WINDSOR. 



ings of the caftle much dilapidated by plunder and negleft, 

 caufed it to be thoroughly repaired and richly furni(hed. 

 During the greater part of his reign, he made Windfor his 

 fummer refidence. King James II. in 16S7 received the 

 pope's nuncio at Windfor-callle. Queen Anne, when prin- 

 cefs of Denmark, lived in a fmall houfe adjoining the little 

 park, and was very partial to Windfor. 



During the reicn of his prefent majeiiy, Windfor-caftle 

 has undergone coiifiderable improvements, under the direc- 

 tion of the late James Wyatt, efq. furveyor-general of his 

 majefty's works. 



The caftle confifts of two courts, between which is the 

 keep, or round tower. The upper court contains on the 

 north fide the Hate apartm.'nts, chapel, and the hall of St. 

 George. The eaft and fouth fides liave been lately fitted 

 up for the refidence of their majefties and the royal family. 

 Our limits will not allow ih to enter into a detail of the 

 piagnificent rooms whicli conftitute the ftate apartments, or 

 of dwelling on the valuable coUeAion of pictures therein 

 contained. 



St. George's hall, on the north fide of the upper ward, 

 was built by king Edward III., as a refeftory for the 

 knights companions of the garter: it is a noble room 108 

 feet in length. The ceiling and walls are painted by Verrio ; 

 the fubjeds are the triumphs of the warlike founder, and 

 his brave fon, Edward the Black Prince. 



In the area of the upper court is a bronze ftatue of 

 king Charles II. on horieback, executed by Stada at the 

 expence of the munificent Tobias Ruftat. 



On the north fide of the caftle is the terrace made by 

 queen Elizabeth, which was extended by king Charles II. 

 along the eaft and fouth fides : its whole length is 1870 feet, 

 and it may be regarded as the nobleft walk ot the kind in 

 Europe, as well as the moft interefting in fituation. 



The chapel of St. George is fituated on the north fide 

 of the lower court of the caftle. King Henry I. built a 

 chapel at Windfor, dedicated to St. Edward the Confeflbr, 

 and placed in it eighty canons, who wei-e maintained out 

 of the king's exchequer. This chapel appears to have 

 been rebuilt, or confiderably enlarged and decorated, by 

 king Henry III. : that monarch, in the year 1243, i^ued 

 a coramiflion to Walter de Gray, archbiftiop of York, 

 to expedite the works at the king's chapel at Windfor, 

 direfting that the workmen fiiould proceed as well in 

 winter as in fummer, till the whole was completed ; that 

 a lofty wooden roof, like the roof of the new work at 

 Lichfield, ftiould be made to appear like ftone-work, with 

 good ceiling and painting : that the chapel fiiould be co- 

 vered with lead, and four gilded images be put up in it, 

 where the king had before direfted images of the fame kind 

 to be placed ; and that a ftone turret fhould be made in 

 front of the chapel of fnfficient fize to hold three or four 

 bells. Some remains of Henry III.'s buildings, as may be 

 prefumed by the ftyle of the arches and architeftural deco- 

 rations, may be feen on the fouth fide of the dean's cloifters, 

 and at the eaft end of the chapel behind the altar. 



King Edward HI., who had been baptized at Windfor, 

 rebuilt St. Edward's chapel there, and dedicated the new 

 ftrufture to the Virgin Mary and St. George. In the year 

 1349, he augmented the number of canons to twenty-three, 

 befides a warden ; and appointed 24 poor knights, for all 

 of whom he built habitations, and granted land for\heir fup- 

 port. In 1351, the biftiop of Winchefter made confiderable 

 alterations in the college ; and Henry IV. changed the 

 title of warden to that of dean. 



The prefent fplendid and truly interefting chapel of St. 

 George may be regarded as the moft perfeft and moft 



beautiful pile of ecclefiaftical architeAure in the kingdom. 

 It was commenced by king Edward IV. and committed to 

 the fuperintendance of Richard Beauchamp, biftiop of Sa- 

 hftiury. The work was not completed till the reign of 

 king Henry VIII. : the beautiful roof of the choir was 

 put up in the year 1508. Sir Reginald Bray, prime minif- 

 ter to king Henry VII., and one of the knights companions 

 of the order of the gai'ter, who died in 1502, fucceeded 

 biftiop Beauchamp in the fuperintendance of this great 

 work, and was a liberal contributor to the building of the 

 choir and other parts of the fabric : his cognizance is fre- 

 quently repeated on the roof of the choir, as are the royal 

 arms and thofe of feveral noble families with the order of 

 the garter. The rood loft and lanthorn were erefted in 

 1516; the prefent organ-gallery and fcreen at the end of 

 the choir are of Coade's artificial ftone. The ftills of the 

 knights companions, which a-e very richly carved in wood, 

 exlubit the n imes and arms of the feveral illuftrious and 

 noble perfons by whom they have been refpeflively filled. 

 The altar-piece, which reprefents the Laft Supper, is 

 by Mr. Wert, from whofe defigns the eaft window, repre- 

 fenting the Refurreftion of our Saviour, was executed in 

 painted glafs by Jarvis and Foreft, and put up in 1788: 

 the expence of the latter was about 4000/. Another win- 

 dow by the fame artifts difplay the angels appearing to our 

 Saviour. Moft of thefe improvements, as well as feveral 

 others in the chapel and caftle, have been executed under 

 the patronage, and partly at the expence, of his prefent ma- 

 jefty. Beneath the choir repofe the remains of Henry VIII., 

 his queen, lady Seymour, and king Charles I. Henry VI. 

 was alfo interred in this chapel ; alfo his rival and fucceffor, 

 Edward VI. 



At the eaft end of the fouth aifie is the Lincoln chapel, 

 which contains the monument of Edward, earl of Lincoln, 

 lord high admiral of England for thirty years, who died in 

 1584. Sir Henry Clinton, bart., a defcendant of the earl 

 of Lincoln, was buried in this chapel in 1795. In the 

 fame aifle is an elegant chantry chapel, built by John Oxen- 

 bridge, canon of Windfor. Farther weft is a chapel built 

 by Dr. Oliver King, biftiop of Bath and Wells, who died 

 in 1492. 



In the middle of the fouth aifle is a fpacious chapel, 

 founded by fir Reginald Bray, who died in 1502, and is 

 here interred : his arms and creft appear in feveral parts of 

 the chapel, particularly in the beautiful fcreen which fepa- 

 rates it from the aifle. 



At the weft end of the fouth aifle is the Beaufort cha- 

 pel, in which is an altar-tomb with the effigies of the 

 founder, Charles Somerfet, earl of Worcefter, who died in 

 1526, and his lady ; and a fplendid monument, fupported 

 by Corinthian pillars, to the memory of Henry, the firft 

 duke of Beaufort, who died in 1699. 



Near the fouth door of the choir is interred Charles, 

 duke of Suffolk, a favourite minifter and brother-in-law of 

 king Henry VIII., who died in 1545. 



On the weft fide of the choir-door in the north aifle is a 

 chapel built by Elizabeth, wife of William, lord Haftings, 

 who is buried here. 



At the eaft end of the chapel is a diftinft though attached 

 building, called the tomb-houfe, which was commenced by 

 Henry VII. ar.d intended for his burial place. It was 

 granted by Henry VIII. to cardinal Wolfey, who began 

 a fumptuous monument for himfelf within its walls. This 

 was deftroyed in the civil wars. James II. fitted up the 

 building as a Roman Catholic chapel ; and pubhcly attended 

 the celebration of mafs. After that monarch's deceafe the 

 chapel was deferted; but in 1800 bis prefentt majefty gave 



oidera 



