How to Visit St. George's Chapel Windsor

Built between the thirteenth through the nineteenth centuries, St.George's Chapel at Windsor Castle serves not only as the church for the Sovereign when he or she is in residence, it is also Mother Church for the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the highest of all chivalric orders in Great Britain. It has been the site of many royal christenings, weddings and burials and is open to the general public for tours.

Instructions

    • 1

      Find St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle at Castle Hill in the town of Windsor. Start your tour by entering through the West Door. Off to the right is the Beaufort Chapel, site of the tomb of Charles Somerset, First Earl of Worcester and ancestors of the Dukes of Beaufort. Head east and you'll come to the South Door and the Bray Chapel to your right, named for Sir Reginald Bray, who proclaimed Henry VII king at the Battle of Bosworth Field. The cenotaph in the middle of this room depicts Napoleon Eugene, Prince Imperial, son of Napoleon III, who was killed while fighting as a British soldier in the Zulu Wars. Next up is the Oliver King Chapel, named for a fifteenth-century Canon of St. George's.

    • 2

      Proceed up the South Choir Aisle. To your left is the Oxenbridge Chantry, named in honor of Canon John Oxenbridge. A few bays down to the left is the tomb of King Henry VI and beyond it the tomb of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, topped by effigies of Their Majesties recumbent. A little further down on the right is the Lincoln Chapel, with the tomb and effigies of Edward and Geraldine Clinton, First Earl and Countess of Clinton.

    • 3

      Turn left and down the Ambulatory. Proceed through the King Henry III Door into the Albert Memorial Chapel. The basic structure here was built in the fifteenth century by Henry VI, but the interior was done by Queen Victoria in the nineteenth. It contains a cenotaph dedicated to Albert, the Prince Consort, Queen Victoria's husband, and the tombs of Leopold, Duke of Albany, her youngest son, and Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence, one of her grandsons.

    • 4

      Backtrack and into the Ambulatory and turn right. In the northeast corner is the Cloister Doorway, which leads to the cloister of the Dean of St. George's. Turn left into the North Choir Aisle and to the left you'll see the tomb of King Edward IV. Off the the right is the King George VI Memorial Chapel. Here under a black marble slab rest the remains of George VI, his wife Elizabeth (best-known as "The Queen Mum") and their younger daughter, the Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowden. Presumably Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, will be buried here too.

    • 5

      Continue down the aisle and to the left you'll see the Hastings Chantry, named for William, Lord Hastings. Down on the right is the Rutland Chapel, containing the tombs of ancestors of the Dukes of Rutland. Turn left and enter the Choir to examine the Garter Stalls on the north and south sides. Above the stalls are the plates depicting the arms of the various members of the Order, while the banner of each current Knight hangs above his or her stall. The Royal Stalls are in the northwest corner, while the Sovereign Stalls are to the southwest. A slab in the Choir floor marks the last resting place of Queen Jane Seymour, King Henry VIII and King Charles I. George III, George IV and William IV are buried in the Royal Vault below the Chapel. Also, take note in the northeast corner of the Chantry of Edward IV overlooking the High Altar and the Great East Window, with reredos below.

    • 6

      Retrace your steps and turn west, taking note of the Great West Window. Proceed down the Nave. Off to the right is the tomb of King George V and Queen Mary. They appear in effigy, their slumbering heads cradled by angels. In the far northwest corner is the Urswick Chapel, which is dedicated to the memory of Princess Charlotte, daughter of George IV, who died in childbirth.

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