A Flying Visit to Windsor
It’s on every tourists’ top ten must-visit attractions along with the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace.
And, since the wedding of Harry and Meghan at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle has echoed with a thunder of visitor footsteps, foreign and home-grown.
Somewhat shame-faced I admit to never visiting the castle’s state apartments or chapel where Prince H plighted his troth to an American actress, and whose nuptials were swiftly followed by the wedding of his cousin Eugenie to a rich young man.
Such a lamentable omission for someone living on the edge of west London, with Henry VIII’s Hampton Court pad and his hunting grounds of Richmond Park on my doorstep.
To make up for lost time I fixed a 24 hour visit, choosing a luxury serviced apartment within saluting distance of the castle wall.
The third floor apartment commanded great views of the grey ramparts and the flag. When we arrived on a Thursday morning the Union flag was flying. By the afternoon they’d run up the yellow and red Royal Ensign to signify H.M. was in residence as on most long weekends when she leaves London for a breath of Berkshire air in the home where she has hosted Obama, presided over state banquets and conducted investitures.
Across the road our accommodation, with its charming wrought iron French balconies, floor to ceiling window, airy rooms, comfy sofas and stylish décor, might not match the ornate splendour of Her’s Indoors but it ticked our boxes.
Wi-Fi, living room with a dining table, one of the two spacious bedrooms en-suite, galley kitchen big enough to rustle up a decent meal while the fridge chilled a welcome bottle of Prosecco to toast our ideal location for visiting the Castle, Ascot, Windsor Races, the meandering Thames riverside – handy for Henley Regatta, Legoland or Windsor Theatre a few doors away.
With impeccable timing we synchronised our arrival to the Castle with the changing of the Guards, drilled into impressive clockwork precision, shiny black boots marching in unison, soles clattering on cobblestones like a fusillade of rifle shots.
The state apartments are, in the words of one American visitor, awesome. She’s not far wrong. Windsor Castle, the world’s oldest and largest occupied royal residence, is magnificent with its art works worth £billions displayed 1,000 rooms, and a history dating back to the 11th Century when it was founded by William the Conqueror as a fortress.
It’s been the Queen’s home for 80 years, as a child during World War Two and as the 39th monarch to occupy the Castle.
She was devastated when a disastrous fire raged through the building for 15 hours _ precisely as in Notre Dame _ in 1992 (her Annus Horribilis), gutting nine rooms, damaging 100 and needing 1.5million gallons of water to extinguish. Restoration has cost £37m., mostly funded by ticket money from visitors to Buckingham Palace, and employed the skills of hundreds of craftsmen.
Windsor remains the hub of the House of Windsor where royals have been hatched (Edward III was born here in 1360), matched (Harry & Meghan; Eugenie & Jack); and dispatched (10 British monarchs, including Henry VIII and the executed Charles I are buried in St. George’s Chapel).
A staggering 1.9 billion people worldwide saw the chapel when they watched the Harry Wed Meghan TV show. And we managed to secure seats in the pews to hear the second best show during our visit: evensong with the angelic voices of the choristers soaring heavenwards.
It was a fitting finale to a right royal day that included lunch at the award-winning Royal Windsor pub. (The Castle is opening its own eaterie in the medieval Undercroft late in 2019 so in the meantime suggests grabbing a bite outside, issuing wrist bands for re-entry).
Steak and ale pie and chicken pie, mash and greens (£12) plus a restorative Royal Windsor Gin infused with rhubarb and blackberries (£10.95) readied us for retail therapy at the Castle’s shops: shortbread, champagne, cute corgis and tea towels, all in the best possible taste.
A walk around the grounds and town with a chill in our apartment put us on track for an evening return to the Royal Windsor pub for the starters and home-made desserts we couldn’t manage at lunchtime: avocado and crayfish salad (£7), crispy squid with garlic (£6.50), hazelnut chocolate cake with pistachio ice cream and limoncello cheese cake with raspberry coulis (£5.50 each). Delicious food, buzzy atmosphere, splendid service from pink-haired manager Maddie made the best of our whistle-stop Windsor tour.
We topped it off with a treat fixed by the director of UrbanLiving. Not only does Tim Dix run the serviced apartments – 17 in Windsor, Bath and Oxford – he’s also a helicopter pilot. He can organise flights for guests from a nearby airfield (£250 for around 20 minutes) or arrange horse riding or clay shooting.
He whisked us over the Chilterns for a bird’s eye view of Chequers, George Harrison’s old house, the Getty estate, the windmill in the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang film. And it really was a bird’s eye view. We came eye to eye with a gliding red kite, one of a breeding pair in a successful project to reintroduce the birds of prey.
We steered clear. ‘We respect their air space,’ said the pilot.
We also steered clear of the no-fly zone over Windsor Castle but hey, we’d seen and heard the best during our flying visit.
- Gill stayed at Windsor Castle View, an UrbanLiving apartment (info@urbanlivinguk.com
www.urbanlivinguk.com) or Facebook www.facebook/com/UrbanLivingAccommodation). Prices: £150-£245 for 2 per night.
- She visited Windsor Castle (www.rct.uk/visit/windsorcastle). Prices: adult £22.50; over 60 / Student £20.30; under 17 / disabled £13.00; under 5 free; family (2 adults and 3 under 17s) £58.00.
- Plan your trip to Windsor by visiting Visit Windsor at
https://www.windsor.gov.uk/visitor-information
