• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
    • First Time Here?
    • Archive
    • London Blogs
  • Blog
  • Travel
    • London Theater Tickets
    • Shopping
    • Tips
    • Tours
    • Transport
    • Maps
    • Parks
    • Resources
    • Restaurants
    • Top 10 London
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Buildings
    • Food
    • London Books
    • Movies
    • Museums
    • Music
    • Pubs
  • Londonism
    • Reviews
    • Fun London
    • Iconic London
    • Life in London
    • London Realities
    • Moving to London
    • Politics
  • The Tube
  • London History
    • Great London Buildings
    • Great Londoners
  • Contact
  • Guidebooks
    • 101 London Travel Tips – Guidebook
    • 101 Free Things to do in London

Londontopia

The Website for People Who Love London

You are here: Home / Culture / Buildings / Great London Buildings: Windsor Castle – The Queen’s Preferred Weekend Home With a Long Royal History

Great London Buildings: Windsor Castle – The Queen’s Preferred Weekend Home With a Long Royal History

Nov 25, 2015 By John Rabon

800px-Windsor_Castle_at_Sunset_-_Nov_2006

While Buckingham Palace may be the current preferred residence of Queen Elizabeth, Windsor Castle is the royal residence long associated with the monarchy.  The castle’s oldest parts date back to the 11th Century and King William I’s conquest of England.  To consolidate his power, William built a series of castles around England, including a ring of them surrounding London, each a day’s march from the next and each other for easy reinforcement.  Windsor was the first in 1070, and he built it as a motte and bailey style castle for better defense.

It became a royal residence towards the end of the 11th Century and continued to be so through the reign of William’s son, Henry I.  Henry expanded the buildings of the castle and erected a stronger wall to protect it from attack.  Henry’s work on Windsor Castle was sufficient enough that he was able to move his entire court there, officially making it a royal residence in 1110.  His grandson, Henry II, replaced many of the wooden structures with stone and giving the castle its rectangular towers.

Interestingly enough, the only times the castle would really see any conflict was under Henry II’s son John.  The first time was John’s attempt to usurp the crown while his brother, Richard I, was fighting in the Crusades.  The second time was when, after John legitimately became king, rebellious barons besieged the castle after John failed to live up to his end of the Magna Carta that he’d helped negotiate there in 1215.  It might have helped him to build up the castle’s fortifications, but instead, John opted to improve Windsor’s residence instead.  The sieges caused extensive damage to the castle that was repaired by John’s son, King Henry III, who fixed the defences his father had neglected with new stone walls and three new towers:  Curfew, Garter, and Salisbury.

King Edward III was born in Windsor Castle and was one of the monarchs to make extensive additions to it during his reign.  He spent £51,000 of that era’s currency renovating the castle and constructing several new buildings, including three courts dubbed the Little Cloister, King’s Cloister, and Kitchen Court.  He also constructed new lodgings for his court as well as the Norman Gate, which was later remodeled in the 19th Century.  After Henry VI had the crown taken from him by King Edward IV, Edward also took up residence at Windsor and built St. George’s Chapel in 1475.

While Henry VIII certainly enjoyed moving around as monarch, he made Windsor as much his home as any other palace and he rebuilt the principle gate in 1510, which is now named after him.  He also built a tennis court at the base of the Upper Ward since he enjoyed being active.  His children made various improvements during their reigns, from the fountain added by Edward VI to the cannons of Elizabeth I.  During the English Civil War, the Parliamentarians took control of Windsor and looted much of the artefacts from St. George’s Chapel, which they considered too “high church”.  Charles I was held for a time at Windsor before his execution and his body was buried at St. George’s Chapel with little ceremony.

With the Restoration, King Charles II moved back into Windsor and sought to conduct some of the most modern improvements the castle had ever seen.  He also heavily renovated the interiors in the Baroque style.  It continued to be a major place for the court until George I arrived from Hanover and preferred other palaces such as St. James and Kensington to Windsor, a tradition that would continue with George II, though George III loved the palace and made multiple improvements inside and out throughout his reign.  George IV would ask Parliament for £300,000 for a complete restoration of Windsor Castle, which would continue through the reign of Queen Victoria, who would make Windsor her primary residence.

