Windsor Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Windesores

In the civil parish of Windsor. In the historic county of Berkshire (Modern Authority of Windsor & Maidenhead, 1974 county of Berkshire).

England's largest castle and a royal palace, covering some 13 acres. The castle dates back to William the Conqueror but the first stone buildings were erected by Henry II between 1165 and 1179. The round keep stands on an artificial motte and there are baileys known as the Lower, Middle and Upper Wards. Continuos additions since this time with particular activity following the foundation of the Order of the Garter by Edward III in 1348, the ensuing St George's Chapel of 1475-1511; and extensive rebuilding for Charles II by Hugh May. The present aspect of the Castle largely results from the alterations, additions and restorations carried out by James Wyatt and Sir Jeffry Wyatville circa 1800 to 1830, with further work carried out by Blore and Salvin in Queen Victoria's reign. Dominant cliff-top setting. The circular 'theatre' in the inner ward, of which some remnants were found by Time Team, was a short lived feature. The work of Edward III was extensive and complex but remarkably restrained without much 'fussy' detail, apparently an aesthetic choice by the king.
The castle was not built on the site of the Saxon royal palace (at Old Windsor) but some distance away on an isolated ridge overlooking the Thames, although, significantly it took the Windsor name. Indeed the site was not even a royal holding. Its development as the prime royal palace was complex and long and the Great Park was not linked to the castle by directly owned royal land until the reign of Victoria. Often the hunting lodges in the Great Park were the preferred medieval royal residence, with the castle being used for administration and as ancillary accommodation. However the surrounding medieval landscape was rich with high status buildings and institutions including many hunting lodges and Eton College, directly across the Thames.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 40355)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SU96967700

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 251018
Further information may be available from the holder of the county Historic Environment Record. In particular 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website, or elsewhere.

