Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world, situated in the town of Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, approximately 32 kilometres west of central London. It was founded by William the Conqueror around 1070 as part of a ring of defensive fortifications protecting the western approaches to London following the Norman Conquest, constructed initially in timber before being progressively rebuilt in stone from the 12th century onward. Every English (and later British) monarch from Henry I to Charles III has used the castle as a royal residence — a continuity of over 900 years — making it the longest-occupied palace in European history. Within its walls lies St. George's Chapel, one of the finest examples of Perpendicular Gothic architecture in England and the burial place of ten monarchs including Henry VIII, Jane Seymour, Charles I, and George VI. In November 1992, a devastating fire broke out in the Queen's Private Chapel during renovation work, damaging or destroying over 100 rooms; the five-year restoration, completed in 1997, cost £37 million.