknowledged illegitimate children by six mistresses. . #windsor #windsorcastle #charlesii #therestoration #nellgwynn #nellgwynne #burfordhouse #britishmonarchy #history #britishhistory #royalty #britishroyalty #royalwindsoruk #windsorhistory #historylessonoftheday

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Day 38 - Charles II & the Long Walk

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Windsor Castle and town history - 38 . It took King Charles II ten years to rebuild and repair the parks surrounding Windsor Castle and by 1682 there were over 1,000 deer in the park brought in from nearby Richmond Park and also Germany. . Having seen his cousin Louis XIV of France’s great vistas at Versailles, it was in 1680 that Charles II purchased land south of Windsor Castle to create his great legacy, the iconic Long Walk. . The Long Walk stretches just under three miles from Windsor Castle to Snow Hill in the Great Park. . The King decreed it to be 240 feet wide with a double row of elm trees. Over 1,600 elms were planted. . The Long Walk was only just completed by the time of the King’s death in 1685. . By the 1860’s many of the trees were diseased and replanted. In the 1940s an outbreak of elm disease caused all the trees to be felled and replaced with the double row of plane trees and horse chestnuts that we see today. _________________________ Did you know: The original Long Walk of the 1680s did not have a road running down the middle of the avenue of trees. It was only in 1710 that the central section was added for Queen Anne to ride a ‘chariot’ from the castle into the Great Park. . #windsor #windsorcastle #windsorgreatpark #thelongwalk #thelongwalkwindsor #charlesii #stuartdynasty #thestuarts #windsorhistory #royalwindsoruk #britishhistory #royalhistory #trees #history #historylessonoftheday

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jun 3, 2020 at 8:07am PDT

Day 39 - Charles II Renovations

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Windsor Castle and town history - 39 . The town of Windsor flourished in the 1660s and the townspeople rang the church bells whenever King Charles II came to Windsor. . The King rebuilt the old gothic State Apartments into apartments for himself and for his wife Queen Catherine. These can be seen today although with some 19th century additions. . Rooms were built for the King’s brother James and a new tower for James’ younger daughter called the Lady Anne’s apartments. Today this tower houses Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s private rooms. . One of the King’s servants Tobias Rustat saved enough money to be able to commission a statue of the King dressed as a Roman Emperor (right of the photo). . In 1666 the diarist Samuel Pepys visited the castle and wrote “it is the most romantique castle that is in the world”. _________________________ Did you know: King Charles II’s new apartments were on an upper floor. A private staircase from his rooms led below to a suite of rooms lived in by his mistress Louise, the Duchess of Portsmouth and her child with the King. . #windsor #windsorcastle #kingcharlesii #charlesii #thestuarts #stuartdynasty #royalhistory #royalwindsoruk #windsorhistory #britishhistory #history #historylessonoftheday #castlerockedit

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jun 5, 2020 at 9:37am PDT

Day 40 - Windsor Guildhall

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Windsor Castle and town history - 40 . In 1681 the two inns that had been portrayed in Shakespeare’s plays, the Garter Inn and White Hart burnt down. . Four years later in 1685 King Charles II died without any legitimate children although plenty of illegitimate ones. The throne therefore passed to his younger brother James, the Duke of York who became King James II. He had Catholic leanings and in 1687 welcomed one of the Pope’s diplomats to Windsor Castle who arrived in a cavalcade of 36 coaches each pulled by six horses. Where they stayed is not known but the previous year the town had produced a report saying there were 339 guest beds and stables for 669 horses. . The same year a new town hall (Guildhall) was built. Designed and started by Sir Thomas Fitch it was completed by Sir Christopher Wren better known as the architect of St Paul’s Cathedral in London. . Today the Guildhall is used by the local borough for meetings. It is also a civil register office. Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles and also Sir Elton John and David Furnish had their civil ceremonies there. _________________________ Did you know: When King James II was the Duke of York his brother Charles II gave him some land on the East coast of America which was named after him - New York. . 📷 Windsor Guildhall, Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2019 . #windsor #windsorguildhall #guildhallwindsor #charlesii #jamesii #royalhistory #britishhistory #thestuarts #stuartdynasty #history #historylesson #historylessonoftheday #windsorhistory #igerswindsor #royalwindsoruk #nightsky

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jun 7, 2020 at 9:49am PDT

Day 41 - William and Anne

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Windsor Castle and town history - 41 . King James II was only on the throne for three years before he was deposed in a bloodless revolution (The Glorious Revolution) in 1685 and fled to France. . James’ Protestant eldest daughter Mary who was married to Prince William of Orange in the Netherlands was offered the throne and they became joint monarchs William III and Mary II. . Mary’s younger sister Anne and her husband took a five year lease on Nell Gwynn’s house Burford House in Windsor just next to the castle. The two sisters fell out over Anne’s friendship with Sarah Churchill of whom more later and the two were not reconciled at the time of Mary’s tragic death from smallpox aged just 32. . William III continued to reign after Mary’s death and planned great gardens at Windsor Castle on the north side stretching all the way down to the River Thames. He died in 1702 without children so the throne passed to Mary’s younger sister Anne. . Queen Anne’s only surviving child Prince William, Duke of Gloucester was made a Knight of the Garter aged just seven years old and in 1700 celebrated his eleventh birthday at Windsor Castle. There were fireworks, cannons, bells and bonfires but within a week he was dead, from smallpox. . Queen Anne with no children alive would now be the last of the Stuart dynasty. She had had seventeen pregnancies - 7 miscarriages, 5 stillbirths and 5 living children all whom died. __________________________ Did you know: Queen Anne was the first monarch of Great Britain from 1707 when Scotland joined England and Wales in a political union. . 📷 Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2019 . #windsor #windsorcastle #thestuarts #stuartdynasty #williamandmary #queenanne #sarahchurchill #history #britishhistory #royalhistory #windsorhistory #royalwindsoruk #igerswindsor #castle #britishcastles #greatbritain #unionflag

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jun 9, 2020 at 9:53am PDT

Day 42 - Queen Anne

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Windsor Castle and town history - 42 . Queen Anne was 37 when she became monarch in 1702. Following the death of her son and heir Prince William two years earlier she retreated to a house just south of Windsor Castle called The Garden House later known as Queen’s Lodge. . The Government passed The Act of Settlement ensuring the throne would go to a Protestant after Anne’s death and her cousin Sophia of Hanover was named as her heir. There were at that time over fifty Catholic relatives with a closer link to the throne. . Queen Anne was shy with long term health problems including poor eyesight, gout and arthritis. She drank and ate to null the pain and became obese. . Anne was liked by the people of Windsor and a statue (pictured) of her was placed on the Guildhall. . She gave money to help create a Free School in the town to educate poor children, 40 boys and 30 girls. She paid for a bridge to be built between Windsor and Datchet, making it a free bridge but this angered the toll keepers at Windsor bridge and Anne’s bridge was later demolished. It remains the only bridge over the River Thames to have been demolished and never replaced. . Most famously it was Queen Anne who founded Ascot Racecourse in 1711. She loved riding and hunting in Windsor Great Park and when she became too large to ride, drove a kind of chariot pulled by horses. Gravel drives were laid from the castle into the park including the road down the middle of the Long Walk and Queen Anne’s ride. _________________________ Did you know: The first race of Royal Ascot is named The Queen Anne’s Cup in honour of Queen Anne. . 📷 Windsor.gov.uk . #windsor #windsorcastle #queenanne #thestuarts #stuartdynasty #royalhistory #britishhistory #history #historylesson #historylessonoftheday #royalwindsoruk #royalwindsor #royalascot #windsorguildhallweddings

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jun 11, 2020 at 10:22am PDT

Day 43 - Queen Anne & Sarah Churchill

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Windsor Castle and town history -42 . Queen Anne’s great friend since childhood was Sarah Churchill and much has been written about whether their friendship went any deeper. . Anne made Sarah the Ranger of Windsor Great Park and she remains the only woman to have held the post. Anne also created Sarah’s husband the Duke of Marlborough and made him a Knight of the Garter. The couple resided in Cumberland Lodge in the park and the Duke died there in 1722. . After the death of Queen Anne’s husband Prince George of Denmark in 1708 Anne was described as “a lonely old woman”. She was 43! . Queen Anne died in 1714, all her children had died and the Stuart dynasty ended. Her closest Protestant heir Sophia of Hanover in Germany had died two months previously so the British throne passed to Sophia’s son Prince George of Hanover who was Anne’s second cousin. At that time there were six living Catholic relatives who had a closer link to the throne. . The Hanoverian dynasty had begun...... _________________________ Did you know: It was Queen Anne who decreed that women holders of the Order of the Garter should wear the garter on their left arm, a tradition which remains to this day. . 📷 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2020 . #windsor #windsorgreatpark #obeliskpond #queenanne #thestuarts #stuartdynasty #history #britishroyalhistory #royalhistory #royalwindsoruk #historylessonoftheday #lake #summer

