Windsor Castle is English history in a nutshell, and what a majestic nutshell it is! The site has been the official residence of kings and queens from William the Conqueror to the present day. Royals have been born, married and buried in the castle.
Windsor Castle began its life as a wooden fort built by William the Conqueror in the 11th century, and later kings and queens had a hand in its evolution. Henry II pulled down the wooden buildings and rebuilt it in stone. George IV turned it into a palace. In 1917, King George V chose the castle's name as the Royal Family's, replacing the old one, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. From that time, the name of the monarchy would be the House of Windsor.

Fire
In 1992, over 110 rooms in the palace were damaged or destroyed in a fire. The royal family, their servants and five fire brigades tried to save the treasures. They put out the fire after 15 hours using seven million litres of water! Over 4,000 people worked to restore the rooms. It took them five years.

Round Tower
The Round Tower was built in 1170 replacing the Norman wooden building.
When the Queen is in residence you can see the Royal Standard flying over it. When the Queen is not in residence the Union Jack flag flies in its place.

Norman Tower and Moat Garden
Three kings were once imprisoned in the Norman Tower: David of Scotland, John of France and James I of Scotland.
The Moat Garden near the tower was the scene of a historic romance. King James I of Scotland (who was a prisoner in the tower for 11 years, from 1413 to 1424) once saw Lady Jane Beaufort in the garden. He fell in love with her at first sight and later married her.

Quadrangle
The Changing of the Guard and other important ceremonies take place here when the Queen is in residence.

State Apartments

The State Apartments are quite impressive. They contain old master paintings and sculptures, beautiful china, old weapons and armour. You can even see Henry VIII's armour and the very bullet that killed Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar.

Queen Mary's Dolls' House
Queen Mary's Dolls' House is enough to make Barbie envious. Everything in this house really works! Can you imagine what fun the children had when they sent the baby up on the lift for its evening bath, dried it with small towels and then put it to bed?   You can find everything in the house,
from    tiny crown jewels in their own locked room to a garage with a small Rolls Royce. The paintings in the doll's house were created by famous artists and the tiny books were specially written by Rudyard Kipling and Conan Doyle! The dolls' house was made for Queen Mary (Queen Elizabeth I's grandmother) in the 1920s.

King Henry VIII Gate

The King Henry VIII Gate, built in 1511, is the castle's main gate. It's decorated with Henry VIII's symbols — the Tudor rose and the pomegranate emblem of Henry's first wife, Catherine of Aragon.

Great Kitchen
The Great Kitchen at Windsor is the oldest kitchen in Britain. And it's still working!
Here you can learn lots of interesting things   about   Henry   VIII's   enormous appetite and Queen Victoria's fast eating, which often left her guests feeling hungry.

St George's Chapel
St George's Chapel is one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in England. Ten British monarchs are buried here, including Henry VIII and his third wife Jane Seymour, and Charles I.

Ghosts
One of the many homes of the Queen of England is said to have several ghosts. Some people say that they have seen the ghost of Henry VIII or heard his footsteps on the stairs. Others have seen the ghost of Elizabeth I in the library. She always wears a black dress and a black shawl over her shoulders.