GrahamT on 28 Apr 2006  •  Link

Windsor is a small town on the banks of the Thames in the county of Berkshire. Site of Windsor Castle, an official royal residence and the largest occupied castle in the world.
A wooden castle was built upon the present site by Guillaume le Bâtard (William the Conqueror) in 1070, but the current stone structure was started in the 1170's by Henry II. It has been added to by almost every monarch since.
Charles I was held there before his trial and his body was buried in St George's Chapel.
The castle was severely damaged in a fire in 1992, but was restored by 1997

San Diego Sarah on 13 Aug 2023  •  Link

Windsor Castle was a prison during the Interregnum, especially for Royalists captured after Charles II's defeat at the second Battle of Worcester. Presumably the townspeople had to host their guards and their families.

When the prison closed and Commonwealth authorities went home, the town seems to have became a bit lawless:
www.british-history.ac.uk/commons…
www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1660/08/…

San Diego Sarah on 13 Jun 2026  •  Link

These days you can walk between Windsor and Oxford along the Thames Path (the Stuarts had to do it on horseback or by coach as the river contained many waterfalls -- perhaps they disembarked, walked around the rapids and reembarked?) It'll take you 4 or 5 days, and you'll need good shoes and sturdy feet.
The route is:
Oxford to Abingdon, to Wallingford, Pangbourne, Sonning, Hurley, Taplow and Windsor.

For pictures and descriptions of one such journey, see
Hiking down the Thames – to Abingdon:
www.annabelfrage.com/2026/06/01/h…
Hiking the Thames Path – from Abingdon to Pangbourne:
www.annabelfrage.com/2026/06/03/h…
Hiking along – from Pangbourne to Hurley
www.annabelfrage.com/2026/06/05/h…
And we hike on – Bisham Abbey and onwards
www.annabelfrage.com/2026/06/06/a…
Hiking along the Thames – the final stretch
www.annabelfrage.com/2026/06/08/h…