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jun 13, 2020 at 6:15am PDT

Day 44 - Hanoverians

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Windsor Castle and town history - 44 . During the reign of the first two Hanoverian kings, George I (reigned 1714-1727) and his son George II (reigned 1727-1760) Windsor Castle entered what is known as its ‘ Long Sleep’ as it was rarely visited by the royal family except for hunting in the Great Park. . The castle was divided up into apartments where mainly aristocratic ladies lived free of charge in what were known as ‘Grace and Favour’ residences. There was even a pub inside Windsor Castle called The Royal Standard (foreground of picture 2) which today houses one of the castle shops (picture 1). . The royal family did attend an Order of the Garter ceremony in 1730 when George II’s nine year old son Prince William, Duke of Cumberland was created a Knight of the Garter. The Duke was instrumental in later years for the creation of Virginia Water in Windsor Great Park. _________________________ Did you know: The first guidebook to Windsor Castle was published in 1742 called ‘The History and Antiquities of Windsor Castle’. . 📷 Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2018 and painting by Paul Sandby 1760 © Royal Collection Trust . #windsor #windsorcastle #hanoverians #hanoveriandynasty #georgeii #georgei #royalfamily #britishhistory #royalhistory #windsorgreatpark #virginiawater #dukeofcumberland #history #historylessonoftheday #windsorhistory #royalwindsoruk

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jun 15, 2020 at 8:04am PDT

Day 45 - The Crooked House

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Windsor Castle and town history - 45 . One of the best known Windsor buildings after the castle of course, is Market Cross House better known as the Crooked House of Windsor which has been leaning since 1718. . Another house dating back to the late 1500s was originally on the site and the area was known as the Shambles with butchers shops and abattoirs. . The house was pulled down and rebuilt in the 1600s before a local butcher Silas Bradbury wanted to make alternations to it. . There was then an argument as to how much land Silas Bradbury actually owned and it is said that the town mayor erected a fence around the building and lawyers were brought in to settle the dispute. . Silas Bradbury quickly made his alterations before anyone could stop him but made the building too tall, the alterations were carried out too fast and he used unseasoned timber so it’s been leaning ever since..... . The back (pictured) is even more uneven than the front with a wonderful wonky door that a carpenter must have had fun making. . Today the building is a jewellery shop @jersey_pearl and over the years has been a butchers, an office, florist, tea shop, beer shop, fruit seller and printers. _________________________ Did you know: The Crooked House is said to be haunted and the previous owner when it was a tea shop used to regularly find all the handles and spouts of the teapots has been interlinked overnight! . 📷 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2019 . #windsor #thecrookedhouseofwindsor #thecrookedhouse #leaninghouse #jerseypearl #royalwindsoruk #england #lovewindsor #windsorhistory #igerswindsor #mywindsor #travelgram #thisprettyengland #brilliantbritain #uk

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jun 17, 2020 at 6:37am PDT

Day 46 - Sarah Churchill, Ranger of the Great Park

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Windsor Castle and town history -46 . Queen Anne’s great friend Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough continued as Ranger of Windsor Great Park during the time of Windsor’s ‘Long Sleep’ in the mid 1700s when royalty rarely visited. . Sarah jealously guarded access to Windsor Great Park refusing to let anyone in and this caused her to fall out with many local residents. The Governor of Windsor Castle was severely rebuked by her when he rode his carriage through the park without her permission and two of Nell Gwynn’s grandsons fell foul of her - one for shooting pheasants and one for breaking a locked gate to gain access. Sarah regularly wrote to the wife of King George II, Queen Caroline informing her of who had displeased her. . Finally Sarah fell out with Queen Caroline over access to Sarah’s Estate at Wimbledon and Sarah lost her income as Ranger. . Very briefly her grandson John Spencer became Ranger and on his death in 1746 was replaced with the second son of George II, Prince William Duke of Cumberland. . When Sarah died in 1744 it was said she died ‘immensely rich and very little regretted either by her family or the world in general’. John Spencer inherited everything as he was the only grandchild she hadn’t fallen out with! _________________________ Did you know: Sarah Churchill was seven times grandmother to Princess Diana. Sarah’s daughter Anne married Charles Spencer in 1700. . 📷 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2018 . #windsor #windsorgreatpark #windsorcastle #sarahchurchill #hanoverians #georgeii #history #royalhistory #britishhistory #royalwindsoruk #windsorhistory #lovewindsor #igerswindsor #historylessonoftheday #1700s #park #parksofinstagram #mywindsor #lovewindsor

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jun 19, 2020 at 7:29am PDT

Day 47 - Prince William, Duke of Cumberland

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Windsor Castle and town history - 47 . In 1746 George II’s son Prince William, Duke of Cumberland became Ranger of Windsor Great Park. A former military commander it was said of him that “he stopped felling the enemy and started planting trees”. . He lived at Cumberland Lodge in the park and set about creating Virginia Water lake which at the time was the largest man-made lake in Britain. The circuit of the lake is four and a half miles. . The Duke also kept a menagerie in the park including buffalos, lions, tigers, a cheetah, wild turkeys and a turtle. The cheetah once escaped and killed a deer while tragically a tiger escaped and killed a child. The tiger was sent to the royal menagerie at The Tower of London. . An obelisk (picture 2) was erected in memory of the Duke who died in 1765. It stands on Obelisk Lawn close to Savill Garden in Windsor Great Park. _________________________ Did you know: The name of a Scottish battle that the Duke has been involved in, Culloden, was inscribed on the side of the obelisk. In the mid 1800s Queen Victoria has this changed to “Cumberland”. . 📷 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2020 © joggingroutes.org . #windsor #windsorgreatpark #virginiawater #obelisk #obelisklawn #georgeii #dukeofcumberland #thehanoverians #hanoveriandynasty #royalhistory #britishhistory #mywindsor #lovewindsor #lake #summer #england #britain

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jun 21, 2020 at 3:27am PDT

Day 48 - George III & Charlotte

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Windsor Castle and town history - 48 . In 1760 George II died and his grandson became King George III aged 22 (his father had pre-deceased him). George was married to a German princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. . Queen Charlotte loved Windsor Castle as soon as she saw it and ‘expressed a desire to live there’. However the castle was in a very bad state of repair so the family lived in the Garden House at the top of the Long Walk where Queen Anne had resided sixty years previously. The house was enlarged and renamed The Queen’s Lodge. . Charlotte and George had 15 children so they also purchased Burford House from Nell Gwynn’s family renaming it Lower Lodge. King George then found alternative accommodation for all those aristocrats who were living in the castle free of charge and then housed his older sons in those apartments. . The era of Windsor Castle’s ‘ Long Sleep’ was over although after major alterations it wasn’t until 1775 that the castle became the royal family’s summer residence with Queen Charlotte calling it ‘this sweet retreat’. _________________________ Did you know: The Queen’s Lodge stood right across the top of the Long Walk close to the castle walls and was demolished in the 1820’s to improve the view! . 📸 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2019 . #windsor #windsorcastle #thehanoverians #hanoveriandynasty #royalhistory #britishhistory #history #thisprettyengland #unlimitedbritain #england #igerswindsor #mywindsor #lovewindsor #wowwindsor #spring #blossom #historylessonoftheday

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jun 23, 2020 at 12:34pm PDT

Day 49 -Farmer George and Windsor

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Windsor Castle and town history - 49 . King George III who reigned between 1760 and 1820 was immensely popular in Windsor and was nicknamed Farmer George for his interest in the royal farms and especially the dairy. . The King frequented Windsor town’s shops and often stopped to speak with shopkeepers. The royal family often visited The Theatre Royal which at that time was on the High Street opposite the Parish Church. . A book publisher Charles Knight who lived on Castle Hill described late 1700’s Windsor as “a continuous din of royalty going to and fro, of bell ringing for birthdays, of gun-firing for victories, of reviews in the park, the guard change with all the pomp and military music, of the chapel bell tolling twice a day, of crowding to the terrace on Sunday evenings and of holidays such as for Royal Ascot’. Not that different to Windsor in the 21st century before lockdown!! . The royal family walked on the South Terrace of Windsor Castle on warm summer evenings and King George encouraged local children to play cricket and fly kites in the park. _________________________ Did you know: King George III devised a uniform for male members of the royal family to wear on official occasions at Windsor Castle. Called the Windsor Uniform it is blue with red collar and cuffs. It is still worn today by male members of the royal family and the castle wardens also wear a version of the Windsor Uniform when welcoming visitors to the castle. . 📷 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2017 . #windsor #windsorcastle #thelongwalk #britishcastles #castlesofinstagram #georgeiii #thehanoverians #hanoveriandynasty #britishhistory #royalhistory #lovewindsor #mywindsor #wowwindsor #thisprettyengland #england #unlimitedbritain

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jun 25, 2020 at 7:15am PDT

Day 50 - Frogmore

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Windsor Castle and town history - 50 . In 1792 the wife of King George III, Queen Charlotte purchased Frogmore House about one mile south of Windsor Castle which she used as a retreat for her and her six daughters. It had been in Crown hands since the 1500s and was extensively rebuilt. . It was at Frogmore House that Charlotte and the young princesses would spend their days painting, drawing, reading, playing music, needleworking and ‘botanising’. The princesses lead very sheltered lives and often wrote of how bored they were. . Charlotte’s daughter Princess Elizabeth was a talented artist and panels of her flower paintings can still be seen in the house. . Beautiful gardens of 35 acres were also added and Queen Charlotte would regularly hold fetes and evening dancing for the local Windsor people. She called Frogmore her ‘little paradise’. . After Charlotte’s death in 1818 the house was inherited by her daughter Princess Augusta and in the mid 1800s became the home of Queen Victoria’s mother. It is no longer a royal residence but continues to be used by the royal family for private events most recently the evening wedding reception of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. . Frogmore House is open to the public at certain times of year although sadly not this year. _________________________ Did you know: There is also a royal burial ground at Frogmore which includes the grave of Wallis Simpson the American divorcee married to King Edward VIII who abdicated the British throne in 1936 in order to ‘marry the woman I love’. . 📷 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2019 . #windsor #windsorcastle #frogmorehouse #thehanoverians #hanoveriandynasty #queencharlotte #igerswindsor #lovewindsor #wowwindsor #mywindsor #royalwindsor #royalwindsoruk #lake #tranquility #england #unlimitedbritain #thisprettyengland #britishroyalhistory #royalhistory #historylessonoftheday #lakesofinstagram

