introduction
When it comes to castles, many people will invariably think of the glorious Empire of the Sun Never Setting - the British Empire. In Britain, castles built for war and domination are located all over the country and have become witnesses of its history and symbol of civilization.
They have been baptized by war, turned into aristocratic mansions, and now they are world-famous tourist attractions and preservers and witnesses of British history. The historical traces of each castle and the architecture, decorations and collections left behind are invaluable treasures of human civilization.
The most famous of these, Windsor Castle, is the largest and oldest surviving inhabited castle in the world, and has been the residence of the British monarch for thousands of years.
St. George's Hall in 1848, painted by Joseph Nash
When it comes to Windsor Castle, there is more than a little bit of the story in it.
Windsor Castle has had different uses and architectural styles in different historical periods.
In the early days, Windsor Castle was an important military installation. In 1070, William I established a fortress on the steep chalk cliffs of Windsor. From this vantage point, it is easy to see a few miles away to observe if there is an enemy invasion.
Some traces of the war can be seen in the secret passages hidden behind carpets in the castle. The mottled secret passage of the stone steps seems to reveal the information of the secret army's assault in that year.
● Secret passages in Windsor Castle
As a military fortress, Windsor Castle was also a gathering place for royals and knights and nobles.
Edward III succeeded to the throne in 1327, and he turned his birthplace, Windsor Castle, into the Knight's House of England. St. George's Church in Windsor Castle is the spiritual home of the Knights of The Guardian.
● The spiritual home of the Knights of Garter
The 76 royal heraldic beasts standing at the top of the church symbolize the glory and splendor of the knights. At that time, the knights and nobles found a foothold of war and romance in Windsor Castle.
Where there is war, there is bloodshed and sacrifice. Windsor Castle was also reduced to a bloody battlefield because of the fall of the royal family.
In 1640, a fierce civil war broke out in England, King Charles I was put on the guillotine, and the royal regime was overthrown. The king was buried here, royal property was confiscated, many treasures were sold at will, and even Windsor Castle was almost auctioned off.
Charles II, the son of King Charles I, was not content with the decline of the royal family.
In order to restore the status of the royal family, he took the throne in 1660 and renovated Windsor Castle in the Baroque style. The entire interior is luxuriously decorated, but there is no lack of humanity and temperature. In terms of collection, he searched around for paintings by famous artists such as Leonardo da Vinci to display here.
● Baroque ceiling frescoes full of humanistic colors
The living function of Windsor Castle has been enhanced, and the royal family has a sense of "home" here.
But in the hundred years after charles II's death, with the decline of the royal family, the status of Windsor Castle also deteriorated. Subsequent monarchs also left Windsor Castle and chose to administer or live elsewhere.
● 1743 Bati. Langley's top view of Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle revived after the royal family decided to move back to the castle.
In 1776, George III decided to return to Windsor Castle. His son George IV shows us the current architecture of Windsor Castle.
In 1824, George IV carried out a gothic-style overhaul of Windsor Castle.
He added guardrails to the walls, added staggered patterns to the regular and single walls, repaired the arc-shaped doors and windows into arrows with tips, and added water drop beasts of different shapes outside the walls.
● Arrow-shaped windows and dripping beasts
Today, the Windsor Castle we see today, with its beautiful towers and the silhouette of the battlements, was all written by George IV.
● Gothic style architectural decoration
"Since then, the beautiful princess and the handsome prince have lived a happy and happy life in the castle."
This sentence is the standard ending of a fairy tale, and a love story of "not loving the country and loving the beauty" was staged in Windsor Castle.
● Edward VIII and Simpson
In 1936, shortly after Edward VIII ascended the throne, he proposed to Mrs. Simpson, an American commoner who had been divorced twice, at Windsor Castle.
Resolutely abandoning the crown for love, he surrendered the British country and the mountains, from the king of a country to the Duke of Windsor. After his marriage, he lived in Windsor Castle, then fled the British Isles and settled in France until his coffin returned to Windsor in 1972.