• Web site links
  • http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page574.asp
    http://www.britannia.com/history/berks/windcast.html
    http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/windsor/windsor.php
    http://www.berkshirehistory.com/castles/windsor_cast.html
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_south/175/windsorcastle.htm
    http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/B/big_royal_dig/windsor/windsor_about.html
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/windsor.html
• Books
  • Brindle, S., Priestly, S. and Kerr, B., [forthcoming], A history of Windsor Castle
    Munby, Julian, Barber, Richard and Brown, Richard, 2007, Edward III's Round Table at Windsor - The House of the Round Table and the Windsor Festival of 1344 (Boydell and Brewer)
    Emery, Anthony, 2006, Greater Medieval Houses Vol3 (Cambridge) p192-208
    Brindle, Steven and Priestley, Stephen, 2005 'Edward III's building campaigns at Windsor and the employment of masons, 1346-1377' in Saul, Nigel (ed.), St. George's Chapel Windsor in the fourteenth century (Woodbridge: Boydell)
    Wilson, C., 2002, 'The Royal Lodgings of Edward III at Windsor Castle: Form, Function and Representation' in Keen, L. and Scarff, E. (eds), Windsor, Medieval Archaeology, Art and Architecture of the Thames Valley (British Archaeological Association Conference Transactions 25) p15-94
    Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of The Thames Valley and The Chilterns (Malvern) p22-31
    Keevill, Graham D., 2000, Medieval Palaces, An Archaeology (Stroud; Tempus) p16, 18, 27-9, 34, 40, 48-9, 53-4, 58, 73, 77, 83, 102-5, 113, 124-5, 127, 135, 141-2, 145-6, 151, 160
    Brindle, S. and Kerr, B., 1997, Windsor Revealed: New Light on the History of the Castle (London: English Heritage)
    Nicolson, Adam, 1997, Restoration: the rebuilding of Windsor Castle
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p6-8
    Thurley, Simon, 1993, The Royal Palaces of Tudor England (Yale University Press)
    Girouard, Mark, 1993, Windsor: The Most Romantic Castle (Hodder and Stoughton)
    James, T.B., 1990, The Palaces of Medieval England (London; Seaby)
    Furtado, Peter et al (eds), 1988, Ordnance Survey guide to castles in Britain  (London) p22
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p12
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p319-20
    Colvin, H.M., Ransome, D.R. and Summerson, John, 1975, The history of the King's Works Vol3: 1485-1660 (part 1) p302-333
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Knowles, David and Hadcock, R Neville, 1971, Medieval religious houses in England and Wales (Longman) p405
    Pevsner, N., 1966, Buildings of England: Berkshire (London) p266-92
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p864-888
    Toy, Sidney, 1953, The Castles of Great Britain (Heinemann) p46-9
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p29-37
    Page, Wm and Ditchfield, P.H. (eds), 1923, VCH Berkshire Vol3 p5-56 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=43178
    Hope, W.H.St John, 1913, Windsor Castle an Architectual History (London, Country Life) [King writes "Beside this monumental work everything else must appear insignificant"]
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p236-9
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Page, Wm and Ditchfield, P.H. (eds), 1906, VCH Berkshire Vol1 p267-8
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p180-90
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol2 (London) p40
    Lysons, D. and S., 1806, Magna Britannia Vol1 p1 p416-32
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol1 p7
• Journal Articles
  • Saul, N., 2007, 'The growth of a mausoleum: the pre-1600s tombs and brasses of St George's Chapel, Windsoe' Antiquaries Journal Vol87 p220-58
    Platt, Steve, 2006-7, 'Time Team at Windsor' Castle Studies Group Journal Vol20 p168-70 [brief report of Time Team Excavation]
    Baker, P., 2006, 'Monarchs and meals: food provisioning and consumption at Windsor Castle' The Archaeologist Vol59 p26-7
    Cromwell, Tom and Betts, Ian, 2002-3, 'Windsor Castle Governor's House Floor. Recording a medieval tiled floor' CfA News Newsletter of the Centre for Archaeology Vol4 p10-11 [http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/upload/pdf/cfa_news_04.pdf]
    Harfield, C.G., 1991, 'A Hand-list of Castles Recorded in the Domesday Book' English Historical Review Vol106 p371-392 http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-8266%28199104%29106%3A419%3C371%3AAHOCRI%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Q
    Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' Archaeological Journal Vol143 p320
    Bond, S., 1967, 'The Medieval Constables of Windsor Castle', English Historical Review 323 p225-49
    Brown, R, Allen, 1959, 'A List of Castles, 1154–1216' English Historical Review Vol74 p249-280 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p90-121] http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-8266%28195904%2974%3A291%3C249%3AALOC1%3E2.0.CO%3B2-P
    Brown, R. Allen, 1955, 'Royal Castle-building in England 1154-1216' English Historical Review Vol70 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press)] pp19-64
    Wickham-Legg, L.G., 1938, 'Windsor Castle, New College, Oxford, and Winchester College: A Study in the Development of Planning by William Wykeham' Journal of the British Archaeological Association (3ser) Vol3 p83-95
    Knoop, D., and Jones, G.P., 1937, The impressment of masons for Windsor Castle, 1360 - 1363. Economic History 3(12), 350 - 361
• Guidebooks
  • Robinson, John Martin, 2001, Windsor Castle Offical illustrated history (Royal Collection Enterprises)
    Robinson, John Martin, 1996, Royal palaces. Windsor Castle: a short history
    Robinson, John Martin, 1995, Windsor Castle Offical Guide (Royal Collection Enterprises)
    Morshead, Owen, 1951, Windsor Castle (London)
    March, Wm, 1936, Offical guide to Windsor Castle the Town and neighbourhood of Windsor (Windsor: Oxley and Son)
    Goddard, n.d., Windsor , the castle of our King (London)
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • The Anglo-saxon Chronicle; Laud Chronicle AD1095 http://omacl.org/Anglo/ [Text based on Everyman Press edn of 1912]
    Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p93-6
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/barkseng.html#berks14]
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Time Team (Mike Aston et al), 2008 Feb 25(1st broadcast), 'Windsor Castle' Time Team TV Programme (Time Team, a Videotext/Picture House production for Channel 4)
    Brindle, Steven, 2006 Sept 30, 'Edward III and the Upper Ward at Windsor - Plan, Function and Representation' paper given at Castle Studies Group autumn conference, The Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House, London.
    Time Team (Mike Aston et al), 2006 August (1st broadcast), 'The Big Royal Dig' Time Team TV Programme (Time Team, a Videotext/Picture House production for Channel 4)