Among the royal and palatial edifices of Europe, that of Windsor holds a very high rank, and is in a manner to England what Versailles is to France, and the Escurial to Spain; and while it is infinitely superior to both in point of situation—standing on an elevation which commands a rich extent of country—it far exceeda them, and indeed every other pile of building of its class, in antiquity. From having been the residence of so many of our kings, its history is to a certain extent identified with that of the kiugdoin itself from the time of the Conquest. In its present state however the antiquity of the castle is little more than nominal. the whole of the habitable part having been remodelled and rebuilt ; but if it has thus lost the reality, it has at least recovered the appearance of antiquity, after nearly every trace of it had been obliterated, and the greater part of the whole pile had been rendered a motley assemblage of mongrel architecture.
Relative to the early history of the castle, only a few of the more prominent dates and epochs of the building can here be noticed. The Conqueror's structure on this site was probably a mere hunting lodge, Or a military post; and we have little positive information in regard to what It became when rebuilt by Henry I., who there took up his residence; or as to the extensive addition; including a chapel, etterwarde made by Henry III. In fact, it was not until the 14th century that the plan of the whole began to assume its present extent and arrangement, wheu Edward Ill. first erected the buildings form ing the third or upper ward, to the east of the keep, whose inclosuro then became the middle one ; and the same king founded tho ' College or Free Chapel of St. George,' in the lower ward. These works were carried on from about 1350 to 1374, and were chiefly conducted by William of 1Vykeham, who was appointed surveyor iu 1356, with a salary of one chilling a day. From this period comparatively little was done until a century afterwards, when Edward IV. began to re erect St. George's Chapel nearly as we now behold it, thereby adding, if not immediately to the castle itself, to the buildings within its precincts, one of extraordinary beauty and interest. Henry VII.
added to the castle that singularly fine specimen of palatial architec ture in its particular style, which is still called after him, and which is situated near the public entrance to the state apartments, at the western extremity of the range forming the north aide of the great quadrangle.
During the three following reigns no additions were made. The reign of Elizabeth, on the contrary, forma almost an epoch in the architectural history of the castle, because, though she did not do much to it in the way of building, except annexing to the portion added by Henry VII. that which is distinguished by the name of Queen Elizabeth's gallery, she first caused the terraces to be formed, thereby giving to the royal abode of Windsor what is not the least striking or least attractive of its Under the Stuarts nothing material was done until the Restoration, when the castle began to be modernised, and in such a tasteless and insipid manner as to have no quality of style of any kind, and nothing of grandeur but what was derived from mere size. The principal addition made by Charles II. was the Star-Building (containing the state apartments shown to the public). The first two Georges did nothing for Wind sor ; George Ill. restored the interior of St. George's chapel (1787-00), which, little as the execution of gothic was then understood, was done in a judicious manner, by scrupulously following the original details.
Except beauty of situation the castle had nothing whatever to recommend it as a residence. The whole of the east and south sides, the portions actually inhabited, were singularly inconvenient in every respect. Hence it was found indispensably necessary to erect (1778 1782) a separate building for the actual occupation of the royal family.
This, which was called the Queen's Lodge, was merely a large plain house on the south aide of the castle, near the site occupied by the present stables, and was taken down in 1823. About the same time George IV. announced his intention of taking up his abode within the castle, and converting it into a suitable residence for himself and his successors. Accordingly a grant of 300,000/. was readily voted by parliament in April 1824 for the projected improvements. The designs for the Intended works, furnished by Jeffry Wyatt, were adopted, and no time was lost in carrying them into execution. Tho first stone of ' King George 1V.'s Gateway' (forming the principal entrance into the quadrangle on the south side, in a direct line with the Long Walk) was laid by the king himself, August 12th,,1824 ; on which occasion the architect received the royal authority for altering his name to that of Wyatville; and on the king's taking possession of the private apart ment; which were completed by the end of 1S28, he received the further distinction of knighthood.