Windsor Castle, Berkshire, United Kingdom.

Windsor Castle, in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, is the largest inhabited castle in the world and, dating back to the time of William the Conqueror, is the oldest in continuous occupation. The castle's floor area is approximately 484,000 square feet (44,965 square metres).

Together with Buckingham Palace in London and Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, it is one of the principal official residences of the British monarch. Queen Elizabeth II spends many weekends of the year at the castle, using it for both state and private entertaining. Her other two residences, Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle, are the Royal Family's private homes.

Most of the Kings and Queens of England, later Kings and Queens of Great Britain, and later still kings and queens of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, have had a direct influence on the construction and evolution of the castle, which has been their garrison fortress, home, official palace, and sometimes their prison. Chronologically the history of the castle can be traced through the reigns of the monarchs who have occupied it. When the country has been at peace, the castle has been expanded by the additions of large and grand apartments; when the country has been at war, the castle has been more heavily fortified. This pattern has continued to the present day.

Aerial view of the castle.

The Upper Ward from the south west

Windsor Castle's Upper Ward from the north west —The Quadrangle—not open to tourists.

Queens Beast by Ben Harms.

During the latter half of the 20th century Windsor Castle became one of Britain's major tourist attractions.

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother lead the processions of Knights of the Garter from the castle's Upper Ward to St George's Chapel.

Queen Victoria's retreat into the privacy of the castle after the death of Prince Albert acquired her thesoubriquet "The Widow of Windsor".

St George's Hall in 1848 by Joseph Nash, showing the alterations made for George IV by Sir Jeffry Wyatville.

St George's Hall at Windsor Castle from W.H. Pyne's Royal Residences (1819). This shows thebaroque style of the work carried out at Windsor for Charles II by architect Hugh May, painter Antonio Verrio, carver Grinling Gibbons and others. St George's Hall was redecorated in the early 19th century, but several smaller interiors from this period survive.

The lower ward in the 1840s. St George's Chapel is on the left and the Round Tower is centre right.

Windsor Castle in 1907.

The Round Tower of Windsor Castle.

Plan of Windsor Castle. Throughout this article the letters marked in red are used to refer to locations discussed.

Plan of Windsor Castle in 1743 by Batty Langley.

Windsor Castle, a thousand-year-old fortress transformed into a royal palace. This well-known silhouette of a seeminglymedieval castle was not created, however, until the 1820s by Jeffry Wyatville.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windsor_Castle