WINDSOR, or NEW WINDSOR, so called to distinguish
it from Old Windsor, about 2 miles to the S.E., a market
town, parliamentary and municipal borough of England,
Berkshire, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite
Eton, which is reached by an iron bridge of three arches,
22 miles W. by S. of London. It consists of six principal
streets, crossed by others of smaller size, and is well and
regularly built, chiefly of brick. It has a fine modern parish
church, in the perpendicular style; a district church;
Methodist, Independent, and Baptist chapels; free, national,
British, and infant schools. There are also an ancient town
hall, recently renewed, a neat and commodious theatre, and
several parochial charities. Windsor Castle has been the
principal seat of British royalty for nearly eight centuries.
The Saxon kings had a palace at Old Windsor long previous
to the Conquest. The present castle was founded by Wil-
liam the Conqueror; but was almost rebuilt by Edward III.,
with the assistance of the celebrated William of Wykeham,
who was made clerk of the works. Great alterations were
made by Sir Jeffry Wyattville, during the reign of George
IV. The castle at present occupies about 32 acres of
ground; and consists of an upper and a lower court, the for-
mer to the east, and the latter to the west, of the Keep or
Round Tower. In the lower court is St George's Chapel,
a splendid specimen of florid Gothic architecture. It
contains the stalls of the Knights of the Garter; and here
the ceremony of installation takes place. At the east end
of the chapel is the royal vault, where the remains of
George III. and his queen, George IV., the Princess
Charlotte, the Duke of Kent, the Duke of York, William
IV. and his queen, and others, are deposited. Edward
IV. and his queen, Henry VI., Henry VIII., and Charles I.
are buried in the chapel. The upper court has on the west
the Round Tower, on the north the state apartments, and
on the east and south the private apartments of the queen
and royal household. Among the state apartments the
most remarkable are, the Vandyck Room, containing a
collection of portraits by that artist; the Waterloo Chamber,
with portraits, chiefly by Sir Thomas Lawrence, of the
great men of the time of Waterloo; the Throne Room,
Presence Chamber, and St George's Hall, adorned with
the arms of all the Knights of the Garter from the founda-
tion of the order, and portraits of the British sovereigns
from James I. downwards. The grand staircase and ves-
tibule leading to this part of the castle are also very fine.
Along the sides of the quadrangle occupied by the private
apartments, runs a corridor, 450 feet long, and richly adorned
with pictures, statues, &c. The terrace along the north
side of the castle is a magnificent promenade, a third of a
mile in length, and commanding a wide and beautiful pro-
spect. On the north and east of the castle is the Little
Park, which is about 4 miles in circuit, and contains the
tree supposed to be the "Herne's Oak" of Shakespeare.
To the south lies the Great Park, reached by the Long
Walk, a magnificent avenue of elms, 3 miles in length. It
terminates at an eminence called Snow Hill, where is a
colossal statue of George III. In the Great Park is Vir-
ginia Water, the largest artificial lake in the kingdom. The
borough of Windsor is governed by six aldermen and
eighteen councillors, of whom one is mayor; and returns
two members to parliament. Pop. (1851) 9596.