This is Windsor Castle, the largest and oldest occupied castle in the world, and Queen Elizabeth’s favorite residence. It dates from 1080 and was William the Conquerer’s first castle.
(Notice, if you click to enlarge the fourth picture, that even the Queen is not far away from the noise of airplanes flying over–the castle is under Heathrow’s flight path.)
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This is a "loophole" or arrow slot. These slots are V shapes on the inside of the castle, allowing a wide field of fire for the archers.
There is a self-guided tour of the lavishly decorated State Apartments and an extensive art gallery, with several original Leonardo da Vinci sketches among other artworks the Royal Family owns.
These views of the servant’s quarters behind the Castle, now used as offices and homes for people who work there, are good examples of REAL half timber construction, not the copies found in the States.
This garden seemed to belong to people who lived there, rather than a formal part of the public tour.
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Windsor is in Berkshire, so for this journey, we were technically out of greater London. But it’s only 30 miles from the city center and an easy trip.
Here is Eton College, across the River Thames from Windsor, and a view of the town of Windsor from the castle grounds.
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