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jun 27, 2020 at 4:57am PDT

Day 51 - Madness of King George

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Windsor Castle and town history - 51 . King George III first became ill with ‘madness’ in 1788. A decision was made to remove him from Windsor which was ‘too public’ and take him to Kew Palace closer towards London. As the King was leaving he was heard to say ‘why am I taken from the place I love best in the world?’. It was said that ‘almost all of Windsor was collected at the rails to witness the mournful spectacle of his departure which left them in the deepest despondency’. The following year he recovered sufficiently to be able to return to Windsor Castle and the town corporation paid for a firework display from the Round Tower (pictured). . In 1810 the King celebrated fifty years on the throne known as a Golden Jubilee and a great fete was held on Bachelor’s Acre in Windsor town centre with an ox and sheep roast followed by a giant plum pudding. In the evening there was a water pageant on the lake at Frogmore House. . The King’s wife Queen Charlotte and their children attended all the festivities but the King was ill again and not able to leave the castle as he was almost blind. The rest of his life was spent in the sunless rooms overlooking the North Terrace of Windsor Castle. . It is thought the King suffered from porphyria a genetic disorder which is treatable today although modern medical historians feel he may have had bipolar disorder which would have accounted for his episodes of ‘madness’. _________________________ Did you know: At Christmas 1800 Queen Charlotte entertained sixty local poor families at the Queen’s Lodge just south of the castle. She introduced the children to a custom from her native Germany - a Christmas tree - forty years before it was popularised by Queen Victoria and her German husband Prince Albert. . 📷 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2018 . #windsor #windsorcastle #roundtower #britishcastles #kinggeorgeiii #georgeiii #queencharlotte #thehanoverians #hanoverianhistory #britishroyalhistory #royalwindsoruk #wowwindsor #mywindsor #lovewindsor #igerswindsor #historylessonoftheday #unlimitedbritain #castlesofinstagram #castlesmypassion

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jun 29, 2020 at 7:43am PDT

Day 52 - Prince Regent

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Windsor Castle and town history - 52 . In 1810 King George’s youngest daughter Princess Amelia died at her house in St Albans Street by Windsor Castle. Aged just 27 her death sent the King into a grief and despair from which he never recovered. She was the first royal buried in the Hanoverian vault that the King had created for his family in St George’s Chapel, pictured. . As George III was now unable to carry out any of his constitutional responsibilities, his eldest son and heir the Prince of Wales became the ‘Prince Regent’ taking over his fathers duties. . In 1817 the Prince Regent’s only child and heir Princess Charlotte died in childbirth aged 21. Her child also died. The Prince Regent and his estranged wife Princess Caroline were devastated by her death. They now had no heir. . In 1819 the Prince Regent’s younger brother the Duke of Kent and his wife Princess Victoria had a child they named Alexandrina Victoria. Eighteen years later she would become Queen Victoria. _________________________ Did you know: there is a spectacular memorial to Princess Charlotte and her child in St George’s Chapel. They are buried in the Hanoverian vault. Such was the public grief at her death, all the shops in Britain were closed for two weeks. . 📷 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2019 . #windsor #windsorcastle #stgeorgeschapel #igerswindsor #lovewindsor #mywindsor #wowwindsor #georgeiii #hanoveriandynasty #britishroyalfamily #royalwindsoruk #princeregent #princesscharlotteofwales #england #photosofbritain #history #historylessonoftheday #queenvictoria #royalhistory

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jul 1, 2020 at 2:09pm PDT

Day 53 - Death of George III

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Windsor Castle and town history - 53 . In January 1820 King George III was the first monarch to die at Windsor Castle. He had spent almost a decade in the gloomy rooms overlooking the North Terrace of the castle. . The King’s funeral was held in St George’s Chapel on the evening of 16th February. The public were allowed into Windsor Castle from 10am that day and 30,000 people crammed into the castle precincts with soldiers desperately attempting to keep some form of order to prevent mourners being crushed. . A magnificent track had been built from the State Apartments to the chapel, over 1,000 feet long, 15 feet high and 19 feet wide. Covered in black drapes it gave the impression that the coffin of the King was gliding along the track as those propelling it from below could not be seen. . The King’s eldest son and heir the 57 year old Prince Regent was now King George IV. He would embark on the biggest spending project ever seen on Windsor Castle, shaping the castle into how we see it today........ _________________________ Did you know: King George III often watched the Changing of the Guard ceremony from his window and when the soldiers were commanded ‘eyes right’ he would wave down to them. It is said that the officer commanded the guard do this the day after the King’s death and the figure of the King could be seen at the window. . 📷 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2019 . #windsor #windorcastle #georgeiii #hanoverians #hanoveriandynasty #britishroyalhistory #history #britishhistory #historylessonoftheday #lovewindsor #mywindsor #royalwindsoruk #igerswindsor #castle #castlesofinstagram #castlesmypassion #historicengland #instabritain #photosofbritain #visitengland #greatwestway

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jul 3, 2020 at 7:56am PDT

Day 54 - George IV

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Windsor Castle and town history - 54 . King George IV came to the throne in 1820 and immediately began planning to make Windsor Castle into a romantic Gothic castle. Parliament granted £300,000 for the work but it ended up costing nearer £1 million. . One of the first changes was the creation of the George IV gateway looking out onto the Long Walk. The view was obscured by the Queen’s Lodge, the building where Queen Anne had lived in the early 1700s and which the King’s mother Queen Charlotte had called her ‘sweet retreat’. In 1823 the building was demolished and the Long Walk could be seen in its entirety from the castle. . George IV then closed the South Terrace, outside the gateway, to the public except on Sundays which made him unpopular with the people of Windsor. _________________________ Did you know: The King supervised building work himself, dressed in the Windsor Uniform his father George III has created. The King lived at Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park while the work was carried out. . 📷 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2019 . #windsor #windsorcastle #georgeiv #hanoverians #hanoveriandynasty #britishhistory #royalhistory #thelongwalk #windsorgreatpark #historylessonoftheday #visitengland #greatwestway #igerswindsor #castles #castlesofinstagram #royalwindsoruk #photosofbritain #britain #englanduncovered #mywindsor #lovewindsor

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jul 5, 2020 at 6:21am PDT

Day 55 - George IV & Windsor Great Park

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Windsor Castle and town history - 55 . Six months after becoming monarch, King George IV angered local Windsor people by closing Windsor Great Park in September 1820. . At Virginia Water lake (picture 1) in the park he built a Chinese fishing temple, long since demolished, and had a royal barge constructed for himself and his guests to sail around the lake. . However the King did everything in excess and many of his guests found the events at Virginia Water tough going. . The Duke of Wellington who had commanded the British troops at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 wrote “We embarked yesterday at three and were upon the lake or dining until nine. In my life I have never heard so much nonsense or folly or so many lies in the same space of time. We are to have a repetition of the same today, as a I see that unfortunately it is a fine day”. Another guest simply wrote “Oh monotony!”. . During the 1820’s the King also had a five arch bridge built at the far end of the lake (picture 2) and some Roman ruins (picture 3) imported from Leptis Magna north of Tripoli in Libya. They lay outside the British Museum in London for six years before being installed by the lake in 1826. _________________________ Did you know: Many of the Harry Potter films used Virginia Water for lakeside scenes as their other lakeside location in Scotland had too many midges! . 📷 1) © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2019 2) and 3) © VisitSurrey.com . #windsor #windsorgreatpark #virginiawater #virginiawaterlake #georgeiv #thehanoverians #hanoveriandynasty #royalhistory #britishroyalhistory #history #lake #historylessonoftheday #england #visitwindsor #royalwindsoruk #greatwestway #visitengland #visitbritain #britain #travel #lakesofinstagramnature

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jul 7, 2020 at 7:39am PDT

Day 56 - The Round Tower

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Windsor Castle and town history - 56 . One of the most visual changes to the Windsor Castle and town landscape was the doubling of the height of the 12th century Round Tower during the reign of King George IV. . Work began in 1828 and a further 33 feet (10 metres) added with a 25 feet (7.6 metres) flag turret at the top. This means the flag flies 203 feet (61.8 metres) above road level. . As tour guides we are often asked which is the oldest part, the top or the bottom! . The Royal Standard royal flies when the monarch is in residence and the Union flag when the monarch is not in residence 🇬🇧. . The new apartments for George IV were completed in 1828 but he didn’t live to see the completed Round Tower. He died at Windsor in 1830 and the Round Tower was completed in 1832. . It was said that the people of Windsor declared ‘he had not been dead three days before everybody discovered that he was no loss’. It would seem they never forgave him for closing Windsor Great Park...... _________________________ Did you know: The Round Tower became the home of the Royal Archives in 1911. It also houses the Royal Photographic Collection. . 📷 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2018 . #windsor #windsorcastle #roundtower #roundtowerwindsorcastle #castle #georgeiv #hanoverians #hanoveriandynasty #mywindsor #lovewindsor #wowwindsor #history #historylessonoftheday #visitwindsoruk #visitengland #visitbritain #greatwestway #unlimitedbritain #photosofbritain #igerswindsor #castlesofinstagram #travel #tourism

