This time took my road warrior skills to go again to jolly England with the Le Shuttle train service (see post), and my Ford ; towing along my good boys and wonderful Rex! It was a very nice trip going into the countryside and seeing several towns of wonderul architecture and history, This one is a must and one of our highlights of the trip, we will be back, and did !, Therefore, let me tell you about curiosities of Windsor, England , part II !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The City of Windsor is located in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England, located 40 km from London on the south bank of the Thames river, It is particularly famous for Windsor Castle, which gives its name to the House of Windsor. The castle is one of the residences of the British monarchs when they are not at Buckingham Palace.
Alma Road Car Park in Windsor was our easy parking to move about paying 10 pounds for the whole day and secure with guard by the Thames river, from here you can see the Windsor Castle !, You,also, see the Arches Alma Road and the car park is accessible 24-hrs daily Monday-Sunday, Windsor has links to three motorways/highways:the M3 (exit/junction 3), 10 miles (16 km) to the south via the A332, passing Ascot; the M4 (exit/junction 6), 3 miles (5 km) to the north via the A332, with the A355 spur leading to Slough; and the M25 (exit/junction 13), 5 miles (8 km) to the east via the A308, which continues to Staines-upon-Thames.
The Windsor Bridge or Windsor Town Bridge, an iron and granite arch bridge over the River Thames, connects the towns of Windsor and Eton in the county of Berkshire, It is likely that the first bridge on this site was built in the 12C. By 1172 it is recorded tolls levied on vessels passing beneath the bridge, By 1819 the wooden bridge, presumably rebuilt many times over its life, had deteriorated and it was decided to build a new bridge in new materials. Construction on the current bridge was started in 1822 and it opened on 1 June 1824. The bridge has three arches, each comprising seven cast iron segments, and is supported in mid-stream by two granite piers, In 2002 the bridge was refurbished, with repairs to the structure and new parapets including integral lighting. The bridge deck was replaced using Yorkstone and seating areas provided. it provides an excellent walking route from central Windsor to Eton’s High Street, and a good viewing spot for both the Thames river and Windsor Castle.
The Sir Christopher Wren Hotel tucked off a cobbled street under the ramparts of Windsor Castle, the hotel is on Thames Street steps from Windsor-Eton Bridge, which leads directly to Eton College and High Street. A 4-star riverside hotel comprised of several characterful buildings clustered around a historic cobbled street,
Swan & Duck Feeding Area on the Thames river ; just bring a bag of suitable feed from the shop, and spend twenty minutes or so watching the birds cluster around you. The swans are bold, almost aggressive in their confidence. The ducks are quicker, more chaotic. It’s free, takes minimal effort, and requires no planning beyond grabbing some feed on your way. We saw but not fed,
The River Thames by Alexandra Gardens and boats, nice reminds me of Paris, We walked all along the Promenade passing by this wonderful garden park, A bandstand was also erected and the band of the Royal Horse Guards played there regularly. A replacement bandstand was built in 2016 , It also commemorates the Queen as the longest reigning monarch in British history and in turn the longest-reigning Head of the Armed Forces. The role of the armed forces is explored in the six commemorative plaques on the bandstand. Each of the plaques displays one important event involving the armed forces from each of the six decades of the Queen’s reign. Plans to create a riverside garden in this area date from 1893 although the possibilities must have been discussed for some years prior to this, as in 1895, land had been purchased, and by 1902 the gardens were sufficiently complete to permit the planting of a London Plane tree in August 1902 to celebrate the Coronation of Edward VII and his Queen, Alexandra. In June 2009 The Dyson Memorial Fountain was extensively refurbished and now stands in the corner by the Goswell Road entrance of the Park. The Memorial, in the form of a drinking fountain, commemorates Thomas Dyson who founded ‘Dyson and Sons’, pianoforte dealers of Thames Street in 1865 and who became Mayor in 1890. Thomas Dyson actively promoted improvements in the town, such as the construction of The Promenade. A full-size replica of the Hawker Hurricane stands in Alexandra Gardens near the River Thames as a memorial to local aeronautical engineer Sir Sydney Camm ,chief designer at Hawker Engineering. He designed the iconic Hurricane in 1935, which scored the highest number of RAF victories during the 1940 Battle of Britain.The life-sized plastic replica displays the specific markings of an aircraft flown during the Battle of Britain by Squadron Leader John Grandy. Grandy later served as Marshal of the Royal Air Force and Governor of Windsor Castle,
The Theatre Royal Windsor has a fascinating history that started back over 200 years ago…Legend has it that in the reign of Elizabeth I, strolling players used from time to time to set up their stage in the courtyard of an inn in Peascod Street.However, the first recorded date in the theatrical history of Windsor is 1706 when an actor named Yates opened a booth where, if tradition is to be believed, Mrs Susan Carol, a widow, assumed with complete success the heroic role of Alexander the Great , Between the years 1778 and 1793 the building used in Windsor as a playhouse was a small barn about a mile out of town set in a very muddy field. It was in 1793 that a new theatre was built in the High Street. The opening play was inevitably a farce called Everyone Has His Faults. It was this theatre which George III invariably attended when in residence at the castle. A fine new theatre on the site of the present building. This was opened in 1815 and continued with fluctuating fortunes until it was gutted by fire on 18th February 1908. The present building was completed in 1910 and opened on 17th December that year The coming of talking pictures in 1928 knocked the bottom out of business. A year or two later it was converted the theatre into a cinema and subleased it to a local syndicate who used it as a dumping ground for third-rate pictures. In March 1938, the theatre achieved some of its former glory. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth attended a performance of The Rose Without A Thorn , Various periodic improvements to the interior structure and amenities of the building culminated in the elegant splendour of its present decor, in 1965 and refurbished in 1973, 1994 and 2018.
The City of Windsor on its heritage : https://www.windsor.gov.uk/things-to-do
The city of Windsor on the Windsor Bridge: https://www.windsor.gov.uk/ideas-and-inspiration/blog-latest-news/read/2024/05/celebrating-200-years-of-windsor-bridge-b100
The city of Windsor on Alexandra Gardens: https://www.windsor.gov.uk/things-to-do/alexandra-gardens-p67873
The official Theatre Royal of Windsor: https://theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk/
The official Sir Christopher Wren Hotel Windsor: https://sirchristopherwren.co.uk/
The city of Windsor on the Alexandra Gardens Hawker Hurricane airplane: https://www.windsor.gov.uk/ideas-and-inspiration/blog-latest-news/read/2020/04/windsors-historic-hurricane-b41
There you go folks , do dare drive in jolly England, it’s an adventure of a lifetime, and you will be back !!! as we have lol! Until another round chasing Sherlock we will be saying elementary my dear Watson to you all. Again, hope you enjoy this post on curiosities of Windsor, England, part II !!! as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
