The House of Windsor: 1,000 Years of Royal History

(54 reviews)

Windsor, Berkshire audio tour: The House of Windsor: 1,000 Years of Royal History

This is a 1.3mi walking tour

It takes an average of 90 mins to complete.

Windsor, Berkshire

The United Kingdom

$14.99

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About the Tour

Take in the history of Windsor Castle on a walking tour across the River Thames, from Windsor to Eton.

When William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066 and defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings, one of the first things he did was build a castle in Windsor to defend London from attack from the west. Every monarch since William has used Windsor Castle as their home, which makes this the longest continuously inhabited castle in the world. The castle was enlarged and improved by successive monarchs, resulting in the imposing building that you see today.

The towns of Windsor and Eton grew up around the castle, and this leisurely walk takes in several iconic sights, as well as a number of hidden gems.

Along this 90-minute tour you’ll see:

A house that leans so much it’s a wonder it doesn’t fall down
The place where both Prince Charles and Sir Elton John got married
Windsor’s most elegant street, and the shortest street in Great Britain
The ceremonial route into Windsor Castle
The house where King Charles II entertained his mistress
The school that has produced 20 of this country’s Prime Ministers

You’ll also hear stories about:

The pub where the landlord minted his own currency
Frightened cattle in Windsor Great Park
Swans on the River Thames that are owned by the monarch
Nell Gwynn, who hung her eldest son out of an upstairs window
The oldest profession in the world which was once Windsor’s main industry
The unluckiest person to visit the Theatre Royal

Join me on this walk and soak up the unique atmosphere of Windsor and Eton.

Tour Producer

Talk the Walk

11 tours

I’m Ian Grover and for many years it’s been my pleasure to guide visitors around London and throughout the British Isles. As well as the iconic sights, I delight in showing the hidden gems that many people miss.

My background was centred around the automotive industry when in 1980 I started work as a trainee car salesman with Renault UK Ltd. Over the coming years I progressed to sales management with Mercedes-Benz and finally ended up with the splendidly sounding title of Personal Liaison Manager, responsible for UK sales of their two flagship models. These were the ultra-luxurious Maybach, and a 300 km/h supercar called the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. When these two programmes came to an end I decided to take a different path in life and do something that I had always had a passion for and I became a tour guide.

I went to the University of Westminster in London where, after comprehensive training, I qualified with distinction as a City of Westminster Tour Guide, Since then, over the past years I have delivered both walking tours of London and driving tours throughout the British Isles and this is something that I still enjoy immensely.

In addition to my physical tours, through my Talk the Walk profile on VoiceMap, I'm now focussed on producing engaging audio tours so that travellers can explore with me in their own time and at their own pace.

Preview Location

Location 17

Windsor Castle

Stop now on the other side of the bollards and this will give you a great view of Windsor Castle. Ahead of you is the Henry VIII gateway which takes you through to the Lower Ward of the castle. The gateway was built on the orders of Henry VIII somewhere around the year 1511. A... Stop now on the other side of the bollards and this will give you a great view of Windsor Castle. Ahead of you is the Henry VIII gateway which takes you through to the Lower Ward of the castle. The gateway was built on the orders of Henry VIII somewhere around the year 1511. Above the archway you can see Henry's Coat of Arms which shows the lion of England on the left and the Welsh dragon on the right. If you visit the castle then the Henry VIII Gateway is where you'll come back out at the end of your tour.

The Lower Ward is the part of the castle that includes St George's Chapel where a number of royal weddings have taken place over the years. The most high profile of recent weddings here was that of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle. The chapel is also where many sovereigns are buried, including Henry VIII, Edward VII, several of the Georges, and poor old Charles I after he had his head chopped off in London.

Look to the right and you can see the Round Tower with the flag on top, and looking further right you'll see the apartments belonging to the Upper Ward. The flag by the way is the best way to establish whether the monarch is actually in the castle at the moment. If the monarch is there, then The Royal Standard will be flying. This distinctive red, yellow and blue flag is the monarch's personal standard and flies all the time the monarch is in the castle. If the flag that's flying is the usual red, white and blue Union Flag, then you know that the monarch isn't there.

Windsor Castle was first built in the 11th century on the orders of King William I, or William the Conqueror as he was better known. He was the king that invaded England in 1066 and defeated the army of King Harold at the Battle of Hastings. Harold died during the battle, supposedly after being hit in the eye by an arrow. The original purpose of the castle was to defend London from attack from the west.

Over the centuries the castle was added to and improved by successive monarchs. The original wooden walls were replaced with stone by King Henry II, who turned the castle into a palace. His successors all left their mark by making various additions to produce the castle that we see here today. With almost a thousand years of history Windsor Castle is the longest continuously inhabited royal castle in the world.

Now, if you've bought tickets to visit the castle then the entrance is up the hill towards the black and gold gates and then to your right. There'll be uniformed castle staff there to point you in the right direction. If you are going inside then stop the tour now.

When you come back out, through the Henry VIII Gateway, press resume and this tour will start again from the nearest location.

If you're not going into the castle now then carry on walking to our next location. Walk down Castle Hill to where it meets the High Street. Then carefully cross to the other side of Castle Hill, walking alongside the Queen Victoria statue. You'll hear from me when you reach the other side. Read More

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Major Landmarks

The Crooked House of Windsor
The Castle Hotel Windsor
Windsor Guildhall
Park Street
The Two Brewers
The Long Walk
The Royal Mews
Saint Alban's Street
Windsor Castle
Theatre Royal Windsor
Windsor Bridge
High Street
Tom Brown Tailors
Eton College Chapel
Eton College

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
5 Goswell Hill, Windsor SL4 1RH, UK
Total distance

2km
Final location
Windsor SL4 6DW, UK
Distance back to start location

1km

Directions to Starting Point

The tour begins outside the entrance to Windsor Royal Station which is just off 1 Thames St, Windsor SL4 1PL, UK. You will see a Victorian arch with a clock above and a sign showing Windsor Royal Shopping.

Stand in front of the black bollards with your back to the arch. Ahead of you you'll see the walls of Windsor Castle. To your right will be Wagamama.

Windsor can be reached easily from London. It is a 40 minute journey from London's Paddington Station and this will take you directly to the station.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Windsor Castle is the obvious place to visit on this walk. If you choose do do this then make sure you buy your timed tickets on the Windsor Castle website beforehand. I recommend that you allow at least 90 minutes for this visit.

Windsor is full of places to eat and drink. My favourite for coffee and cakes is Clairmonts on Windsor High Street. If you get hungry and fancy a spot of lunch then the Bel and the Dragon is a great place to visit. I'll point out both of these during the walk.

Best time of day

Any day of the year is good for this tour. If you want to combine the tour with viewing the Changing of the Guard in Windsor then morning will be the best time.

Precautions

Windsor and Eton are generally very safe towns to walk around. During the height of the tourist season Windsor can get very busy but never enough for it to feel overcrowded.

Weather in this country is always something to consider so do check the weather forecast before you set off. At certain times of the year be prepared to experience four seasons in one day.

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“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”