Windsor Castle

Another beautiful castle we can find in England is the Windsor Castle in Berkshire which is unique in many ways. It was built by William the Conqueror in 1066 or so. It is insanely famous for its classy architecture appreciated and appraised by many and it is also the world's largest inhabited castle. Although the castle was damaged by the Fire in 1992, it was restored quite magnificently. The castle site is more than 13 acres  with a palace complex, fortification and a small town inside it. Windsor's architecture is of Georgian and Victorian with a splash of Gothic style remixed. At the deep center of the castle is the middle ward which is a bailey formed around the motte of 15m height made of chalk. 

Key areas of the castle include the Round Tower, the Upper Ward, the Quadrangle, the State Apartments, Private Apartments, South Wing, Lower Ward, St George's Chapel, Horseshoe Cloister, King Henry VIII Gate, the Long Walk, Norman Gate, North Terrace, Edward III Tower and the Curfew Tower. Then there's the Upper ward with many major building covered by the Upper Bailey wall smoothly forming a quadrangle. The state apartments, Private royal apartments, North terrace, East terrace make up the Upper Ward. State apartments building is a modern one with medieval foundations. Its western end's creation was by architect Hugh May and the eastern side creation was by Jeffry Wyattville. 

The Lower Ward that is seen west to the Round Tower can be reached through the Norman Gate. Lower ward consists of St. George's Chapel, Lady chapel or Albert Memorial chapel and many buildings from Order of the Garter. Inside the chapel the vault in front of the altar contains remains of Henry VIII, Jane Seymour and Charles I, with Edward IV buried nearby. Associated with the castle site is the Home Park, Windsor Great Park, broad-leaved woodlands and River Thames.

Travellers' Guide

If you are planning to visit Windsor Castle in Berkshire, the castle is open throughout the year. Please check in with these times before you go. Castle is open 

09:45-17:15 (last admission 16:00) from March to October , 

09:45-16:15 (last admission 15:00) from November to February.  

Telephone IDD- +44 1753 831118. 

Within UK- 01753 831118.

Here are the top rated hotels in the area.

Macdonald Windsor Hotel 
23 High Street, Windsor SL4 1LH, England
+4408448799101
Mercure Castle Windsor
18 High Street, Windsor SL4 1LJ, England
Oakley Court Hotel 
Windsor Rd | Water Oakley, Windsor SL4 5UR, England
Clarence Hotel
9 Clarence Road, Windsor SL4 5AE, England
+44 (0)1753864436
Harte & Garter Hotel 
High Street, Windsor SL4 1PH, England

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Buckingham Palace

Often heard about, often talked about Buckingham Palace of UK is the home of British Monarchy since 1837. It was first the Duke of Buckingham's townhouse and stood as a private property for almost one and a half century and then was owned by George III. The palace became the official residence for Queen Victoria after that and ever since it is the official royal residence currently for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Located at the Westminster side, Buckingham Palace owns the largest private garden of England too.

In 1703 William Winde provided the design for the Buckingham House which is regarded as the architectural core of the modern day Buckingham Palace. The house however was remodelled in 1762. King George IV renovated the house into a palace with the help of architect John Nash. In 1830 architect Edward Blore was hired to finish the unfinished work of Nash. In 1861 when Queen was widowed she left the palace. Since then the palace was abandoned with neglect.

Palace is built over a ground of 77000m2 with piano nobile containing State Dining Room, Blue Drawing Room, Music Room, White Drawing Room, Royal Closet, Throne Room, Green Drawing Room, Cross Gallery, Ball Room, East Gallery, Yellow Drawing Room, Centre/Balcony Room, Chinese Luncheon Room, Principal Corridor, Private Apartments, Service Areas, The Grand staircase, Ambassador's Entrance and Grand Entrance.

The largest room of the palace is the Ball Room which is also used for occasions like state banquets, investitures and conferring of knighthoods etc. By 1999 the palace contained palace contained 19 state rooms, 52 principal bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices, and 78 bathrooms according to a book published by the Royal Collection Department. Also in honour of Queen Victoria there is a memorial erected in front of the main gates created by the sculptor Thomas Brock. The palace was bombed seven times during World War II at one of which the palace chapel was destroyed in 1940.

Travellers' Guide
Today the Place is a top most tourist attraction in London. If you are planning to visit London make sure you visit Buckingham Palace. Here are first choice hotels in London.

Hotel 41 
41 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0PS, England
44(0)2073000041
The Milestone Hotel 
1 Kensington Court | Kensington, London W8 5DL, England
+44(0)2079171000
Plaza on the River - Club and Residence
18 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TJ, England
Covent Garden Hotel 
10 Monmouth Street, London WC2H 9HB, England
+44 20 7806 1000
The Levin
28 Basil Street | Knightsbridge, London SW3 1AS, England
+44(0)2075896286
Sofitel St James London 
Waterloo Place, London SW1Y 4AN, England

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BIG BEN

One of the few amazing things you can see in England is the Big Ben clock. Although we call it Big Ben, this name is actually belongs to clock’s main bell. Its official name is the Great Bell of Westminster. This is a tower found in Houses of Parliament building at the north- eastern end in London. On October 16, 1834, the old palace of Westminster was burnt in fire and as a result of the new plan of the building suggested, Big Ben was constructed. Tower is 96.3m high which is made of part brickwork with stone cladding and part cast iron. It stands on a 15m x 15m raft, made of 3m thick concrete, at a depth of 7m below ground level.  The over all tower weighs about 8,667 tonnes. And tower leans slightly to the north-west due to ground structure.

It was first placed in New Palace Yard which cracked due to striking hammer while construction in 1856. Then it was recast at White Chapel Bell Foundry. Installed into the clock tower in 1908, another crack formed. To prevent further damage to the bell it was rotated and the main hammer was reduced in weight. There are other four quarter bells which play the Westminster Quarters on the quarter hours. The four quarter bells are G sharp, F sharp, E, and B. They play a 20 chime sequence, 1-4 at quarter past, 5-12 at half past, 13-20, 1-4 at quarter to, and 5-20 on the hour. Their faces are 55m above the ground and even though it is not anymore, it still holds the title, “World’s largest four faced chiming clock”. The dials were designed by Augustus Pugin and the minute hand is 14’ long while the hour hand is 9’ long. There is a Latin inscription at the base saying 'DOMINE SALVAM FAC REGINAM NOSTRAM VICTORIAM PRIMAM'. It means 'Lord save our Queen Victoria I'. The clock sprang into life for public on September 7th, 1859.

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English Channel

Separating the Northern France and Southern England lies the English Channel also joining the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about 560 km long and varies in width from 240 km at its widest, to only 34 km in the Strait of Dover. It is the smallest of the shallow seas around the continental shelf of Europe, covering an area of some 75,000 km2. It is believed that the name “English Channel” was from the designation "Engelse Kanaal" in Dutch sea maps from the 16th century onwards. It was also known as the British Sea, and it was called the "Oceanus Britannicus" by the 2nd century geographer Ptolemy. The channel has been a huge advantage for British specially acting as a natural defense blocking many invasions and as a link between cultures of neighbouring countries.

Around 10,000 years ago, before the end of the Devensian glaciations, the British Isles were part of continental Europe. During this period the North Sea and almost all of the British Isles were covered with ice. The sea level was about 120 m lower than it is today, and the channel was an expanse of low-lying tundra, through which passed a river which drained the Rhine and Thames towards the Atlantic to the west. As the ice sheet melted, a large freshwater lake formed in the southern part of what is now the North Sea. As the melt water could still not escape to the north the outflow channel from the lake entered the Atlantic Ocean in the region of Dover and Calais.

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