In the 20th Century, King Edward VII would set about the most complete modernisation to date, a process that was continued at a slower rate by his son, George V.  George’s wife, Mary of Teck, would work hard to reacquire many pieces of furniture lost from the castle over the centuries.  It was during George’s reign that World War I broke out, and with anti-German sentiment high, he would change the dynastic name from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to Windsor, a reflection of the castle’s importance to the monarchy’s power.  The royal family would move to Windsor during the Second World War for their safety, and Queen Elizabeth II would later establish Windsor as a weekend residence, spending most of her time at Buckingham Palace.

A fire in 1992 caused extensive damage to the Upper Ward and the question of who should pay for it was raised for the first time in the castle’s history.  Some individuals felt that the Queen herself should pay out of her personal income rather than letting the government (and by extension, the taxpayers) fit the bill.  In the end, it was decided to open Buckingham Palace to paying visitors on the weekends to help fund the repairs.  Today, the royal family still occupies the castle occasionally, making it the largest inhabited castle in the world as well as the longest-occupied European palace.  It still provides a residence for Queen Elizabeth and her family as well as serving state functions.

John Rabon
Author: John Rabon

John is a regular writer for Anglotopia and its sister websites. He is currently engaged in finding a way to move books slightly to the left without the embarrassment of being walked in on by Eddie Izzard. For any comments, questions, or complaints, please contact the Lord Mayor of London, Boris Johnson's haircut.

close

Free London News

Get the latest news on London history, culture, travel, exhibitions, and more right in your inbox!

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Share this:

  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Pocket

Filed Under: Buildings, Featured, Great London Buildings, History

Subscribe to Our Free London Updates

Free London News

Get the latest news on London history, culture, travel, exhibitions, and more right in your inbox!

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

About John Rabon

John is a regular writer for Anglotopia and its sister websites. He is currently engaged in finding a way to move books slightly to the left without the embarrassment of being walked in on by Eddie Izzard. For any comments, questions, or complaints, please contact the Lord Mayor of London, Boris Johnson's haircut.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Roger says

    Dec 27, 2015 at 1:52 pm

    Who benefits from the proceeds from Castle visitors? The royals, the state, both? At a minimum, it should be split. But really, the Castle and its income should be public assets by now.

    • jonathan says

      Dec 28, 2015 at 7:03 am

      The proceeds from visitor admissions go right back into maintaining the castle.

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Our Free London Updates

Free London News

Get the latest news on London history, culture, travel, exhibitions, and more right in your inbox!

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Get the Anglotopia/Londontopia App

Our Advertisers

If you are a mobile gamer, you may want to take a look at UK’s new mobile casinos and slots reviewed by NewCasinoUK.

Join the London Forum

  • Mudlarking
  • MY FAVOURITE PLACE IN LONDON
  • What's Your Favorite Place in London?
  • Paddington Station

London Guide

  • Ten Cheap Things You Can Do in London on a Budget
  • Ten London Exhibitions to Look Forward to in 2023
  • London’s Non-Free Museums: Your Guide to London’s Museums That Charge Admission
  • Trip Planning: Top 10 Exhibitions To Plan Your 2018 Trips to London Around
  • London Guide: Our Favorite Restaurants in London – London Restaurant Recommendations for Americans – What’s Your Favorite?

