Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. The castle is notable for its long association with the British royal family and for its architecture. The original castle was built in the 11th century after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. HP Pavilion dv7-1128ca CPU Fan Since the time of Henry I, it has been used by succeeding monarchs and it is the longest-occupied palace in Europe. The castle's lavish, early 19th-century State Apartments are architecturally significant, described by art historian Hugh Roberts as "a superb and unrivalled sequence of rooms widely regarded as the finest and most complete expression of later Georgian taste".^[1] HP Pavilion dv6-3216us CPU Fan

The castle includes the 15th-century St George's Chapel, considered by historian John Robinson to be "one of the supreme achievements of English Perpendicular Gothic" design.^[2] More than five hundred people live and work in Windsor Castle.

Originally designed to protect Norman dominance around the outskirts of London, HP Pavilion dv6565el CPU Fan and to oversee a strategically important part of the River Thames, Windsor Castle was built as a motte and bailey, with three wards surrounding a central mound. Gradually replaced with stone fortifications, the castle withstood a prolonged siege during theFirst Barons' War at the start of the 13th century. DELL Latitude E6410 CPU Fan Henry III built a luxurious royal palace within the castle during the middle of the century, and Edward III went further, rebuilding the palace to produce an even grander set of buildings in what would become "the most expensive secular building project of the entire Middle Ages in England".^[3] HP Pavilion dv6-2066dx CPU Fan

 Edward's core design lasted through the Tudor period, during which Henry VIII and Elizabeth I made increasing use of the castle as a royal court and centre for diplomatic entertainment.

Windsor Castle survived the tumultuous period of the English Civil War, when it was used as a military headquarters for Parliamentary forces and a prison for Charles I. HP 610777-001 CPU Fan During the Restoration, Charles II rebuilt much of Windsor Castle with the help of architect Hugh May, creating a set of extravagant, Baroque interiors that are still admired. After a period of neglect during the 18th century, George III and George IV renovated and rebuilt Charles II's palace at colossal expense, Samsung MCF-913PAM05-40 CPU Fan producing the current design of the State Apartments, full of Rococo,Gothic and Baroque furnishings. Victoria made minor changes to the castle, which became the centre for royal entertainment for much of her reign. Windsor Castle was used as a refuge for the royal family during the bombing campaigns of the Second World War and survived a fire in 1992. HP Pavilion dv7-2140eo CPU Fan

It is a popular tourist attraction, a venue for hosting state visits, and Elizabeth II's preferred weekend home.

Windsor Castle occupies a large site of more than thirteen acres (five hectares), and combines the features of a fortification, a palace, and a small town.^[4] HP Envy 15-1060ea CPU Fan The present-day castle was created during a sequence of phased building projects, culminating in the reconstruction work after a fire in 1992.^[5] It is in essence a Georgian and Victorian design based on a medieval structure, with Gothic features reinvented in a modern style. HP Pavilion dv4-2140us CPU Fan Since the 14th century, architecture at the castle has attempted to produce a contemporary reinterpretation of older fashions and traditions, repeatedly imitating outmoded or even antiquated styles.^[6] As a result, architect Sir William Whitfield has pointed to Windsor Castle's architecture as having "a certain fictive quality", COMPAQ Presario F500 CPU Fan the Picturesque and Gothic design generating "a sense that a theatrical performance is being put on here", despite late 20th century efforts to expose more of the older structures to increase the sense of authenticity.^[7] Although there has been some criticism, the castle's architecture and history lends it a "place amongst the greatest European palaces".HP Pavilion dv2310ca CPU Fan At the heart of Windsor Castle is the Middle Ward, a bailey formed around the motte or artificial hill in the centre of the ward. The motte is 50 ft (15 m) high and is made from chalk originally excavated from the surrounding ditch. The keep, called the Round Tower, on the top of the motte is based on an original 12th-century building, Compaq Presario C554US CPU Fan extended upwards in the early 19th century under architect Jeffry Wyattville by 30 ft (9 m) to produce a more imposing height and silhouette.^[9] The interior of the Round Tower was further redesigned in 1991–3 to provide additional space for the Royal Archives, an additional room being built in the space left by Wyattville's originally hollow extension.^[9] HP Pavilion dv9660ef CPU Fan The Round Tower is in reality far from cylindrical, due to the shape and structure of the motte beneath it. The current height of the tower has been criticised as being disproportionate to its width; archaeologist Tim Tatton-Brown, for example, has described it as a mutilation of the earlier medieval structure.^[10] SONY UDQF2PH05-AS CPU Fan The western entrance to the Middle Ward is now open, and a gateway leads north from the ward onto the North Terrace.^[11] The eastern exit from the ward is guarded by the Norman Gatehouse.^[11] This gatehouse, which in fact dates from the 14th century, is heavily vaulted and decorated with carvings, SONY Vaio VGN-A17CP CPU Fan including surviving medieval lion masks, traditional symbols of majesty, to form an impressive entrance to the Upper Ward.^[12] Wyattville redesigned the exterior of the gatehouse, and the interior was later heavily converted in the 19th century for residential use. Toshiba G20 CPU Fan The Upper Ward of Windsor Castle comprises a number of major buildings enclosed by the upper bailey wall, forming a central quadrangle. The State Apartments run along the north of the ward, with a range of buildings along the east wall, and the private royal apartments and the King George IV Gate to the south, DELL Vostro 1510 CPU Fan with the Edward III Tower in the south-west corner. The motte and the Round Tower form the west edge of the ward. A bronze statue of Charles II on horseback sits beneath the Round Tower.^[14] Inspired by Hubert Le Sueur's statue of Charles I in London, the statue was cast by Josias Ibach in 1679, ACER Aspire One A150-1249 CPU Fan with the marble plinth featuring carvings by Grinling Gibbons.^[14] The Upper Ward adjoins the North Terrace, which overlooks the River Thames, and the East Terrace, which overlooks the gardens; both of the current terraces were constructed by Hugh May in the 17th century.^[15] HP Pavilion dv9766ez CPU Fan