Visit Windsor Castle
Join the Queen and the Royal Family at home in the largest and oldest occupied castle in the world.
The preferred London residence of the Royal Family, Windsor Castle is where the Queen and her family spend most of their private weekends. The Queen is also officially in residence throughout April and June, when the annual Garter Service is held in St George 's Chapel.
Visitors to the castle can explore the wild and expansive Royal Parks teeming with deer, clamber along the ramparts encircling the castle, admire the magnificent works of art on display in the spectacular State Apartments and seek solace in the calming haven of St George 's Chapel, festooned in the banners of Knights of the Kingdom.
The heart of the working palace, the State Apartments are regularly used for ceremonial and official events and are drenched with some of the finest works of art from the Royal Collection, including paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens and Van Dyck, fine tapestries, porcelain, sculpture and armour. As well as having access to these rooms, visitors can also tour the Semi-State Rooms which are opened up during the winter months. Commissioned in the 1820s by George IV for his personal occupation, the lusciously ornate Semi-State Rooms are among the most lavish interiors in the castle.
Spanning the past and the present, St George 's Chapel dates back to the 14th century but is still very much in active use today. One of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in England, the chapel has hosted many royal weddings (including that of Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones), is the home of the Order of the Garter and has ten sovereigns buried within its vaults (including HM The Queen Mother).
No visit to the castle is complete without a visit to the Drawings Gallery and Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House. The Drawings Gallery holds regular exhibitions of treasures from the Royal Library while Queen Mary 's Dolls ' House, a miniature mansion built to perfection, comes complete with electric lighting, an electric vacuum cleaner, hot and cold running water, and even flushing lavatories.
Changing of the Guard
This takes place at 11:00, weather permitting, from Monday to Saturday between April and the end of June, and on alternate days for the rest of the year, with the exception of Sundays.
Did You Know?
The major fire that ravaged the castle on 20 November 1992 was started by a spotlight which came into contact with a curtain and ignited the material. It took 15 hours and one-and-a-half million gallons of water to put out the blaze.
Ticket includes:
- The State Apartments
- The Semi-State Rooms (in the winter months only)
- St George’s Chapel
- The Drawings Gallery
- Queen Mary 's Dolls ' House
- Ramparts and the Royal Park
Annual Visitor Figures:
937,000
Opening and Closing Times:
Daily
March to October 9.45am - 5.15pm (last admission 4pm)
November to February 9.45am - 4.15pm (last admission 3pm)
(Windsor Castle is open daily throughout the year, with a few exceptions when the Castle is in use for official functions)
Castle Completely Closed
6 April 2012
8 April 2012 (Closed until 13:00)
18 June 2012
25 - 26 December 2012
A VOUCHER MUST BE PRINTED OUT AND TAKEN TO THE ATTRACTION AFTER THE BOOKING HAS BEEN MADE.
Sarah Bolton
London Attractions Editor
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