The History of Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle, a stunning royal property in Berkshire, England, was built as a defensive base by William the Conqueror in 1070. However, the Castle wasn’t actually occupied residentially until around 1110. King Henry I took the throne at that time.
The Castle has been enlarged and restructured by a number of monarchs over time. Henry II and Henry III were the first kings to invest in expanding Windsor Castle. But it was Edward III who had the greatest impact on the structure and use of the Castle and its grounds during the 1300s. Most notably, Windsor Castle became the centre of court and government. It also became the seat of the King’s newly founded Order of the Garter, an order of chivalry which is still alive and well today.
Subsequent monarchs used Windsor Castle in a variety of ways. Henry VIII, Charles II, George IV and Queen Victoria used the Castle as their primary residence. In contrast, Edward VI and James I used the Castle for other purposes. These included simplified Garter ceremonies and as a base for hunting.
George VI, Elizabeth II, and Princess Margaret lived at Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park during George VI’s reign. Elizabeth II also resided at Windsor Castle regularly throughout her own reign. Windsor Castle remains one of The King’s official residences and a working royal palace, used for audiences, investitures and other state occasions. Like the other occupied royal palaces, it is held by the sovereign in trust for the nation rather than owned as the King’s private property. We arrange private tours of Windsor Castle for visitors who want to see the royal home for themselves.
How the castle is laid out
Windsor makes far more sense once you know it is built in three wards around the earthwork that William the Conqueror raised above the Thames. The Round Tower stands on that original motte in the middle, and the Royal Archives are kept inside it. East of the tower, the Upper Ward holds the State Apartments and, beyond them, the private apartments the King and his family use when they stay. West of the tower, the Lower Ward is the older and more populated end, with St George’s Chapel, the Horseshoe Cloister, the deanery and the houses of the Military Knights all sitting down there.
Two things outside the walls are worth knowing as well. The Long Walk runs straight south from the castle gate into Windsor Great Park and finishes at the statue of George III on horseback that everybody calls the Copper Horse. Across the river sits Eton, close enough that the castle and the school have been looking at each other for centuries.
The Current Inhabitants of Windsor Castle
The King uses Windsor as an official residence, while a wider castle community lives and works within the grounds, including:
- the Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle;
- the Dean of Windsor;
- Canons and other staff who run the College of St George;
- the Military Knights of Windsor;
- the Superintendent of Windsor Castle and his staff;
- the Housekeeper and her staff;
- Soldiers who mount a permanent military guard in the Castle.
Who those titles actually belong to
The Constable and Governor is the sovereign’s representative at Windsor, an office that reaches back to the Norman castle and is now a ceremonial appointment usually given to a senior figure from the armed forces. The Superintendent has the opposite sort of job, running the castle day to day in the way that a very old building with a very public front door has to be run, while the Housekeeper and her staff keep rooms in order that are used for state business one week and walked through by visitors the next.
The Dean and Canons of Windsor are the clergy of St George’s Chapel, and together with the lay clerks, the choristers, the vergers and the staff of St George’s School they make up the College of St George. It was founded in the same fourteenth century moment as the Order of the Garter and has been at Windsor ever since. The chapel is a working church rather than an exhibit, and the choir sings its services, which is the nearest most visitors come to seeing the castle used as it was built to be used.
The Military Knights of Windsor are retired army officers who live in a terrace of houses in the Lower Ward. The foundation began as the Poor Knights, endowed to pray for the Knights of the Garter, and was renamed in the nineteenth century; the scarlet uniforms and plumed hats at the head of the Garter procession belong to them. Add the soldiers who mount the guard inside the walls and the household staff who keep the whole thing running, and what you have is a small and rather particular village, one with a castle wall where a parish boundary would normally be. If the working side of the monarchy is what draws you here, our guide to royal places to visit in and around London covers the rest of the map.
Other Uses of Windsor Castle
As well as being a domestic home to a wide range of people, Windsor Castle also has a number of other uses, including:
Investitures
Investitures are formal ceremonies where honours recipients receive medals from the Royal Family in the Grand Reception Room.
Audiences
Audience is the term given to define the King’s private meetings. Most notably, the King holds a weekly Audience with the Prime Minister at the Castle. Much of his other official business takes place at the London residence covered in our tourist’s guide to Buckingham Palace.
Receptions
Held in St George’s Hall, receptions are gatherings which are used to celebrate achievements, coordinate charity events and discuss significant causes.
Worship
St George’s Chapel is a Royal Peculiar and an active centre for worship, governed by the Dean and Canons of Windsor. Furthermore, it is open every day to the general public. Before you plan a visit, our guide to visiting Windsor Castle sets out what to see and when to go.
We have many tours of Windsor Castle to choose from.
Why not try our Windsor Castle and Stonehenge full day trip?
Or choose our Windsor Castle and Roman Baths full day trip.
