RESTORING WINDSOR CASTLE

Windsor Castle proudly stands as the largest inhabited castle in the world and is the official residence of Queen Elizabeth II (not Buckingham Palace as many might assume). The jewel of the south east, standing within its 2020 hectare grounds of Windsor Great Park, the building is a marvel of Norman architecture and construction but on 20th November 1992 the existence of this incredible building was threatened by a fire.

The fire tore through The Queen’s Private Chapel when a spotlight pressed against a curtain caused it to ignite. The State Apartments were soon engulfed in the flames and St George’s Hall was almost completely destroyed. The fire was eventually extinguished thanks to a courageous effort from over 220 firefighters! It was then that the damage became apparent.

The castle and it’s interior were eventually repaired and restored over the following years to a cost of £36.5 million and involved a host of expert tradesmen. A complete new roof had to be designed for St George’s hall and was designed by architect Giles Downes – this is still the largest green oak structure built since the middle ages and I was lucky enough to see this structure take shape.

I worked on the restoration of Windsor Castle from 1992 - x