Windsor and Eaton

EXCURSION SHEET                                         WINDSOR AND ETON

WINDSOR

• Windsor castle is the largest castle in England and was founded by William the Conqueror in 1070. it was originally a wooden structure but was rebuilt in stone between 1165 and 1179. Most of the present buildings, however, were constructed in the 18^th and 19^th centuries.
• During the Civil war of 1642 – 1648, the Parliamentarian forces took control of the castle but, although it has been attacked many times, it has never been fallen.
• The castle is now one of the Queen’s three official homes. When she is here the Royal Standard flag flies from the Round Tower. The castle hasn’t changed much in 100 years but in 1992 there was a fire and some of the castle had to be rebuilt.
• Windsor’s streets leading up the hill to the castle are lined with shops of all kinds, and you can find anything from traditional English tea to fashionable clothes.
• St George’s Chapel is one of the finest examples of the Gothic architecture in England. Within the chapel are the tombs of ten sovereign, including Henry VIII and his third wife Jane Seymour, and Charles I.

ETON

• Eton College was founded in 1440 by Henry VI at the same time as he founded King’s College in Cambridge. Its full name is “The King’s College of Our Lady beside Windsor.
• Naturally, many of the Eton students progress to King’s College Cambridge to study for degrees.
• Eton has produced more famous statesmen than any other English school and has more than 1000 students. Its most famous recent students were Prince William and Prince Harry, the sons of Prince Charles and Princess Diana and David Cameron, the Prime Minister.
• The school has a number of places you can visit like the School Yard, the College Chapel, Cloister Court, the Museum of Eton Life, the Brew house and the oldest classroom in the world.