Narrator: Historic castle, royal palace, family home. Windsor Castle, the longest continually inhabited castle in the world, official residence of Her Majesty the Queen, and destination of a million visitors each year.
Guide: Down this hill and it will be on your right-hand side, sir.
Narrator: Just 23 miles west of London, the castle sits on its striking hilltop site, a potent symbol of the British monarchy. Built by William the Conqueror in the 11th century, Windsor has since been home to 39 monarchs, each shaped the building to their own tastes and needs, and their legacy can be seen throughout the castle.
Perhaps most notable was George IV, who in the 1820s gave Windsor its famous skyline, almost doubling the height of the castle's iconic round tower. And as kings and queens had done before him, George IV created magnificent new rooms, but his remain the most dazzling of all.
In 1848, Queen Victoria opened the state apartments to the public. They are Windsor's most impressive rooms. Furnishing the splendid interiors are some of the greatest treasures from the royal collection, assembled by kings and queens over the last 500 years. From Old Master paintings to tapestries, porcelain, furniture, even a royal doll's house and armour. As you can guess from the size of it, this suit belonged to the larger than life Henry VIII.
Windsor Castle is home to the Order of the Garter, Britain's oldest Order of Chivalry, and its annual ceremony is held at St. George's Chapel. The Garter's star and the Order's motto can be seen all around the castle. Here in St. George's Hall, the shields and armour of over a thousand Garter Knights decorate the walls and ceilings.
In 1992, a devastating fire swept through the building. It took 15 hours and 200 firefighters to bring the blaze under control, but some of Windsor's rooms were reduced to burnt-out shells. Five years later, a multi-million pound and award-winning restoration project returned the castle to its former splendour and even added completely new interiors.
Today, Windsor is one of the world's few remaining working royal palaces, and the setting for grand ceremonial and state occasions. A national monument, Windsor Castle tells the story of a thousand years of British royal history like nowhere else, and is enjoyed by visitors from all over the world.
Comments
Wow! I want to be there so badly!
I was chuffed .While I was watching this video , I was feeling glory. I think if I visit the widsor castle ,I'll be gobsmacked..I'mn't exaggerating guys but this is the truth:))
Hi Blue sea. In your comment I love how you said you were "chuffed" to watch this video. Great word! How did you learn it?
Jonathan (LearnEnglish Teens Team)
Thanks for your support !...I like the British English especially, slang or informal expressions .I'm trying to listen to British actors and singers when they're talking on T.V or acting.Their accent is clear and charming because it's original .I learned this word from talk show on YouTube .It was a game to define informal British words between the guests .It was interesting game for me to learn new words and expressions. Unfortunately ,I'm obsessed with new words and that drives me crazy sometimes to keep them in my mind and write them in my jotter.I hope to be recovered soon :((
Hi Blue sea! It's so great how you keep new words in your mind and record them too... that's a superb tip for expanding vocab. You're right, this word is a British English expression and I'm not sure if they use it in other countries (if I'm wrong, anyone, please let me know!) so it gives your English a British flavour! It's so nice to read your comments about British English. Keep it up! XD
Jonathan (LearnEnglish Teens Team)
hi.i need a persen to talk to me for improving my languge you know i m from iran please help me tanksssss,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.
Hello Niloofar. We can't help you find someone to speak to I'm afraid :( But this website can help you practise your reading, listening, grammar and vocabulary. Hope these pages help you!
Simon (LearnEnglish Teens Team)
It's such a luxurious place... I really wanna go there. (Put a mental note in the list of things to do before I die)
Why,if this is not awesome,I don't know what is! So beautiful! And I loved the music. I wanna go there so badly!
It is so beautiful! It is the most luxurious castle I have ever seen. I think it is fantastic to visit the official residence of Queen of Great Britain. And I dream to visit it.
Wow ..This place look amazing ....I want to go in UK and visit it..
So beautiful :D
This place look amazing
The castles here in albania are very beautiful...
You all should visit them
yes i would like to visit it, and in Albania have very wonderful castle
wow is wonderful ...and here in albania have wonderful castles ....
yeah I would like to visit......the castles here in Albania are so amaizing........
Here in México we have the "Chapultepec Castle" it was the home of Maximiliano and his wife Carlota,there you can see the carriages wich they used to travel long distances and you can see the clothes that they wore.It´s a beautiful place to visit and after you can go to "Chapultepec Forest" and you can hang out with your family and see the squirrels climbing the trees and you can have a picnic
It´s an awesome place to spend a graet week end!!
here in abania have soo much wonderful castels.....you should visit them you will be amazed...
Yes, I'd definitely like to visit this stunning castle.I like castles a lot, they are so glamorous.
I've already seen a lot of castles, but not this one. I've visited Les chateaux de Loire(that's a complex of castles nearby the river Loire in France), and I was enchanted with its' architecture, luxury...
I've also visited the castle Belvedere in Vienna and it's a beautiful, old castle.
I've forgot to tell that here in Serbia we have beautiful castles, too. For example, the White castle. That's the place where Prince Aleksandar lives with his wife Katarina and it used to be the royal residency once, while Serbia was a kingdom.