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jul 10, 2020 at 10:25am PDT

Day 57 - Windsor in 1820s

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Windsor Castle and town history - 57 . Many changes occurred in Windsor town during the 1820s. The eight hundred year old parish church on the High Street was found to be unsafe, demolished and rebuilt by 1822. . By 1824 a new bridge between Windsor and Eton had been designed by Charles Hollis who had also designed the new parish church. Still standing today it is a cast iron structure of three spans. It was a toll bridge, payment required for crossing, and it remained a toll bridge until 1898. . By 1828 gas lamps had been installed in Windsor Castle and throughout the town. A company called the Windsor Royal Gaslight Company was founded. . The Metropolitan Police was founded in 1829 and their area of responsibility included Windsor Castle but not the town or Windsor Great Park. . Many new roads were created including the beautiful Clarence Crescent (pictured), named after King George IV’s younger brother Prince William, the Duke of Clarence. _________________________ Did you know: The cost of transporting a corpse over Windsor Bridge was six shillings (30p). . 📷 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2020 . #windsor #hanoverians #clarencecrescent #townhouses #architecture #visitengland #england #lovewindsor #mywindsor #wowwindsor #igerswindsor #stucco #stuccohouse #britain #housesofinstagram #prettylittleengland #unlimitedbritain #photosofbritain #visitwindsoruk #royalwindsor #royalwindsoruk #britishhistory #beautifulhouses #beautifulhousesofinstagram #travel #travelgramitalia

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jul 12, 2020 at 2:51am PDT

Day 58 - King George IV

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Windsor castle and town history - 58 . King George IV died in 1830 and as his only child Princess Charlotte had died in childbirth, he was succeeded by his younger brother Prince William, Duke of Clarence who became William IV. . The first act he carried out in Windsor was to re-open Windsor Great Park to everyone which made him immediately popular with the Windsor townspeople. . William was married to Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen in Germany and her name is synonymous with Windsor town centre. Adelaide Square (pictured), Adelaide Terrace and Adelaide Road all built in the 1830s. . At Windsor Castle, King William completed his elder brother’s work including the Waterloo Chamber, built over an open courtyard, to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Today it is one of the most used rooms in Windsor Castle where dinners, concerts and investitures take place. . William and Adelaide lost two daughters in infancy and twin boys who were stillborn. With no heir to the throne, the next in line was their niece Victoria. _________________________ Did you know: King William IV had ten illegitimate children with an Irish actress called Dorothea Jordan. The children were all given the last name FitzClarence. One of their direct descendants is former Prime Minister David Cameron making him a 5th cousin twice removed to Queen Elizabeth II. . 📷 © www.windsor.gov.uk . #windsor #windsorcastle #williamiv #hanoverians #hanoveriandynasty #britishroyalhistory #windsorhistory #royalwindsoruk #lovewindsor #mywindsor #wowwindsor #adelaidesquare #houses #terracehouse #housesofinstagram #prettyhouses #wisteria #visitwindsoruk #visitengland #visitbritain #picturesofbritain #photosofbritain #england #greatwestway #visitsoutheastengland #travel #travelgram #history #historylessonoftheday

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jul 14, 2020 at 10:18am PDT

Day 59 - King William IV

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Windsor Castle and town history - 59 . King William IV also completed another of his brother’s projects, the equestrian statue of their father King George III, known to all Windsor people as the Copper Horse. . Standing just under three miles away from Windsor Castle at the southern end of the Long Walk on the top of Snow Hill it was commissioned by George IV in 1821. He did not live to see it erected although he did lay the foundation stone of the plinth in 1829. . The statue was sculpted by Richard Westmacott and was started in his London studio in 1824. The statue is just over 25 feet (7.6 metres) high on a 25 feet (7.6 metres) granite base. The statue weighs four tons and the King is pointing towards Windsor Castle. . In 1831 before the statue was erected, one of the horse’s legs was broken as it was being pulled up the hill and had to be repaired. Also before being erected, sixteen people had lunch inside the horse and sang God Save The King! . The base is inscribed in Latin “Georgio Tertio Patri Optimo Georgius Rex” (King George to George III, best of fathers). In reality father and son loathed each other! _________________________ Did you know: A guest at a Windsor Castle banquet in the 1840s told Queen Victoria that he had walked to the Copper Horse. She rebuked him by saying ‘do you mean the equestrian statue of our grandfather’. . 📷 © Windsor.gov.uk . #windsor #thelongwalk #windsorgreatpark #thecopperhorse #hanoverians #hanoveriandynasty #georgeiii #georgeiv #williamiv #windsorcastle #lovewindsor #mywindsor #wowwindsor #visitwindsoruk #visitengland #visitbritain #greatwestway #visitsoutheastengland #britain #england #berkshire #travel #travelgram #statue #statues #statuesofinstagram #history #britishroyalhistory #historylessonoftheday #royalhistorymalaysia

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jul 16, 2020 at 11:18am PDT

Day 60 - Military Knights

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Windsor Castle and town history - 60 . King William IV only reigned for seven years 1830-1837. During that time he renamed the Poor Knights of Windsor to the Military Knights. They had been formed by King Edward III in 1348 at the creation of the Order of the Garter. . William also changed their uniform to that of an army officer of the 1830s on the unattached list, meaning not attached to a particular regiment. They still wear the uniform today (pictured) on Sundays when they attend St George’s Chapel and on other ceremonial occasions such as Garter Day in June although sadly it did not take place this year. . In the town William IV gave land at Old Windsor to build a workhouse for the poor which today has been turned into very smart town houses and apartments. . In 1836 Windsor had its first fire brigade and the Windsor Borough Police service was established. . In 1837 King William IV died at Windsor Castle aged 71 and was buried in St George’s Chapel. With no legitimate children, the British throne passed to his 18 year niece and the Victorian era had begun......... _________________________ Did you know: In the 1800s there were also Naval Knights at Windsor Castle who lived in quarters on the Datchet Road under the North Terrace of the castle. They were disbanded in the 1890s as they hardly ever attended services at the chapel, were often drunk and got into fights! Their building is now part of St George’s School. . 📷 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2018 . #windsor #windsorcastle #garterday #orderofthegarter #militaryknightsofwindsor #militaryknights #soldiers #williamiv #hanoverians #hanoveriandynasty #britishroyalhistory #history #castle #ceremony #visitwindsoruk #visitengland #visitsoutheastengland #royalwindsoruk #lovewindsor #mywindsor #wowwindsor #visitbritainbr

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jul 18, 2020 at 8:58am PDT

Day 61 - Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

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Windsor Castle and town history - 61 . Queen Victoria became monarch after the death of her uncle William IV in 1837. She was 18 years old. . Two years later she married her first cousin Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha from Germany who became known as the Prince Consort. The house of Hanover now became the house of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. . Although the castle was magnificent after many years of extensive renovation, the town of Windsor surrounding it was described as ‘a jungle’. . The town was squalid with sewage flowing in the streets, rubbish strewn about and overcrowding. An outbreak of cholera caused 1,000 cases and 25 deaths. In the 1830s out of every 100 children born in the town, 42 died before their 15th birthday. A national sanitation survey in 1842 named Windsor as the worst town in Britain, still relying on medieval wooden drains. . Prince Albert was instrumental in improving the health and welfare of the town working closely with the local authorities to improve sanitation. . He also founded the Windsor Royal Association for Improving the Condition of the Labouring Classes which lead to the building of the Prince Consort Cottages for working men and their families. Tenants were expected to keep the houses clean and grow vegetables, although they were not permitted to tend their gardens on Sundays! _________________________ Did you know: Because Queen Victoria was of higher rank than Prince Albert she asked him to marry her. . 📷 © Windsor.gov.uk . #windsor #princealbert #princeconsort #saxecoburggotha #britishroyalfamily #lovewindsor #mywindsor #wowwindsor #cottagestyle #gradeiilisted #listedbuilding #victorian #victorianera #britishhistory #royalwindsoruk #history #1800s #britishroyalhistory #historylesson #historylessonoftheday

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jul 20, 2020 at 9:14am PDT

Day 62 - Royal Mews

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Windsor Castle and town history - 62 . The final realisation of Queen Victoria’s uncle George IV’s grand rebuilding of Windsor Castle into a gothic palace was completed during her reign. . The Royal Mews were originally in Sheet Street, a short walk from the castle and they backed onto Bachelor’s Acre. They were demolished and a new Mews built on a four acre site closer to the castle. Houses were demolished in St Alban’s Street and Burford House plus the gardens of the old Queen’s Lodge were incorporated into the site. The foundation stone was laid in 1839 and they were completed by 1842. . The new Royal Mews housed 100 horses and 40 carriages. An indoor riding school was also built, 165 feet (50 metres) long. . Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had nine children so there was plenty of room for all their ponies, horses and carriages. . Today the Royal Mews which are in a private area at Windsor Castle houses horses, the carriages (landaus) used by the Royal family at Ascot and cars. . The Queen goes riding every day when she is at Windsor Castle, seen here riding Balmoral Fern, a fell pony in May 2020. The Queen is the patron of the Fell Pony Society. _________________________ Did you know: the word Mews goes back to medieval times and is where royal hawks were kept while they were moulting (mewing). The names Mews was kept when horses were stabled in the building rather than hawks. . 📷telegraph.co.uk . #windsor #windsorcastle #royalwindsoruk #victorianera #queenvictoria #royalmews #horses #fellpony #fellponysociety #queenelizabethii #visitwindsoruk #visitengland #visitbritain #visitsoutheastengland

