HISTORY AND HERITAGE
There is ample evidence of settlement in Windsor from Anglo-Saxon times, but the town flourished when William
the Conqueror built a ring of castles around London, the most strategic of which was Windsor Castle overlooking the
Thames. In conjunction with a hunting lodge in the Great Park to the south, it soon became a favoured Royal
Residence. By the Middle Ages it was one of the fastest growing and wealthiest towns in England.
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is the oldest and
largest occupied castle in the world
and offers an extraordinarily rich
and varied day out. Founded by
th
William the Conqueror in the 11
Century, it has since been the home
of 39 monarchs. Throughout its
history, the Castle has been
redecorated, enlarged and rebuilt.
Today The Queen spends most of
her private weekends at the Castle,
which is also used regularly for
ceremonial and State occasions.
Windsor Castle
Windsor & Royal Borough
Museum
Come and discover some fascinating
facts about life Windsor beyond the
Castle walls and across the Borough
in our interactive, family-friendly
local history museum in Windsor
Guildhall. Take a close look at
objects and images from the
collection, dating from prehistoric
times to the present day, which tell
the fascinating story of this borough
and its residents. Listen to voices
and stories from the past with our
popular audio wands. Our team
offers sessions with talks tailored to
your interests, or take a guided tour
of the site of the wedding of HRH
The Prince of Wales and The
Duchess of Cornwall. W&RBM
Eton College Natural History
Museum (Open Sundays Only)
Eton is a Medieval Saxon town on
the North bank of the Thames just
opposite Windsor. Home to the
world famous Eton College, you can
see the boys in their tailcoats
walking between lessons. The
College is home to a Natural History
Museum, open on Sundays. Housing
15,000 specimens, with an exquisite
collection by Sir Joseph Banks,
naturalist on Captain Cook’s HMS
Endeavour expedition. ECNHM
Dorney Court
Dorney Court is a warm pink brick
and timber late medieval (c 1440)
house which has been home to the
Palmer family for the past thirteen
generations. Of particular interest
are early paintings, furniture and
needlework that provide a
fascinating insight into the history of
the English squirearchy. The
adjacent C12th church of St James
(Norman font and Tudor tower) is
open to our house visitors. Dorney
Court Kitchen Garden adjoins next
door serves fabulous breakfast,
lunch and tea and cakes year round.
Dorney Court
HISTORY AND HERITAGE
City Sightseeing Bus Tour
Visit Windsor and see the breathtaking sights from on board an open
top double decker bus. Tickets are
valid for 24 hours and a hop-on hop
-off service with 11 stops along the
route means you are guaranteed to
see what Windsor and Eton has to
offer. The tour starts outside the
Castle and includes the historic
centre of Windsor, views of the Long
Walk, Datchet, Eton and Eton
College. The tour lasts just under an
hour, includes a commentary
(available in 10 languages), and is a
great way to hear and see the
history of the area.
Bus Tours
Windsor Great Park
Windsor Great Park welcomes over
two and a half million people every
year. The only Royal Park managed
by The Crown Estate, Windsor Great
Park was once part of a vast Norman
hunting forest which was enclosed
in the late C13th. The 5,000 acres of
parkland, which includes a Deer
Park, is a varied landscape of formal
avenues, gardens, woodland and
open grassland. The antiquity of the
landscape is enhanced by the
scattering of great ancient oaks for
which the Great Park and its forest
are renowned.
Windsor Great Park
Walking Tour
Throughout the peak season, our
Blue Badge guides (the Blue Badge is
the highest guiding qualification in
the UK. Training is detailed and
comprehensive, and is undertaken
by the Guild of Registered Tourist
Guides) run walks over the
weekend. On Saturdays the tour
departs at 11.30am, and on Sunday
at 2.30pm. Beginning at the Royal
Windsor Information Centre, your
tour will take you around the
ancient cobbled streets in the
shadows of the imposing walls of
Windsor Castle.
Town Walks
Guides are also available for private
hire.
List of Blue Badge Guides
If you’re aged 9 and over you can fly
in the Spitfire Simulator which has a
replica cockpit, flight controls, and
wide screen view making it the most
sophisticated Spitfire simulator
available to the general public.
M.H.C. website
Runnymede
Imagine a place that captures the
grandeur and elegance of a bygone
age, where you can wander through
magnificent gardens and grounds. Set
high above the Thames with farreaching views, Cliveden is now yours
to discover. This National Trust
property was the setting of the
Profumo affair, but is now home to
spectacular formal gardens, and for
families there is a storybook themed
play area and massive maze.
Cliveden
Runnymede’s diverse natural
landscapes provide a backdrop for
its unique history. The ancient
‘meeting meadow’ witnessed King
John’s sealing of the Magna Carta in
1215. This charter has informed
democratic constitutions around the
world to this day. This fine river
landscape, together with the
magnificent views from Cooper’s Hill
and the various memorials at
Runnymede, helps us consider
important moments in our history
and their meaning today. The
beautiful countryside provides the
perfect setting in which to
remember and reflect, or enjoy as
the mood takes you.
Runnymede
Maidenhead Heritage Centre
Swan Upping
Cliveden
Explore the history of Maidenhead –
from pre-Roman times to racing
cars, aeroplanes, Hammer Horror
films and scandals at Cliveden – at
Maidenhead Heritage Centre.
Maidenhead grew up when the first
bridge was built across the Thames
in 1250 and became a Victorian
boom town with the opening of the
Great Western Railway. The Air
Transport Auxiliary at nearby White
Waltham flew dozens of different
warplanes between factories and
frontline squadrons all over the
country using only a map and
compass. Indeed the highlight of
the Heritage Centre is the “Grandma
Flew Spitfires” exhibition.
Swan Upping is the annual census of
the swan population on stretches of
the Thames. This historic ceremony
dates from the C12th, when the
Crown claimed ownership of all
mute swans. Today, the Crown
retains the right to ownership of all
unmarked mute swans in open
water, but The Queen only exercises
her ownership on certain stretches
of the Thames. In the ceremony, The
Queen’s Swan Markers, wearing
their historic scarlet uniforms, use
six traditional Thames rowing skiffs
in their five-day journey up-river.
Swan Upping Information