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Published: July 17th 2009
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I Don't Know How But I Missed A Whole Day Out Of My London Blog!!!
On the second day in London I decided to head West for the day to go to
Windsor Castle. It just wouldn't be right coming to London and not seeing it so an hour later I was queuing up at the gates to the oldest inhabited residence in the world, not to mention the largest castle in Europe.
From the gates, you walk up to the castle along the outside wall to the entrance to the royal residence to have a peer through the gate. Now on the inside of the wall your confronted with the oldest part of Windsor Castle, the
Round Keep. Dating dack to the 11th Century and the time of William the Conqueror, the keep is the highest and most fortified area of the castle, with it's own motte (that has now been turned into a garden), well, and battlements. It is also where the flag is flown from, whether it be the Union Jack or the Queen's Emblem depending on if she's in residence at the time.
From the North wall, I gain entrance into some of the
best areas of the castle,
Queen Mary's Dolls' House and the
State Apartments. Queen Mary was a lover of all things miniature, so as a gift she was given a 1/12th model of a palace. I don't know if it was modelled on a real palace or not but what is fascinating is that everything in the house works. I'm talking the toilets flush with water because there's plumbing throughout the house, all the lights work by operating a light switch in each room because it has live electricity throughout it, the plates and platters are real silver, the paintings on the walls are hand painted and framed and hung, even the lawnmower and the petrol pumps outside work. It was crafted by some of the most famous artists, engineers and craftsmen of it's time and even the local shops and craftsmen donated their time and abilities to help bring it all together, right down to the vault with miniature crown jewels enclosed. An amazing feat!
The State Apartments are decorated from the Victorian Age though the actual buildings are a lot older still. This fact is proven by the great hall that shows all the crests of the
members of the
Order of the Garter lining the walls and ceiling. At last count there were over 1000 shields on display including the original members from the 1300's. What is strange is that some of the shields have been blanked out to leave them plain white. These were the people that after receiving the honour, committed an act that went against the Order's beliefs and was forever expelled but left blank as a reminder to others. The Armoury has an impressive display and not just behind glass. Adorning the walls is everything from swords to pistols to rifles with bayonets, all from the royal guard, and then there are also the countless decorative swords, in all lengths, with their gilded pommels and hand guards. The tour path also takes you to the location where the fire began in the 1990's that caused devastation to certain areas of the State Apartments. Although renovated now, some of the techniques used were interesting in my mind. Where wooden floor boards had been slightly charred they lifted them and turned them over to reveal fresh wood underneath that was still original and in no need of cutting to size. Ingenious I thought!
In the Lower Ward of the castle houses
St George's Chapel, a site for both royal and common people to visit, It is the home of the Order of the Garter and also the home of some previous monarchs. Henry VIII is buried under the Quire with his 2nd(?) wife as well as George V and his wife Queen Elizabeth (the Queen's Mother) in a recently added alcove on the North side, making this not just a chapel for the royal family but something far more personal.
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
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amy denning
non-member comment
HA HA!!!
with a title like that, i couldn't help but wonder what the heck was going on!!!!!!