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jul 22, 2020 at 5:59am PDT

Day 63 - Railways

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Windsor Castle and town history - 63 . Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert was a keen engineer and took great interest in the new concept of the railways. . Prince Albert took one year to persuade Queen Victoria to go on a train. A popular urban myth at the time was that if you travelled faster than a horse could gallop, your head would explode! . In 1849 the royal party left Windsor and journeyed to Slough by horse and carriage. The two railway stations in Windsor were yet to be built. They were greeted by the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel and took the train to Paddington in London, taking 25 minutes. The Queen said she was “quite charmed with it”. . Some years later two railway lines came into Windsor within two months of each other. The Windsor and Eton Riverside station (pictured) has very tall doors so soldiers on horseback could ride into the station concourse to await the arrival of the royal train. Windsor and Eton Central station still has Queen Victoria’s original waiting room, now @allbaronewindsor ! . With the arrival of the railways Windsor began to prosper and many new houses and roads were built. _________________________ Did you know: Queen Victoria was so fearful of accidents that she decreed all royal trains would travel no faster than 40mph during the day and 30mph overnight. . #windsor #victorianera #queenvictoria #princealbert #railways #railwayhistory #britishroyalhistory #history #england #railwaystation #railwaystationarchitecture #mywindsor #lovewindsor #visitwindsoruk #greatwestway #visitengland #visitbritain #staycation2020 #staycationuk

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jul 24, 2020 at 9:18am PDT

Day 64 - Albert, Ranger of the Great Park

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Windsor Castle and town history - 64 . In 1840 Queen Victoria made her husband Prince Albert the Ranger of Windsor Great Park. Albert took a huge interest in agricultural technology and modern dairy and arable farms were built in the 1850s. He became President of the Royal Agricultural Society. . Improving the living conditions of the park labourers was important to the Prince and new cottages were built plus a Royal School established for the children of park workers. It is still a school today, attended by local town children as well as those living in Windsor Great Park. . In 1848 the Windsor Improvement Act was passed which completely enclosed Windsor Castle from the public parks. A new road to Datchet was built across the Little Park. Renamed the Home Park, the land on the left by they river became Home Park Public and the land on the right was walled off and became Home Park Private. . A public road ran across the top of the Long Walk from Park Street and through the Frogmore Estate which was now lived in by Queen Victoria’s mother. This road was closed off and a new road built across the Long Walk further south, named the Albert Road. This made the royal farms and Frogmore completely private. . Two new bridges across the River Thames were built, the Victoria bridge and the Albert bridge. _________________________ Did you know: The Queen’s Jersey herd of cows at the royal dairy farm today is descended from a cow called Pretty Polly which came from Queen Victoria’s Osborne Estate on the Isle of Wight in 1871. . 📷 Statue of Prince Albert in Windsor Great Park © historicengland.org.uk . #windsor #windsorcastle #princealbert #queenvictoria #victorianera #windsorgreatpark #lovewindsor #mywindsor #royalwindsoruk #britishroyalfamily #history #historylessonoftheday #england #berkshire #visitwindsoruk #visitsoutheastengland #visitengland #visitbritain

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jul 26, 2020 at 7:21am PDT

Day 65 - Frogmore

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Windsor Castle and town history - 65 . On the 14th December 1861 Prince Albert the Prince Consort and husband of Queen Victoria died of typhoid at Windsor Castle aged just 42 years. It was somewhat ironic that the Prince who had strived so hard to improve the sanitation of Windsor, died of a disease associated with poor sanitation. Modern medical historians feel he may also have had underlying Crohn’s disease or cancer. . In 1843 the couple had decided not to be buried in the Hanoverian vault in St George’s Chapel but in a mausoleum built in the lakeside gardens of Frogmore House (pictured). . The mausoleum took six years to build. It is currently not open to the public. . Queen Victoria restored the empty early 1500s chapel next to St George’s Chapel, renaming it the Albert Memorial Chapel. Inside there is a memorial to the Prince with his favourite dog Eos sculpted at his side. . Queen Victoria virtually withdrew from public life after Albert’s death and remained in deep mourning for the rest of her life. _________________________ Did you know: As was the custom at the time Queen Victoria did not attend her husband’s funeral. She became known as The Widow of Windsor. . 📷 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2019 . #windsor #windsorcastle #frogmore #frogmorehouse #queenvictoria #princealbert #victorianera #royalwindsoruk #britishhistory #saxecoburggotha #lake #lovewindsor #mywindsor #wowwindsor #igerswindsor #visitengland #visitsoutheastengland #greatwestway #england #photosofbritain #photosofengland #prettylittleengland #lakesofinstagram

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jul 29, 2020 at 9:32am PDT

Day 66 - Victorian Windsor

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Windsor Castle and town history - 66 . Life in the Victorian town of Windsor continued after the death of Queen Victoria’s husband and tourists flocked to the town with up to 39,000 people visiting Windsor Castle each year. . In 1866 a new horse racecourse on Ray’s Island was opened. Now Windsor Racecourse it remains the only racecourse in the UK that is on an island. . Windsor was a Victorian garrison town with two barracks and the town had associated problems. A strange Act of Parliament covering garrison towns was passed in 1868. It was called the Contagious Disease Act and all sex workers within ten miles of the town could be forcibly examined and locked in hospital if they were found to have a sexually transmitted disease. The Act of Parliament was abandoned ten years later. . The Royal Albert Institute was opened in Sheet Street in 1880 with cultural activities for the townspeople. The writer Oscar Wilde gave a lecture in 1885 where he called for corsets to be abolished! The Institute was demolished in the 1970s. . Meanwhile at Windsor Castle, Queen Victoria was attended by two devoted servants. Her Scottish servant John Brown who died in the castle in 1883 and her Indian servant Abdul Karim, given the private rooms of John Brown. He taught the Queen the Hindustani language. _________________________ Did you know: In 1897 Abdul Karim was given Frogmore Cottage in the castle grounds to live in with his wife. Today it is the UK home of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. . 📷 Irish Guard statue © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2020 . #windsor #windsorcastle #wowwindsor #mywindsor #lovewindsor #igerswindsor #irishguardsstatue #garrisontown #victorianera #queenvictoria #travelgram #flowersofwindsor #statue #visitwindsoruk #visitsoutheastengland #greatwestway #england #berkshire #prettylittleengland #flowersofinstagram #summerflowers #summerplanters #prettyflowers

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Jul 31, 2020 at 7:50am PDT

Day 67 - Assassination Attempts on Queen Victoria

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Windsor Castle and town history - 67 . In March 1882 the eighth assassination attempt on Queen Victoria’s life took place at Windsor Central Station when she was being driven by carriage to Windsor Castle. . The Queen wrote in her journal that day that she thought ‘there was an explosion from the engine’ [of the train]. She continued ‘I saw people rushing about and a man being violently hustled. I then realised it was a shot’. Her Scottish manservant John Brown opened the carriage door and said ‘that man fired at Your Majesty’s carriage’. The next day he took the revolver used in the shooting and showed it to the Queen. . The man who fired the shot, 27 year old Roderick Maclean, was wrestled to the ground by a local man and some Eton school boys. He was found not guilty of high treason but ‘insane’ and spent the rest of his life in a secure hospital. . Five years later in 1887 Queen Victoria celebrated her Golden Jubilee, 50 years on the British throne. A bronze statue of her (picture 1) was erected on Castle Hill outside Windsor Castle. It was unveiled by her son-in-law Prince Christian while she sat in a carriage to watch (picture 2). The statue was paid for by the local townspeople. _________________________ Did you know: The day of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, 6,000 schoolchildren from Windsor and surrounding towns were invited to tea in Windsor Home Park Private. The Queen and her family drove past the event in carriages. . 📷 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2018 and © Royal Collection Trust . #windsor #windsorcastle #royalwindsoruk #igerswindsor #mywindsor #lovewindsor #wowwindsor #queenvictoria #queenvictoriastatue #statue #visitwindsoruk #britain #victorianera #britishroyalhistory #history #greatwestway #visitengland #berkshire #england #statuesofinstagram #historylessonoftheday #saxecoburggotha

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Aug 2, 2020 at 11:51am PDT

Day 68 - Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee

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Windsor Castle and town history - 68 . In 1897 Queen Victoria celebrated her Diamond Jubilee, sixty years on the throne. . She awoke at Windsor Castle that morning and wrote in her journal “This eventful day, 1897, has opened, and I pray God to help and protect me as He has done during these sixty long eventful years. How well I remember this day sixty years ago when I was called from my bed by dear Mama to receive the news of my accession!” . The Queen and her family attended a short service at St George’s Chapel before going into London for celebrations. . When they returned the next day there were celebrations in Windsor town. A temporary canopy had been erected over her statue outside Windsor Castle (see picture 2) and there were bonfires, torchlight processions, illuminations and fireworks. ________________________ Did you know: At the national celebration of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral the Queen was unable to walk up the steps. The entire congregation and clergy held the service outside on the cathedral steps whilst Queen Victoria sat in her carriage! . 📷 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2020 © Yale Centre for British Art . #windsor #windsorcastle #queenvictoria #queenvictoriastatue #diamondjubilee #victorian #victorianera #britishroyalhistory #royalwindsoruk #igerswindsor #mywindsor #myroyalborough #lovewindsor #wowwindsor #eveningsky #castle #castlesofinstagram #castlesoftheworld #castlesoftheuk #history #historylessonoftheday #visitwindsoruk #england #visitengland #statue #travelgram #berkshire

