Visit Reports
VISIT TO WINDSOR CASTLE AND ETON COLLEGE 11th March 2009
“ . . a full and very enjoyable visit.”
Windsor Castle, with its massive walls and round tower has, for over 900 years, been the symbol of the United Kingdom and its monarch.
In the morning, we visited the castle using an excellent audio guide. This allowed us to understand its many years of history as well as
appreciate the treasures which it contains.
We were introduced to the castle by Prince Charles’ welcome, recorded for the guide, reminding us of the devastating fire of 1997.
As we walked through the magnificent state apartments, admiring the wonderful paintings by Rubens, Rembrandt, Van Dyke and others,
it was hard to believe that so much had been destroyed and that modern day craftsmen and women had restored the castle to its former glory.
We saw rooms decorated in the formal style of King Charles II and others restored to the opulence favoured by George IV. We were overwhelmed
by St George’s Hall with the names of Knights of the Garter on its walls and its ceiling decorated with their shields, all of which had been
remade after the fire. The size and grandeur of the hall was breathtaking. A highlight of the visit was the beautiful St George’s Chapel,
with its soaring fan vaulting – the spiritual home of the Garter Knights.
In the afternoon, we enjoyed a guided tour of Eton College, founded by Henry VI in 1440 for the education of 70 poor scholars.
The college has by now grown to accommodate over 1300. We were introduced to the traditions and special vocabulary of the boys from
the formal dress to the rough and tumble of the wall game.
Many of our most famous prime ministers and statesmen have been educated at Eton, as have Princes William and Harry.
The walls of the college are covered with the carved names of the boys who have passed through. Sadly, more than 1500 names of
those who fell in the Boer War and the two World Wars are commemorated on plaques, reminding us of these tragic losses of life.
The visit to the castle and the college gave us the chance to enjoy two different aspects of British history without, as many tell us,
the effort of driving ourselves and with confidence that the day would be well organised and run smoothly – a full and very enjoyable visit.
Cynthia Iliffe