Mark Girouard - Windsor: The Most Romantic Castle

Beschrijving boek

In November 1992 Windsor Castle went up in flames and a large section of the castle was seriously damaged. Such a major disaster made headlines all over the world. Visually, it was the most sensational fire in England since the Houses of Parliament were gutted in 1834.

The publication of Windsor: The Most Romantic Castle is not only timely but unique - there is no book on Windsor presently available other than the official guidebook. It explains, in vividly readable form, how the castle developed and grew to answer changing needs, life styles and aspirations, from the Middle Ages up to the present day. Court ceremony over the centuries, the public and private lives and contrasting personalities of monarchs such as Edward III, Elizabeth I, Charles II, George IV and Victoria, the royal household, and above all the symbolic and practical needs of the Order of the Garter, seated at Windsor since its foundation in the fourteenth century, have all contributed to the development of what Samuel Pepys called ‘the most Romantique castle that is in the world’.

The book is illustrated in colour throughout with contemporary photographs and illustrations from the rich treasure-house of paintings, drawings, architects’ designs, and engravings in Royal and other libraries and collections, documenting in splendid detail every aspect of the castle and the life lived in and around it over the centuries.

A special feature is an illustrated section of designs by contemporary artists and architects suggesting how the opportunity provided by the fire could be used to enrich the castle with a contribution from our own time.