Windsor Castle is a place steeped in British Royal history and is the oldest and largest castle in the world. In the summer of 2022, I visited Buckingham Palace and was intrigued to compare the palace with Windsor Castle. For obvious reasons one is a castle and the other is palace, both still very regal with its sprawling lands and intricate architecture. What was most striking about the castle was how close the entrance was the centre of the town, highlighting the juxtaposition of the old and the modern. I always assumed there would be acres of lands as a boundary between the two. My visit included St George’s Chapel, the state apartments and Queen Mary’s Dollhouse for a ticket price of £30.
The staff, security and ticket scanning were all pleasant without much fuss. This is definitely a change in pace from Buckingham Palace, where the rigorous security checks were unpleasant and dehumanising. The grounds of the castle were vast and the architecture felt like I was stepping back into the past. It was a very cold and windy February day, which made me even more eager to enter inside the castle. Staff offered an audio guide, but I am never a fan of using headsets that other people have used, listening to someone droning on and taking too long to get to the point – so I declined that offer. The member of staff did mention that there were little text panels inside the state apartments because the castle “is a home not a museum.” While I do understand the sentiment, I believe that as the rooms are open to the public, other forms of information should be included to create an inclusive visit. That being said, there were very little signage around the castle grounds, which made navigation confusing. Many visitors appeared to just know where they were going – clearly superhuman.
Inside, I visited the Queen Mary’s Doll House exhibition that displayed the 100 year old dollhouse that included miniature books, furnitures, different living quarters and was even fitted with electricity and running water. The dollhouse was built between 1921 – 1924 and created by prominent British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. The level of detail was incredible with contemporary authors adding new works to the dollhouse on publication. This is a definitely a dollhouse that I would have wanted growing up! A fact that was amusing, was the desire to modernise and keep up with the changing times and technological advancement through history meant included a mini version of a vacuum cleaner.
Furthermore, my visit to the State Apartments was breathtaking with gold leaf adorning the walls, eye watering chandeliers and a vast collection echoing the British Empire. I even walked through the room, where Queen Elizabeth II had tea with Paddington bear! The red and gold colours are stunning but after a while, I was fatigued by the grandeur and the ostentatious decor. I love visiting building with fancy chandeliers and gold leaf, but even I need a break from room on room of wealth. The view of the grounds and gardens were peaceful and had a tranquility that was not conveyed when I visited Buckingham Palace. Windsor castle has a cosier and well loved atmosphere, whereas Buckingham Palace felt more official and functional. I then visited St George’s Chapel, which was smaller than it looked on television, but was an interesting addition to my visit. Fun Fact – King Henry VIII and Jane Seymour were buried at St George’s Chapel, which I was very surprised to read.
Overall, Windsor Castle is a spectacular location to visit with a wealth of grounds to explore and rooms to visit. The solid fortresses provide visitors with the opportunity to walk back in time and experience the paths that many royals took as well as explore the grandeur of such an imposing castle. I would have liked to see more rooms aside from the state apartments, such as the kitchens, an example of the delegate bedrooms or even the stables to understand life at the castle more thoroughly.
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