Windsor Castle
윈저성
Windsor Castle is a royal castle in the town of Windsor, in the English county of Berkshire, about 40 kilometres west of central London. It sits on a ridge above the River Thames, which was an important route into London in the Middle Ages. William the Conqueror started it in the years after the Norman Conquest of 1066, so people have been living in it for almost 1,000 years.
See it on the 3D globe →At a glance
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Location
- Windsor, UK
- Built
- 1070
- Type
- Castle
Quick answers
Where is Windsor Castle?
Windsor Castle is in Windsor, UK, United Kingdom.
When was Windsor Castle built?
Windsor Castle was built in 1070.
The oldest and largest occupied castle in the world, with the Round Tower on its mound and St George’s Chapel.
Windsor is often called the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world, because it has stayed a working royal home the whole time instead of becoming a ruin or a museum. Its walls and buildings cover about 13 acres (5.3 hectares). Kings and queens still use it for state visits, ceremonies and receptions, and Queen Elizabeth II made it her main home for the last years of her life.
History
The first castle was a motte-and-bailey: a wooden fort on a man-made earth mound (the motte) with a fenced yard below (the bailey). In the 1170s King Henry II rebuilt the tower on the mound in stone, and this became the Round Tower. In the 1360s Edward III enlarged the castle and built a great hall for the Knights of the Order of the Garter. Later monarchs kept adding rooms and towers, and in the early 1800s the Round Tower was made about 9 metres taller.
What's inside
The grand State Apartments, first opened to the public in 1845, are filled with paintings and treasures from the Royal Collection. St George's Chapel, begun in 1475, is the home of the Order of the Garter and the place where many royal weddings and funerals have been held; Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth II are among those buried there. Visitors also love Queen Mary's Dolls' House, a palace built at one-twelfth of real size, with electric lights, running water and two working lifts.
The great fire of 1992
On 20 November 1992 a fire broke out, probably when a hot spotlight set a curtain alight in the Private Chapel. It burned for about 15 hours. Around 200 firefighters used more than 1.5 million gallons of water to put it out. Nine of the main state rooms were destroyed and over 100 more were damaged. The repairs took five years and were finished in 1997, recreating the lost rooms with great care.
Fun facts
- It is the oldest and largest castle in the world that is still lived in.
- The tiny library in Queen Mary's Dolls' House holds miniature books written specially by famous authors, including Arthur Conan Doyle and A. A. Milne.
- The Round Tower sits on an earth mound about 15 metres high that was raised more than 900 years ago.
- The Round Tower now holds the Royal Archives and the Royal Photograph Collection.
- The Long Walk, a straight tree-lined avenue running south from the castle, is about 4.26 km long.
On the globe
The model shows Windsor Castle with the Round Tower standing on its mound and St George's Chapel nearby. Zoom in to find the round keep in the middle of the long castle walls.
Quiz time
Which is older: Windsor Castle or Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew?
Show the answer
Windsor Castle. (1070 vs 1759) Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew →
Nearby on the globe
Sources
- Read more on Wikipedia
- Windsor Castle — Wikipedia
- Windsor Castle — The Royal Family (royal.uk)
- Queen Mary's Dolls' House — Wikipedia
Updated: 2026-10-13