Reading Attractions

Venue: Reading    When: Daily

Windsor Castle is one of the Royal Family's many official residences and is situated on the banks of the River Thames in the heart of Windsor Great Park. With 900 years of history to discover, along with fabulous gardens and parkland, a visit makes for a great day out for all the family.

The largest and oldest occupied castle in the world, Windsor Castle offers public access to magnficient State Rooms and precious works of art from the Royal Collection, which reflect the changing tastes of successive English kings and queens. Paintings on display include works by Rembrandt, Rubens and van Dyck.

In the winter, visitors can see George IV's private apartments, among the most richly decorated rooms in the palace. Another must-see is St George's Chapel, one of England's finest Gothic buildings and the spiritual home of the Order of the Garter which is the senior order of British chivalry, established by Edward III in 1348. Ten sovereigns are buried here, including Henry VIII and Charles I. Changing exhibitons on a Royal theme are held in the Drawings Gallery.

The grounds include the new Jubilee Garden, the lovely Savill Garden in the south-east corner of the 3000-acre Windsor Great Park and the Windsor Farm shop. Here you can buy delicious pies cooked on site and meat from Windsor Home Farm, along with seasonally-grown fruit and vegetables. The public can cycle and walk in the park all year round. Fishing and horse-riding are by permit only.

In 1992 a fire damaged or destroyed over 100 rooms. The painstaking restoration, completed in 1997, is a testament to the extraordinary skills of Europe's finest craftsmen and women.