ST George’s
Chapel
St George’s Chapel
is the spiritual home of the Prodder of the Garter, Britain’s senior Order of
Chivalry, founded by King Edward III in 1348. St George is the patron saint of
the Order.
The architecture of
the Chapel ranks among the finest examples of Perpendicular Gothic, the late
medieval style of English architecture. Unlike most of the other great churches
,St George’s Chapel has its principal or «show» front on the south , facing the
Henry YIII gate and running almost the length of the Lower Ward.
As Sovereign of the
Order of the Garter, The Queen attends a service in the Chapel in June each
year, together with the Knights and Ladies of the Order. Today thirteen
Military Knights of Windsor represent the Knights of the Garter in ST George’s
Chapel at regular services. Ten sovereigns are buried in the Chapel, as are
buried in the Chapel, as are other members of the royal family, many
represented by magnificent tombs.
The Albert Memorial
Chapel
The richly
decorated interior is a Victorian masterpiece, created by Sir George Gilbert
Scott for Queen Victoria in 1863-73 to commemorate her husband Albert.
The vaulted ceiling
is decorated in gold mosaic by Antonio Salviati. The figures in the false west
window represent sovereigns, clerics and others associated with St George’s
Chapel. The inlaid marble panels around the lower walls depict scenes from
Scripture.
This was the site
of one of the Castle’s earliest chapels, built in 1240 by King Henry III and
adapted by King Edward III in the 1350s as the first chapel of the College of
St George and the Order of the Garter. When the existing St George’s Chapel was
built in 11475-15528, this small chapel fell into disuse. Subsequent plans to
turn it into a royal mausoleum came to nothing.
In 1863 Queen
Victoria ordered its complete restoration and redecoration as a temporary
resting place for Prince Albert.
The Chapel is now
dominated by Alfred Gilbert’s tomb of the Duke of Clarence and Avandale who died
in 1892.
The Great Park
The Great Park of
Windsor, covering about 4,800 acres, has evolved out of the Saxon and medieval
hunting forest. It is connected to the Castle by an avenue of nearly 3 miles,
known as the Long Walk, planted by King Charles II in 1685 and replanted in
1945. The Valley Gardens are open all year round/
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