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Aug 4, 2020 at 2:57am PDT

Day 69 - Piper at Winds

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Windsor Castle and town history - 69 . In 1852 Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert bought the Balmoral estate in Scotland. The house there was too small so it was demolished and the present Balmoral Castle built. . It was also in Scotland a few years earlier that Queen Victoria visited the Marquess of Breadlabane who had his own personal piper. . The Queen wrote to her mother “We have heard nothing but bagpipes since we have been in the beautiful Highlands and I have become so fond of it that I mean to have a piper, who can if you like it, pipe every night at Frogmore”. . Ever since there has been a piper who plays for the monarch at 9am for 15 minutes under their window. . One unusual aspect of Windsor Castle being under lockdown this Spring was that without traffic or aircraft noise, Windsor town could hear the piper (when the wind was in the right direction!) in the castle grounds. Turn volume up to listen and hear some beautiful birdsong too!! . The Queen’s current piper is Richard Grisdale from the Royal Regiment of Scotland and his official title is Piper to the Sovereign. . Two days ago the Queen and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh left Windsor Castle to stay at Balmoral Castle until autumn. _________________________ Did you know: Balmoral Castle is not an official residence or part of the Crown Estate, it is one of the Queen’s own personal properties, the other being Sandringham House. . 🎥 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2020 (taken during permitted daily dog walk) . #windsor #windsorcastle #piper #queenspiper #spring #visitwindsoruk #wowwindsor #lovewindsor #mywindsor #myroyalborough #igerswindsor #pipertothesovereign #bagpipes #royalregimentofscotland #balmoral #balmoralcastle #queenvictoria #victorianera #victoriaandalbert #history #castle #britishroyalhistory #historylessonoftheday #castlesofinstagram

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Aug 6, 2020 at 3:13am PDT

Day 70 - Technological Firsts

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Windsor Castle and town history - 70 . Technology moved rapidly during the final years of Queen Victoria’s reign. . In 1894 the first car journey on an English road came through Windsor. The Honourable Evelyn Ellis from Datchet, a village near Windsor, drove the car (a French Panhard-Levassour with a Daimler engine) 56 miles from Hampshire to his home, passing through Windsor. The car was driven at an average speed of 9.84mph! (Photo 2). The car can be seen today in the Science Museum in London. . That same year the telephone came to Windsor with an exchange on the Datchet Road. . The first edition of the Windsor Telephone Directory had just five numbers! 1. Rodgers & Denyers Silk Mercers on the High Street 2. Caley and Son on the High Street 3. Willis and Son Cycle Manufacturers in Eton 4. Brook and Son Store on Peascod Street 5. Roomer and Son on the High Street . Queen Victoria died in January 1901 at the age of 81 years. She died at her holiday home, Osborne on the Isle of Wight. What happened at her funeral procession in Windsor would change State Funerals for ever......... ________________________ Did you know: The Honourable Evelyn Ellis who undertook the first car journey in England was one of the founders of the RAC (Royal Automobile Club). . 📷 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2019 © datchethistory.org.uk . #windsor #lovewindsor #royalwindsoruk #mywindsor #myroyalborough #car #evelynellis #victorianera #thevictorians #britishhistory #historyofthecar #carhistory #carsofinstagram #historyofthetelephone #britishroyalhistory #history #historylessonoftheday #datchet #datchethistory

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Aug 8, 2020 at 2:15am PDT

Day 71 - Funeral of Queen Victoria

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Windsor Castle and town history - 71 . On a bitterly cold February day in 1901 Queen Victoria’s body arrived at Windsor Central Station for her funeral at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. . The coffin was placed on a Royal Artillery gun carriage pulled by horses. As it started to move, one of the horses lost its grip on the icy ground. The rider was unable to control the horse which lashed out and the traces (straps) to the gun carriage were broken. . After some discussion and panic, the horses were taken out and Royal Navy recruits hauled the carriage by ropes through the town and into the castle. . Ever since, it has been the Royal Navy in their ceremonial dress who pull the gun carriage to the monarch’s funeral at St George’s Chapel. . Queen Victoria’s eldest son became King Edward VII. The Edwardian era had begun. _________________________ Did you know: There is a bell called the Sebastopol Bell in the Round Tower of Windsor Castle which is only rung on the death of a monarch and at their funeral. It was last heard in 1952 after the death of George VI the father of Queen Elizabeth II. . 📷 © letstourengland.com . #windsor #windsorcastle #mywindsor #lovewindsor #windsorhistory #history #royalwindsoruk #queenvictoria #victorianera #queenvictoriafuneral #royalnavy #royalnavyhistory #guncarriage #royalfuneral #royalfuneralprocession #britishroyalhistory #britishhistory #historylessonoftheday

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Aug 10, 2020 at 10:11am PDT

Day 72 - King Edward VII

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Windsor Castle and town history - 72 . In January 1901 King Edward VII took the throne aged 59 years. At the time he was the oldest Prince of Wales to become monarch. . He was King for a relatively short time, just nine years, and there is only one memorial to him in Windsor. It is a small bust of the King (pictured) tucked away above a small passage known as Boots Passage which leads to Alexandra Gardens and the River Thames. . Alexandra Gardens was opened in 1902 and named after Queen Alexandra, the Danish born wife to Edward VII. The King created her a Lady Companion of the Order of the Garter, the first royal woman to be honoured since medieval times. . Also during his reign, the first bus, or omnibus service as it was called, started in 1905. It was a fifteen minute journey between Slough railway station and Windsor Central railway station. . There was a new town hospital built and opened in 1909, the Edward VII hospital. . _______________________ Did you know: In 1907 the King held a garden party at the castle. Invitees included writers Thomas Hardy and Mark Twain, the actress Ellen Terry and singers Dame Nellie Melba and Clara Burt. Due to the number arriving by car, Windsor experienced its first traffic jam! . 📷 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2020 . #windsor #bootspassage #alexandragardenswindsor #edwardvii #kingedwardvii #passageway #royalwindsoruk #myroyalborough #queenalexandra #wowwindsor #lovewindsor #igerswindsor #visitwindsoruk #greatwestway #visitengland #england #travelgram #traveltheworld🌍

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Aug 12, 2020 at 2:27am PDT

Day 73 - 1908 Olympic Marathon and Windsor

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Windsor Castle and town history - 73 . The 1908 Olympics were held in London and the marathon started at Windsor Castle. . Originally the start was to be by the Queen Victoria statue outside the castle but the organisers didn’t want the public to impede the start. A decision was therefore made to start the race on the private East Terrace of Windsor Castle. . The Princess of Wales, later Queen Mary, brought her children from Frogmore House to watch the start (picture 2). . The runners then ran out of the castle (picture 3) and past the statue of Queen Victoria (picture 4). . There was also a change at the end of the race at the Olympic stadium in White City, London where the King, Edward VII was in the royal box. It was decided not to allow the runners into the stadium via the royal entrance, instead using an entrance at the other end of the stadium. . And that is why a marathon distance is 26 miles, 385 yards!! _________________________ Did you know: the 1908 marathon route was also specifically designed to go past two public schools - Eton and Harrow. . 📷 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 1908 marathon photos © RoyalFamily.com . #windsor #windsorcastle #queenvictoriastatue #edwardianera #edwardvii #olympics #1908olympics #olympicmarathon #marathonhistory #londonolympics1908 #marathon #myroyalborough #igerswindsor #mywindsor #lovewindsor #visitwindsoruk

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Aug 14, 2020 at 4:22am PDT

Day 74 - Funeral of King Edward VII

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Windsor Castle and town history - 74 . King Edward VII died in May 1910 aged 68. At his funeral procession through Windsor, his coffin was pulled by sailors of the Royal Navy as they had at his mother Queen Victoria’s funeral when the horses broke free. . Behind the coffin and walking ahead of nine Kings in the procession was Edward’s beloved terrier Caesar. (picture2). The King’s nephew the German Kaiser was said to be furious that a little dog was ahead of him! . King Edward VII is buried at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, a small statue of Caesar at his feet (picture 3). . The King’s son now became King George V aged 44 years. He was the grandfather of our current Queen. _________________________ Did you know: George V was the second son of Edward VII. His elder brother Albert has died of Russian flu in 1892 aged 28. . 📷 © rct.com . #windsor #edwardvii #kingedwardvii #edwardianera #caesarthedog #myroyalborough #lovewindsor #royalfunerals #royalnavy #britishhistory #royalwindsoruk #stgeorgeschapel #georgev #royalhistory #history #historylessonoftheday #berkshire #visitwindsoruk #greatwestwaylaunch

