Apart from being the Official Residence of Her Majesty The Queen, Windsor Castle is also the world’s oldest and largest occupied castle.
The origins of the town of Windsor go back to the 7th century Saxon settlement of Windlesora. Windsor Castle was built by William the Conqueror (who reigned from 1066 until 1087). The original castle was built from timber with earth fortifications and it stood on the site of the present Round Tower. From 1165 to 1179 (under the reign of Henry II), the wooden structure was rebuilt in stone at which time the prominent Round Tower was also constructed. After the English Civil War, the Castle has primarily been used as a royal palace. Since the early nineteenth century, the Castle has remained largely unchanged, apart from the much needed restoration work that followed the fire in November 1992, when over 100 rooms in the Castle were severely damaged or destroyed completely.
Set in about 13 acres of land, the castles floor area covers almost 45,000 square metres and there is so much to see- from the stunning State Apartments that are furnished with treasures from the Royal Collection(including artworks by artists such as, Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, Rubens and Van Dyck), St George's Chapel (one of England’s most magnificient and beautiful ecclesiastical buildings and the burial place of 10 monarchs), to Queen Mary's Dolls House, an incredible dolls' house built on a scale of 1 to 12, that features working lifts, running water and electricity.