On Tour: Windsor Castle

A few days away as a family is always good.

So, on Wednesday October 28 we set off for Slough, using the Metropolitan line from Watford to Uxbridge, where lunch was purchased. We then caught the 222 bus to West Drayton, from where we caught the Elizabeth line to complete our journey. This was by far the cheapest and quickest option, saving over 20 minutes from the journey if we had headed into the city.

We had picked Slough as Windsor, where we were going to spend all of Thursday, has no Premier Inn and is just a short taxi ride away.

After a look around the Observatory Shopping Centre and visiting the William Herschel Memorial we headed for our hotel and checked in. We then deposited our bags in the room and relaxed, before heading out for dinner at The Moon and Spoon.

Suitably fed we headed back to our hotel and looked forward to the day ahead.

The next morning Emma, Keilyn and I headed down to the restaurant for breakfast, leaving Erin to sleep a little longer in the room.

Following breakfast we all got ourselves ready before Emma booked a taxi. Soon we were passing through the Berkshire countryside on our way to Windsor for our first visit to the Castle.

Having arrived earlier than our 10:30 ticket slot we stopped to look at some of the other sites that Windsor has to offer. This included Queen Charlotte Street, the Crooked House of Windsor, the Queen Victoria Green Penfold Post Box, an Ancient Well, the Soldier's Statue, the Windsor Lady statue and Bachelor's Acre. We then wandered up Peascod Street, where we purchased drinks, before making our way to the Castle.

We arrived at the Visitor's Entrance, on St Alban's Street and joined the queue. It wasn't long before we were moving into the reception area, where our tickets were checked and we were ushered into the security room. Here coats and bags were scanned, while we all made our way through security archways. Once through we walked up towards the castle entrance and began our exploration.

We began by following the path around the Motte before turning left, at King Henry III Tower, and made our way towards the Lower Ward. Here we stopped to watch the ceremonial Changing of the Guard, along with a couple of hundred other visitors and staff members.

As the guards marched by me the order "Eyes right!" was given and, to my surprise, one of the guards looked left! Whoops. Once the ceremony was complete we headed inside St George's Chapel.

St George's Chapel, built between 1475 and 1528, is a wonderful building, containing the final resting places of 11 monarchs, various Queen Consorts, and many other members of the Royal family. We saw where the late Queen Elizabeth II now rested with her husband, before continuing on through the various parts of the chapel. I also purchased a guide book, of St George's Chapel, so that I could learn more about this incredible building.

From here we headed up to the Middle Ward, where the Round Tower (The Keep) could be seen in all of its glory, before we made our way out to the North Terrace. Here we purchased some refreshments and took a seat by the castle walls, while looking out over the landscape and Eton College.

With our refillable Windsor Castle water bottles in hand we then joined the queue to see Queen Mary's Dolls' House, after which we would tour the State Apartments.

Queen Mary's Dolls' House is built to a 1:12 scale, where one inch equals one foot, and was built between 1921 and 1924 as a gift for Queen Mary, consort of King George V. The house features fully functioning electricity, running hot and cold water, flushing toilets, and working lifts. Its wine cellar is stocked with real, tiny bottles of vintage wines and spirits, while the kitchen is stocked with real miniature jars of jam. The clocks, in the house, are all working models, too. It is an exceptional piece, that was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

From here we made our way through the various State Apartments, all adorned with paintings or weapons of all kinds on exquisite textured walls. Antique bureaus, tables and chairs, and filled the floor spaces, while clocks sat on desks, mantelpieces, or sideboards. 

There are over 450 clocks at Windsor Castle, and it takes a specialised horological conservator 16 hours to move the clocks forward in the spring. At the end of daylight savings it takes 18 hours to manually adjust the time on all of them, as many are mechanical and cannot be wound back. Also, the clocks in the Great Kitchen are always set 5-minutes fast, thus ensuring that no meals are served to the monarch and their guests late. Plus, the castle's mechanical clocks must be manually wound every week, which requires the clockmaker to walk an average of 16,000 steps a day across the massive estate just to keep them ticking.

Once we had seen all we could we made our way out of the State Apartments and viewed the exterior of the State, Private and Visitor Apartments, before heading back to the Lower Ward. After a final look at the various buildings we exited the castle, via the King Henry VIII Gateway. Gallery.

We then bought some snacks and spent the rest of the afternoon perusing the various shops, before making our way to the Zizzi Italian restaurant, where we had a table booked. The food, as usual, was delicious and the service was excellent, with the staff ensuring that everything was satisfactory.

On leaving the restaurant we headed back up Thames Street which allowed us to get some photos of the castle at night. Unlike His Majesty's Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, Windsor Castle is not lit up, with the exception of the Round Tower and the King Henry VIII Gateway.

A few minutes later, with Emma having booked a taxi, we soon headed back along the now darkened roads to Slough, where our hotel room awaited.

Friday morning was a repeat of the previous morning, with Erin remaining in bed while we headed down to the restaurant for breakfast. As on the previous morning once we had our fill we headed back up to our room, with croissants for Erin.

Once we had packed and ensured that nothing had been missed, we headed down to the lobby, placed our room keys in the checkout box and left the hotel, heading for the shopping centre for a final look around. With items purchased we made our way, via a necessary detour due to building works, towards Slough station. With plenty of time to spare we stopped at Starbucks on Brunel Way, before I went for a wander. 

My first stop was to look at the Slough & Windsor Railway Society building. This society meets in a single-storey, 19th century Victorian wooden building called 'The Manor'. The building was originally built by the Great Western Railway and is situated within the grounds of the Grade II listed Slough railway station. The society brings together railway history buffs, model railway builders, and transport enthusiasts.

Just across from this light and dark stone coloured building is the station car park. Back in the late 1980s this was the site of the Octagon building, which was used by Unisys. This was the company that my dad worked for, at that time, and I helped him set out the indoor layout of the offices, when I had time away from work. The building was demolished in 2008. My dad's flat, which was on Tuns Lane, has also been demolished, while The Coachmakers Arms and the Three Tuns pubs, both of which I visited with my dad, have both closed down. Along with the closed sections of Slough's shopping centres, the entire area seems to be in a major decline. There are plans, however, to redevelop the town centre, with a completion date of 2039, so maybe Slough will bounce back.

Suitably refreshed we entered the station and made our way to Platform 5, where we discovered 'Station Jim'. Jim was a dog that arrived in Slough in 1890, as a puppy, and was soon fitted with a harness and collection box, collecting donations for the Great Western Railway Widows and Orphans Fund. Following his death he was preserved and is on display at the station.

The Elizabeth line train took no time at all to whisk us to West Drayton, where we caught the 222 bus back to Uxbridge, where a Metropolitan line was waiting for us on Platform 4. At Harrow-on-the-Hill we headed to the northbound platforms and were soon speeding through Metro-land towards Watford.

It was good to get away and it was nice to finally visit Windsor Castle, but I think I much prefer His Majesty's Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace to Windsor Castle.