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Aug 16, 2020 at 3:08am PDT

Day 75 - Airmail

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Windsor Castle and town history - 75 . Postboxes outside Windsor Castle including a blue airmail box used between the first and second world wars. The postboxes stand next to where Windsor Post Office operated until demolished in 1972. . To coincide with the coronation of King George V, the first airmail delivery in the country took place on 9th September 1911. The flight came from Hendon in North London and landed in Shaw Farm fields next to the Long Walk, south of Windsor Castle, twelve minutes later. . The pilot, Gustav Hamel, brought with him a mailbag containing over one thousand letters and cards mainly addressed to the King and some to local townspeople. . The blue postbox is a memorial, it is no longer in use. _________________________ Did you know: There were over 100 blue postboxes in the UK and they were repainted red to be used as ordinary postboxes. . 📷 © postalmuseum.org #windsor #windsorcastle #postboxes #postboxesofinstagram #postboxesoftheworld #airmail #airmailpostbox #royalwindsoruk #igerswindsor #mywindsor #lovewindsor #berkshire #myroyalborough #pillarbox #bluepostbox #bluepostboxes #postboxesuk #postboxesoftheuk #royalmail #royalwindsoruk #britishroyalfamily #britishroyalhistory #history #historylessonoftheday

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Aug 18, 2020 at 9:35am PDT

Day 76 - The House of Windsor

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Windsor Castle and town history - 76 . In 1917 during World War I, the British government asked King George V to change the name of the British royal family from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to something more British sounding. . The dynasty name Saxe-Coburg-Gotha had been adopted by the King’s grandmother Queen Victoria when she had married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. . Ironically Britain was at war with Germany where the Kaiser was George V’s first cousin. They were both grandchildren of Queen Victoria. . Many new names were put forward only to be rejected by the King or the Prime Minister. . One day the King’s private secretary came to the Round Tower in Windsor Castle where the Royal Archives were housed and whilst there he had a sudden inspiration - the House of Windsor. Windsor was a name synonymous with the the town, the castle and William Shakespeare had written about the Merry Wives of Windsor. The name Windsor was formally adopted that year and the British royal family has been known as the House of Windsor ever since. . Back in Germany when the Kaiser was told of the change of name he remarked “I look forward to the next performance of the Merry Wives of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha!” _________________________ Did you know: In 1960 the Queen decreed that her husband Prince Philip’s name should also be incorporated as the surname of any of their male-line descendants without a title. That surname, Mountbatten-Windsor, has most recently been given to Prince Harry’s son - Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. . #windsor #windsorcastle #georgev #georgevmemorialfountain #houseofwindsor #mountbattenwindsor #lovewindsor #mywindsor #royalwindsoruk #visitwindsoruk #britishroyalfamily #history #historylessonoftheday #saxecoburggotha #greatwestway #visitengland #england #myroyalborough #fountain #fountainsofinstagram #mountbattenwindsor

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Aug 20, 2020 at 11:26am PDT

Day 77 - 1920s Windsor

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Windsor Castle and town history - 77 . In 1920 it was discovered that St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle was in a terrible state and urgent work was required. The royal vault was cracked, the flying buttresses on the side of the chapel were crumbling and even the foundations needed repair. . The work took ten years and was paid for by King George V, the Knights of the Garter, other organisations and by subscription. . During the 1920’s the King allowed Windsor to be officially called a Royal Borough, even though everyone had been doing just that for years. . In 1926 one of Windsor’s worst slums directly under the castle walls was pulled down and replaced with the town’s first car park, River Street car park. . King George V died in January 1936 aged 70. It was to be the year the House of Windsor had three Kings......... __________________________ Did you know: It wasn’t until 1933 that the footguard soldiers stopped the practice of marching back into London from Windsor and went by coach instead! . 📷 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd . #windsor #windsorcastle #stgeorgeschapel #kinggeorgev #chapel #church #architecture #perpendicular #visitwindoruk #england #visitsoutheastengland #greatwestway #mywindsor #myroyalborough #royalwindsoruk #windsordynasty #britishroyalfamily #britishhistory #igerswindsor #chapel #chapelsofinstagram #churchesofinstagram #churchesoftheworld #royalchapel #photosofbritain #britain #travel #travelgram

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Aug 22, 2020 at 6:19am PDT

Day 78 - Funeral of George V

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Windsor Castle and town history - 78 . The funeral of King George V took place in January 1936 and again sailors from the Royal Navy pulled the King’s coffin from Windsor Central Station to St George’s Chapel for his funeral. . His eldest son Edward aged 41 became King Edward VIII. He was never crowned........ . Edward VIII lived at Fort Belvedere overlooking Virginia Water. Involved with a twice divorced American woman called Wallis Simpson, he decided after discussions with the government and his family to abdicate the throne to marry her. In 1936 the King marrying a divorced woman was totally out of the question. . In December 1936 he signed a Declaration of Abdication in front of his brothers at Fort Belvedere. The next day he was driven to Windsor Castle where he broadcast his abdication speech from the Augusta Tower overlooking the Long Walk (picture 2, tower at far right of photo). He left the country the next day and later married Mrs Simpson. They became known as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. . Edward’s younger brother Prince Albert (Bertie) the Duke of York became the third King that year. He took his father’s name and became King George VI. . The new King had a ten year old daughter. Her name was Princess Elizabeth........ _________________________ Did you know: The Duke and Duchess of Windsor both had their funerals held at St George’s Chapel. They are buried at Frogmore in the private grounds of Windsor Castle. . #windsor #windsorcastle #stgeorgeschapel #edwardviii #georgev #georgevi #royalwindsoruk #royalfuneral #abdication #britishroyalfamily #houseofwindsor #history #royalhistory #historylessonoftheday

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Aug 24, 2020 at 10:13am PDT

Day 79 - Windsor and the Blitz

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Windsor Castle and town history - 79 . During World War II when the Blitz bombing began in 1940 in London, the two daughters of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth were evacuated to Windsor Castle where they remained for the rest of the war (picture 1). . Princess Elizabeth and her younger sister Princess Margaret put on pantomimes at Christmas between 1941 and 1944 in the Waterloo Chamber . At one point it was suggested that the royal family should leave Britain altogether and their mother Queen Elizabeth famously said “The children will not leave unless I do. I shall not leave unless their father does, and the king will not leave the country in any circumstances, whatever." . The Waterloo Chamber is currently undergoing work and the paintings of those associated with the Battle of Waterloo have been removed. Revealed underneath are 16 paintings of pantomime characters that were drawn during the war by a teenage evacuee Claude Whatham. Painted with poster paints on wallpaper they are very delicate and the light in the chamber has been dimmed to protect them (picture 2). They can currently be seen and for more information go to www.rct.uk _________________________ Did you know: During WWII the British Crown Jewels were taken out of their frames, placed in a biscuit tin and hidden at Windsor Castle, a fact that only came to light a couple of years ago! . 📷 © hellomagazine.com and dailytelegraph.co.uk . #windsor #windsorcastle #thequeen #queenelizabeth #britishroyalfamily #royalwindsoruk #myroyalborough #britishcastles #wartime #wwii #wwiihistory #pantomime #pantomimes #pantomimepictures #waterloochamber #georgevi #history #visitwindsoruk #visitengland #berkshire #visitsoutheastengland #greatwestway

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Aug 26, 2020 at 8:10am PDT

Day 80 - Windsor and the war

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Windsor Castle and town history - 80 . Windsor Castle, the town and surrounding areas were not badly hit during World War II. . Virginia Water lake and Obelisk Pond in Windsor Great Park were drained so as not to show up from the air. . As Windsor was deemed to be safe 3,000 child evacuees from London arrived at Windsor and Eton Riverside station in 1939 and stayed with families throughout the area. . At the end of 1940 a bomb fell on the oldest part of Eton College. It did not explode. Legend has it that the headmaster inspected it and tapped it with a stick! Some hours later it blew up, destroying the headmaster’s study and blowing out all the windows in the then 500 year old chapel. Also in 1940, a German Messerschmitt plane crash landed in Windsor Great Park. The pilot escaped with hardly a scratch and was taken into captivity. The plane was displayed outside Windsor Castle (picture 2). __________________________ Did you know: Tragically Eton College lost 748 old boys in WWII and 1,157 in WWI. . 📷 © 1) www.telegraph.co.uk 2) iwm.org.uk . #windsor #eton #etoncollege #wwii #windsorgreatpark #messerschmitt #school #evacuees #mywindsor #myroyalborough #history #wwiihistory #lovewindsor #berkshires

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Aug 28, 2020 at 6:02am PDT

Day 81 - The Big Freeze

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Windsor Castle and town history - 81 . The winter of 1946/1947 was one of the coldest on record and the River Thames at Windsor froze over completely (picture 2). . When the thaw came so did the floods and the River Thames was six feet higher than normal. Much of the town was flooded and boats were used to move goods and people around. _______________________ Did you know: March 1948 was the hottest March ever and there were severe water shortages in the town just one year after the flooding! . 📷 © 1) Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2) PA . #windsor #windsorriverside #riverthames #thames #thamespath #berkshire #england #myroyalborough #lovewindsor #mywindsor #frozenriver #riverfrozen #visitwindsor #greatwestway #visitsoutheastengland