Not only that, the "Commoner Princess" Diana also met Prince Charles for the first time in Windsor Castle. Like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, many royal weddings were also held here.
● Prince Harry's wedding of the century with Meghan Markle
These desirable love stories add a romantic touch to the beautiful Windsor Castle.
After the outbreak of World War II, Windsor Castle retook on the role of a royal fortress.
● Wartime armies
George VI lived safely in the castle with his wife, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. Among them, Elizabeth II once slept in the basement of Windsor Castle.
It was rumored that Hitler wanted to make Windsor Castle his home after the capture of Britain, so German warplanes never bombed Windsor Castle.
At night, the castle closed and closed its curtains, and after taking precautions, Elizabeth II spent the entire evening in the basement to ensure safety.
In addition to the queen's former bedroom, the basement is also the royal family's wine cellar. The cellars of Windsor Castle house about 18,000 bottles of wine.
● Windsor Castle's underground cellars and vintage wine cellars
The reason for this is that Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace hold an average of 300 events a year and consume more than 5,000 bottles of wine.
After World War II, Britain ushered in an era of peace.
For Queen Elizabeth II, however, 1992 was a "terrible year" in her life.
Not only because her sons Prince Charles and Princess Diana officially separated that year, and Princess Anne officially divorced, but also because Windsor Castle suffered a serious fire that year.
● Windsor Castle was engulfed in flames
Despite the dispatch of more than 200 firefighters by the authorities, the Brunswick Tower, the church's private prayer room, the St. George's State Banqueting Room, the Clemson Studio, the Chester Tower and other buildings in the castle were still severely burned, and the roof of the St. George's State Banquet Hall was also burned down.
What is the mystery of the fire at Windsor Castle?
It is said that a worker sprinkled flammable liquid on a high-temperature halogenated lamp while cleaning ancient paintings, thus causing a catastrophe. First, it is a high temperature light bulb covered by a curtain, and the fire caused by the high temperature is caused.
According to the first statement, it is a disaster caused by human error, and according to the second statement, it is an accident caused by the ignition of high-temperature substances. Whatever the reason, the lamp that ignited the fire seems to be the culprit.
● Magnificent interior lighting
So why not extinguish the lights inside the castle?
It turns out that the lights in public buildings in Western countries are generally not extinguished at night. Not only because the royal glow is a symbol of the sun never setting, but also because the house without lights was stolen, the police were not responsible.
Therefore, the continuous glow of 500-watt high-temperature light bulbs, if there is a covering on the body, can easily cause heat. It roasted combustibles and then developed to the point of being in flames.
● Windsor Castle and flat lawns
The damage from the fire amounted to tens of millions of pounds, and the cost of repairs was also £36.5 million.
In order to raise funds for the restoration of Windsor Castle, the royal family had to cut daily expenses, and also decided to make part of the castle a tourist attraction and open the royal family's several palaces and administrative halls to the outside world.
Today, Windsor Castle is not only a private residence of the royal family, but also an open administrative center and a popular tourist area for tourists.
postscript
In the face of internal strife and foreign wars, Windsor Castle has always been relatively intact. Even if the thrilling fire of 1992 burned it beyond recognition, the royal family and the people worked together to repair it for more than a decade to the point where there was almost no trace of the fire.
The existence of ancient buildings and the collection of various precious cultural relics in them not only represent the peak of the artistic creation of the ancestors, but also a powerful witness to the history of various ethnic groups. In this regard, whether it is Windsor Castle, our Forbidden City, or Notre Dame Cathedral, which was recently destroyed, this is the case.
It is precisely because our "human civilization" is composed of such cultural elements, no matter which civilization is well protected, it will make us feel comforted, and no matter which civilization is damaged, it will make us feel sad and regretful.
bibliography:
The Queen's Palace - BBC Documentary
"The Mystery of the Fire at Windsor Castle" text / Sun Jianlong
"British Castle Agarwood Dark Float" text / Fang Ming
"The British Royal Family Keeps Pace with the Times, Opens the Archives to Show The People" / Wang Lu, Huang Xiaoyu
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