Charles II
Charles II, who reclaimed his throne in 1660, modernisedthe royal apartments, which by 1684became the grandest baroque State Apartments in England. The rich appearance of thenew interiors was heightened by expensive textiles and magnificent tapestries.
George III
The apartments created by Charles II survived virtually unchanged to the end of the 18th century, whenGeorge III gave several of the rooms on the north side of the Quadrangle a neoclassical dressing. George III's architect also designed a Music Room and new Dining Room in the east range of the Upper Ward.In 1796, heappointed James Wyatt as Surveyor General of the Office of Works to transform the exterior of the Castleinto a gothic palace. Wyatt also introduced a vaulted ceiling in the entrance hall (part of which is still visible today) and replaced the Queen’s Stairs with the Grand Stair, which rose in long straight flights north of the Great Gate.
George IV
The gothic transformation of the Castle continued after George IV came tothe throne in 1820. George IV and his artistic adviser Sir Charles Long wanted the exterior of the Castle to have a more imposing appearance. They raised the heightof the Round Tower, reclothed the exterior in massive masonry and addedtowers and battlements.
George IV continued his father’s remodelling of the Upper Ward. He invited four architects to submit designs, and Jeffry Wyatville, nephew of James Wyatt, won the competition. Wyatville extended the entrance hall the full depth of the building, from the remodelled State Entrance (previously known as the Great Gate) to the new George IV Tower on the North Terrace. The Grand Stair was demolished to create the Inner Hall, giving an uninterrupted north-south view across the ground floor of the Castle.
To the left of the Inner Hall, directly between the State Entrance and North Terrace, a new Grand Staircase was installed. This had a wide first flight rising to a landing and twin upper flights leading back. Wyatville’s renovations were incomplete by the time of George IV’s death in 1830, but under George’s successor, William IV, work continued.By 1832 the Grand Stair had been demolished and the new Grand Staircase was finished.
Two large new spaces were also created – the Waterloo Chamber, celebrating the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815, and the extended St George’s Hall.
The firm of Morel & Seddon was awarded thecontract to supply the furnishings, much of it in the latest French Empire style. By the time the King finally took up residence at Windsor towards the end of 1828, his improvements to the Castle had cost nearly £300,000.
Queen Victoria
George IV’s restoration of the Castle was so comprehensive that little was done by his immediate successors. Under Queen Victoria a new private chapelwas created at the eastern end of St George’s Hall, and the Grand Staircase was reconstructed. The Royal Mews and riding school, south of the Castle, were completed in the 1840s.
Queen Victoria made use of the Inner Hall for almost 30 years, but in 1866 she instructed her architect Anthony Salvin to close it off and build a new, smaller State Entrance hall running east to west. For many years, the Inner Hall was used as a storeroom, and in 1965 part of it was made into a temporary display space.
Windsor on fire
On 20 November 1992 a fire broke out in Queen Victoria’s private chapel. The fire quickly engulfed the roof spaces, destroying the ceilings of St George’s Hall and the Grand Reception Room, and gutting the private chapel, the State Dining Room and the Crimson Drawing Room.Find out more about the fire.
The long process of repair and restorationbegan immediately, guided by a Restoration Committee chaired by The Duke of Edinburgh. The areas that were most badly damaged, such as St George’s Hall, were redesigned in a modern gothic style, while the other parts were restored to the condition in which George IV had left them. The highly acclaimed restoration work was completed exactly 5years after the outbreak of the fire.
Recent changes at the Castle
The opening of the Inner Hall and the creation of a new route through to the State Entrance Hall wascompleted in 2020 as part of a series of projectsto enhance the visitor experience at Windsor Castle.
The reinstatement of the Inner Hall and the sequence of spaces that link the north and south sides of the Castle created the large, open entrance hall George IV had envisaged. The State Entrance, where Heads of State and official guests of the monarch enter the Castle, is now part of the visitor route. Visitorscan enjoy the spectacular view of the Long Walk, created by Charles II. It is a view that perfectly encapsulates the grandeur of the Castle and the beauty of its setting within the Great Park.
To restore the architectural details of the Inner Hall, layers of paint were removed to reveal the intricate design of the ceiling bosses. These are the work of Francis Bernasconi, the most fashionable stuccoist (plasterer) of the Regency period, who worked at Windsor during the reigns of both George III and George IV. The Inner Hall is within an area of the Castle that dates back to the mid-14th century when Edward III turned Windsor from a military fortification into a Gothic palace.
