Windsor Castle, the name is known worldwide as one of the residence of the Queen, her "Royal Majesty". It has served as a Home to the monachs over a period stretching nearlyt 1000 years. It was designed by great buildes and had many alterations and refurbishments over that time.
The castle is best known as a royal Palace where kings and queens and noble blood have lived, but it hasn't always seen peaceful times. The Castle has also seen its fair share of rebellions and uprising, In the earlier years, some builders help strengthen th Castle to protect
its owners from these rebel uprisings. It is situated in Berkshire.
William the Conqueror chose the site, high above the river Thames and on the edge of a Saxon hunting ground. It was a day's march from the Tower of London and intended to guard the western approaches to the capital. The outer walls of today's structure are in the same position
as those of the original castle built by William the Conqueror in the 1070s. So too is the central mound supporting the Round Tower and the Upper Ward, where successive monarchs have had their private apartments since the fourteenth century.
In the 1170s Henry II rebuilt - in stone instead of wood - the Round Tower, the outer walls of the Upper and most of the Lower Ward, and the Royal apartments in the Upper Ward. The St. George's Hall hal that was created by Edward III was to be used for the Knights of hus newly found Order of
the Garter. Ten British Monachs now lie buried in the chapel there.
The castle was captured by the Parliamentarian Colonel John Venn in 1642 and Windsor Castle became the headquarters for various Parliamentarian commanders. From 1643, They used the castle to house their prisoners of war and was used like this throughout the entire campaign. In 1648 Charles I was held
there before his trial and execution in London. his body was brought back to be buried in the great St George's Chapel during a snowstorm. Oliver Cromwell too over in 1650 and when he was pronounced Lord Protector in 53 it became one of his residences.
Following the Restoration, Charles II was determined to make the castle as splendid as possible, this is when they started to gradually change its use from a more militarist use to that of one for pleasure. In the 1670's the set about creating a new set of state apartments. The King's Dining Room and
the Queen's Presence and Audience Chambers retain many of these original features. Charles II also laid out the 5km Long Walk leading due south from the Castle into Windsor Great Park.
One of King George IV's passions was art and fine decoration. Much of what is in place in Windsor is down to his artistic tastes which he had installed with his architect, Sir Jeffry Wyatville. The building took shape to a Gothic style with the installation of crenellations, turrets and towers.
This made the castle look like a superb fortress not to be messed with, adding a real bravardo to what was an already intimidating castle in its own right. The upper Ward the private apartments were moved from the north side to the south-east side. George IV's most acclaimed addition to the castle was
the Waterloo Chamber created in the 1820's to show off Portraits depicting the defeat of Napoleao at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were devoted to Windsor, where they spend much of their time, and it was Queen victoria that in 1845, opened the State Apartments up for public viewing. Prince Alberty died of typhoid at Windsor in 1861 and was buried there in the mausoleum she had constructed in Frogmore.
During World War II, Windsor was the home to the young princess Elizabeth and Margeret Rose while their parents supported the war effort. To this day the Queen uses the Castle regularly, attending it mostly on her weekends.