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Aug 30, 2020 at 12:05pm PDT

Day 82 - Funeral of King George VI

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Windsor Castle and town history - 81 . On the 6th February 1952 George VI died, he was just 56 years old and had been in ill health for some time. . Two days later, his 25 year old daughter Princess Elizabeth was proclaimed Queen. In Windsor the proclamation was made by the Queen Victoria statue (picture 1). . The funeral of George VI was held at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle on the 15th February 1952 attended by three Queens. His mother Queen Mary, his wife Queen Elizabeth and his daughter, Queen Elizabeth (picture 2). . The new Elizabethan era had begun.... __________________________ Did you know: George VI said he did not want to be buried in a large tomb called a sarcophagus like his father George V and grandfather Edward VII saying “I don’t want to be put on a shelf to be stared at”. He is therefore buried outside the chapel in the ground as he wished with a small chapel built over the grave (picture 3). . 📷 © 1) Slough Express 2) Worldpress.com 3) Findagrave.com . #windsor #windsorcastle #stgeorgeschapel #georgevi #elizabethii #queenelizabeth #queenelizabethii #britishroyalfamily #royalwindsoruk #britishhistory #houseofwindsor #windsordynasty #myroyalborough #lovewindsor #mywindsor

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Sep 1, 2020 at 12:35pm PDT

Day 83 - Savill Garden

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Windsor Castle and town history - 82 . In 1955 Eric Savill who had been deputy ranger of Windsor Great Park was knighted. . At the start of the 1930’s he asked King George V if he could create a small garden in a quarter acre of land which was well wooded and with good soil. . In 1934 the King and his wife Queen Mary came to see his work. “It’s very nice Mr Savill” remarked Queen Mary “but isn’t it rather small?” . Today the Savill Garden is a 35 acre garden with plants from all around the world. It has a spring garden, a summer rose garden, an autumn wood and winter glades. . There is also a visitor centre where you can buy plants, a restaurant, cafes and shop. . Sir Eric Savill died in Windsor in 1980 aged 85. ________________________ Did you know: The Savill Garden was originally called the Bog Garden! Just as well King George VI decreed it should be renamed after its creator in 1951. . 📸 © Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd 2020 . #windsor #windsorgreatpark #savillgarden #myroyalborough #lovewindsor #mywindsor #royalwindsoruk #wowwindsor #flowersofinstagram #roses #rosesofinstagram #flowersofwindsor #summergarden #igerswindsor #englishgarden #greatwestway #england #visitengland #visitsoutheastengland #gardenhistory #sirericsavill #visitwindsoruk #thisprettyengland #photosofbritain #photosofengland #rediscoveryourroyalborough

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Sep 4, 2020 at 2:07am PDT

Day 84 - Ricky Tick Club

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Windsor Castle and town history - 83. . Rhythm and blues came to Windsor in the early 1960s with the famous Ricky Tick Club. . Situated at first in an upstairs room of the Star and Garter pub in the main shopping area of Peascod Street, it moved to a huge semi-derelict mansion by the River Thames at Windsor riverside. . Acts who performed at the Ricky Tick club included an unknown band called the Rolling Stones, and later The Who, Jimmy Hendrix, Pink Floyd and Cream _________________________ Did you know: The Windsor Leisure Centre now stands on the site of the Ricky Tick club. The Star and Garter pub was demolished in the 1970s. . 📸 © earlyblues.org . #windsor #mywindsor #myroyalborough #rediscoveryourroyalborough #rickytickclub #lovewindsor #wowwindsor

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Sep 6, 2020 at 2:51am PDT

Day 85 - Windsor’s “Woodstock”

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Windsor Castle and town history - 84 . Windsor’s “Woodstock” known as the Windsor Free Festival first took place without permission in Windsor Great Park in 1972. . Hundreds of festival goers arrived in the town. Some locals were not happy , complaining of milk being stolen from doorsteps and property being damaged. . The festival took place again the following year in 1973 although by this time, public meetings were being held in the Guildhall with locals calling for it to be stopped. . What had began as a small music festival, grew and grew until nearly ten thousand people arrived for the third festival in 1974. Festival goers reportedly pulled down trees in the park for firewood and there was no sanitation on the site. . On the sixth day of the festival, 600 police arrived at 8am to close the festival down. . No more festivals were held. __________ Did you know: When the 1974 festival was closed down 300 festival goers were arrested with 50 people and 20 police officers injured. . 📷 © ukrockfestivals.com . #windsor #windsorgreatpark #windsorfreefestival #lovewindsor #myroyalborough #mywindsor #history #festival #festivalhistory

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Sep 8, 2020 at 7:20am PDT

Day 86 - Silver Jubilee

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Windsor Castle and town history - 85. . 1977 was the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, 25 years on the throne. . The Queen attended three events in Windsor that year. In May she reviewed a fleet of Rolls Royces at Windsor Castle and carried out a walk-about in the town (photo 1). . The following month, June, she lit a 30 foot high bonfire (picture 2) on Snow Hill by the equestrian statue of George III (the Copper Horse) which set off a chain of beacons and bonfires being lit across the U.K. and throughout the Commonwealth. . Thousands drove to Windsor Great Park to watch while thousands more walked up the Long Walk to the event which took place at 10pm attended by the Queen and her family. . After the bonfire was lit there was a 15 minute firework display. . When the event finished, it took over three hours for all the cars to get out of the Great Park....... . We’re now into modern history - was anyone at the event? _________________________ Did you know: 1977 the Queen visited 14 Commonwealth countries travelling over 56,000 miles. . 📷 © bbc.co.uk and PA . #windsor #windsorgreatpark #mywindsor #lovewindsor #myroyalborough #rediscoveryourroyalborough #silverjubilee #silverjubileecelebrations #bonfire #thequeen #queenelizabethii #britishroyalhistory #royalwindsoruk #britishhistory #britishroyals #beaconlighting

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Sep 11, 2020 at 6:47am PDT

Day 87 - Reagan State Visit

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Windsor Castle and town history - 86 . In June 1982 the President of the United States, Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy came to stay at Windsor Castle while on a visit to Britain. . A dinner was held in St George’s Hall for 154 guests and it remains the only dinner and overnight stay for a President of the United States held at Windsor Castle. . The President also went for an hour’s horse ride with the Queen in the Home Park Private of Windsor Great Park. . The Queen rode her 20 year old Canadian horse Burmese. She had been riding Burmese side saddle the previous year at her birthday parade in London when a man fired six blanks at her. Remarkably the Queen managed to steady Burmese and the parade continued. _______________________ Did you know: Burmese retired to Windsor and died in 1990. She is buried in the grounds of Windsor Castle. . 📸 © townandcountrymag.com . #windsor #windsorcastle #potus #ronaldreagan #presidentoftheunitedstates #queenelizabeth #queenelizabethii #britishroyalty #horses #burmese #burmesethehorse #windsorgreatpark #history #britishroyalhistory #canadian #royalcanadianmountedpolice

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Sep 13, 2020 at 6:58am PDT

Day 88 - Windsor Castle Fire

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Windsor Castle and town history - 87 . Windsor Castle has survived sieges, civil wars and two world wars but on the 20th November 1992 it almost did not survive fire. . Work was being carried out in the state apartments and in Queen Victoria’s private chapel a halogen lamp ignited a curtain. . The fire was discovered at 11.30am by which time it had gone up into the medieval wooden ceiling and quickly spread. . The fire took 15 hours to put out. A million and a half gallons of water was pumped into the building, causing as much damage to the fabric as the fire. . Two hundred firefighters fought the blaze which caused £37 million in damage with many of the state rooms totally destroyed. . The Queen was not at the castle at the time, arriving from London mid-afternoon (picture 2). It was the day of her 45th wedding anniversary. . Police, army and castle staff carried out as many treasures as they could lift. It took 40 soldiers to carry out a carpet from the Waterloo Chamber. . It took five years to restore Windsor Castle.......... _________________________ Did you know: only two losses were documented, a sideboard which was too heavy to move and a large portrait of King George III. . 📸 © 1) maidenheadadvertiser.co.uk 2) dailyexpress.co.uk . #windsor #windsorcastle #castlefire #windsorcastlefire #fire #mywindsor #lovewindsor #myroyalborough #rediscovermyroyalborough #visitwindsoruk #history #royalwindsoruk #queenelizabethii #britishroyalty #royalhistory

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Sep 15, 2020 at 11:06am PDT

Day 89 - Restoration

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Windsor Castle and town history - 88 . Five years to the day after the devastating fire at Windsor Castle, the restored rooms were opened on the 20th November 1997. . The Queen’s husband the Duke of Edinburgh was Chairman of the Restoration Committee and Prince Charles the Chairman of the Art and Design Committee. . The beautifully restored rooms opened on the day of the Queen’s 50th wedding anniversary, six months ahead of schedule and on budget. . To pay for the repairs, in 1993 Buckingham Palace was opened to the public for the first time. . At the centre of the restoration was the magnificent St George’s Hall (picture 1) rebuilt in a modern gothic style. ____________________ Did you know: There is a portrait of the Duke of Edinburgh at the end of St George’s Hall (picture 2). It shows him as Chairman of the Restoration Committee holding design plans for the restoration. . 📸 © 1) popsugar.com 2) rct.uk . #windsor #windsorcastle #windsorcastlefire #restoration #stgeorgeshall #dukeofedinburgh #visitwindsoruk #mywindsor #lovewindsor #myroyalborough #rediscovermyroyalborough #greatwestway #visitsoutheastengland #castles #castlesofinstagram #gothicdesign #travelgram #royalwindsoruk #britishroyalty

A post shared by Windsor Tourist Guides Ltd (@windsor_tourist_guides_ltd) on Sep 17, 2020 at 1:11am PDT

Day 90 -