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • RSS Feed
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Support Londontopia

Search our Extensive Archive

Top 10 London

  • Ten Unusual Exhibits to See in London
  • London Pubs: Ten Thameside Pubs for a Pint and a View
  • Top 10 London: Ten More Things to Do Along the River Thames
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Shopping Centers in London
  • Museums of London: Ten Overlooked London Museums
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Haggerston
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Haringey
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Redbridge
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Hillingdon
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to Do in Canonbury

Recent Posts

  • What’s On in London Events for February 2023
  • Only Fools And Horses musical to close in West End after four years
  • Artist Ai Weiwei to launch first design-focused exhibition at London’s Design Museum
  • London Travel Alert: Staff at British Museum to walk out during half-term break
  • Poet Lemn Sissay ‘over the moon’ to receive Freedom of the City of London
  • English Heritage has unveiled six new blue plaques for London
  • National Portrait Gallery to reopen in June with two special exhibitions
  • Exploring The Cosmic House in London
  • Ten Social Media Accounts to Follow for Londonphiles
  • New Royal Academy Exhibition: Treasures from Spain and the Hispanic World

Best Posts on Londontopia

  • 101 London Travel Tips
  • Top 100 London Attractions
  • How to Find the Cheapest Airfares to London
  • 10 Things NOT to do in London
  • Best London Guidebooks
  • 101 Free Things to do in London
  • London Lingo – A London Word Dictionary
  • Top 7 Tips for Doing London on the Cheap
  • Top 11 Myths American Believe about London
  • Guide to Eating in London
  • Best Times of Year to Travel to London
  • London Packing Tips
  • Top 11 Movies Set in London
  • Top Attractions off the Tourist Track
  • Top 5 Most Amazing London Hotels
  • Top 10 Hostels in London
  • Best Views in London Restuarants
  • London Taxi Ettiquette
  • Top 12 London Views
  • Great Fire of London
  • A Guide to Five of London’s Bridges
  • 10 Random Facts and Figures about Trafalgar Square
  • Top 100 British Slang Words

London Places to Explore

Bloomsbury Buckingham Palace Canary Wharf City of London Covent Garden Cutty Sark Greenwich Hampstead Hampton Court Palace Heathrow Houses of Parliament Hyde Park Imperial War Museum Islington Kensington Kensington Palace Leicester Square London London Eye London Transport Museum Museum of London National Gallery Notting Hill Piccadilly Circus Putney Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Regent's Street Royal Academy Selfridges Somerset House Southbank Southwark St Pancras St Paul's Cathedral Tate Britain Tate Modern The City Tower Bridge Tower of London Trafalgar Square V&A Wandsworth West End Westminster Westminster Abbey

SIGN-UP FOR FREE LONDON WEEKLY UPDATES!

Please enter a valid email address
That address is already in use
The security code entered was incorrect
Thanks for signing up

Recent Videos

Walk Around London Virtually Right Now – Watched Walker is the YouTube Channel We All Need Right Now

Jason Hawkes Shares a Beautiful Video of London From Above That We All Need Right now

London Tube: You’ve Got to Watch This Amazing Mesmerizing Animation That Shows the Real Geography of the London Underground

Video: The Basics of Crossrail – London’s New Underground Line

London History: The Place Where Old London Double Decker Buses Went to Die

London Video: A Look at the Great Smog of London

Tube and London bus fares to rise by nearly 6% from March

What is Crossrail 2 and What is Its Current Status?

London Alert: Strike by London Underground workers to go ahead after last-minute talks fail

London Mayor hails Elizabeth line as direct routes and Sunday services begin

Elizabeth line fully opens and offers more direct journeys

Tube poet encourages writers to ‘bring who they are to the field’

Footer

About Londontopia

Londontopia is simply the website for people who love London. It was founded by Jonathan & Jackie Thomas from Anglotopia.net as a place to post articles solely focused on London and its environs. Keep up with all the latest London news at Londontopia! This site is geared towards people who love to visit London and our primary audience is North American but everyone is welcome!

When We’re in London Next

We don’t currently have any travel plans to London but hope to visit at some point in 2021.

  • SEO Backlinks
  • Travel Blog

SIGN-UP FOR FREE LONDON WEEKLY UPDATES!

Please enter a valid email address
That address is already in use
The security code entered was incorrect
Thanks for signing up

Copyright © 2023 Anglotopia, LLC · Website Developed by Anglotopia, LLC · Log in