Windsor Castle is the largest and oldest castle in the world that is inhabited. It is one of the many official abodes of Her Majesty the Queen and has almost a millennium worth of history dating back to the time of William the Conqueror. Spanning 26 acres, apart from the Royal Palace, the space holds a chapel as well amongst other things.
Windsor Castle has been used for various purposes by royalty over time: as an official palace, a garrison fortress, their home and sometimes as their prison. During times of peace, the castle was improved with the addition of many grand apartments, while heavy fortification was utilized during times of war.
The State Apartments, magnificent as they are, have on display the very finest works of art straight from the Royal Collection. They include paintings done by some of the most famous painters in the world, ranging from Gainsborough to Rubens to Rembrandt to Canaletto.
A fire in 1992 damaged over one hundred rooms at Windsor Castle, fortunately the ones in the worst shape were empty and thus only a handful of the treasured works of art of the Royal Collection were destroyed in the fire. The restoration work, which was finished in 1997 has been praised highly and was carried out by some of the best in Europe.
The private apartments of King George IV can be viewed between October and March and is one of the best decorated apartments in the castle.
The chapel at the Windsor Castle, St. George’s Chapel, features the best in Gothic architecture in the country and contains the tombs of ten sovereigns, which include Charles I, Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, his third wife.