Windsor

Windsor Castle at dusk, sun setting over the barracks for the Queen's personal guard (all SAS, naturally).












One of the things I had forgotten before moving to the UK was the number of years history underlying the UK, compared to < 200 years of European settlement in New Zealand. We went up to Windsor to see Madden for the weekend, and of course there are numerous examples of things just casually lying around which are very very old. For example, in the middle of the chapel nave (chapel first built in 1392) there is a simple plaque to mark the point where Henry VIII (died 1547) and Charles I (beheaded 1649) are buried. This tomb is not in any demarcated area- you walk over it to enter the choir stalls. I wonder if that was deliberate....

One of the other pieces of history which impressed me was the Order of the Garter. This is limited to 24 members (Knights) at any given time, has been personally selected by the sovereign since the 14th century, and vacancies only arise when existing Knights die. So a fairly exclusive club. Sir Edmund Hillary was a member, only the second New Zealand member ever after Keith Holyoake.

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Word on the street is that there is an upcoming memorial service to be held at Windsor later this year, at which point Sir Ed's garter flag will be presented to his family. Until that time, there is a wreath on his seat in the chapel (each Knight has a designated seat, I guess to avoid seating issues).


Aside from the chapel interior, the rest of Windsor is also impressive. We went for a wander along the Long Walk, and after walking for about 9 miles round trip Madden thought we covered around 10% of the Windsor Park. From the elevated section of the Park you get a great view of the castle and chapel, which also covers Heathrow, Wembley, Eton and Slough. Apparently on a clear day you can see the Gherkin in central London, but there was a fairly thick layer of smog when we were up there so no long distance views for us. At least that is the explanation I am running with for my photo quality...
One of the English things I am starting to enjoy is the predilection for large green areas open to the public. And yes, one of the reasons I am starting to enjoy going for a walk in a park is that there are very few green areas within walking distance of our house.