Video "Windsor
Restored"
The Restoration
of Windsor Castle
The Day of the Fire
The fire began at 11am on 20th November
1992. As a Windsor resident all my life, the sight of the thick
smoke rising above the castle, the sound of fire engines arriving
throughout the day, and the comments that simply stated "The
Castle's on fire" with no other information, are chilling
memories that still send shivers down my spine. It was a day
of great sadness as we all wondered just how much of the castle
was burning, just how much history, and how many treasures were
being lost, and the uncertainty that the castle would ever return
to its former glory. These feelings grew worse and worse as the
day progressed. I returned to my home in early evening in York
Avenue and could clearly see the red glow in the sky over the
castle.
After dark my family and I walked to the Home
Park. We walked in silence, realising as we got closer just how
serious the blaze was. The darkness enhanced the red fiery glow
and we could see the flames leaping high into the sky.
The world's media had by now arrived with their satellite
dishes and all over the Home Park constant reports by one news
reporter or another were being beamed around the world, each
reporter standing in his own pool of floodlight.
We stood and gazed in horror at the magnificent North
Terrace of the castle as it burnt, seemingly along its whole
length. This is the same view that in happier times is so impressive
whenever the castle is floodlit for special occasions but now
the Brunswick Tower was just a giant chimney with flames visible
through every window with all to its right ablaze too.
1992 was the year of the Queen's
'Annus Horribilis' and her intense sadness was evident as we
watched her survey the devastation. Queen Elizabeth is particularly
fond of Windsor. It was her childhood home when her parents,
as Duke and Duchess of York, lived at Royal Lodge before the
Duke was forced to become George VI by the abdication of his
older brother, Edward VIII. It took almost three days for the
fires through some 105 rooms to be extinguished and when we saw
the Queen surveying the burnt out areas of the castle, we knew
just how devastated she felt. Indeed, the whole Royal Family
know and love Windsor Castle very much and were determined to
set about its restoration without delay. When decisions seemed
to be taking too long, it was the Duke of Edinburgh who stepped
in to cut through the red tape so that delays were minimised.
Prince Charles too played an active part in planning the massive
restoration project and amazingly, in just five years, Windsor
Castle was fully restored. 4,000 craftsmen had worked on an area
of 10,000 square metres. Nothing on this scale had been attempted
before.
A book was published in 1997 about the
restoration of the castle folowing the fire. See Books for Sale The Restoration following the
Fire
The Video
The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles and
Prince Andrew are our guides in this compelling account produced
by Prince Edward. Windsor
Restored tells the story of the fire
and the Royal Family's close participation in the reconstruction
which was triumphantly and totally completed for Her Majesty's
Golden Wedding celebrations.
HRH Prince Edward writes:
"There were two
important themes running through the story of the restoration,
firstly the personal involvement of the Royal Family. Few realised
how important Windsor is to the family and how keenly we all
felt when it was engulfed by fire. The second theme was the skill
of the craftsmen. The number of people who were and still are,
amazed by what has been achieved in the rebuilding of Windsor
Castle is enormous.
Britain possesses the craftsmen and the skills to not just restore
the castle, but in some cases improve and even re-design it.
So in more ways than one, this film is very much a celebration.
And as the Queen herself said when thanking all those involved
with the restoration, "To have Windsor back... is perhaps
the best anniversary present we could ever have wished for.."
It is one of the best presents
Windsorians could have wished for too!
How to Order
Please email VIDEO
ORDERS and we will
advise how to obtain your copy.
All orders are normally despatched
First Class same day and should be delivered within the UK one
or two working days after payment is received by us
Price: £12.99
plus P&P
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Format: PAL (European standard)
and NTSC (American Standard)
Duration: 52 minutes, approx.
See also All The Queen's Horses
The Celebration for the Queen's Golden Jubilee at Windsor Horse
Show, 2002
The Royal Windsor
Web Site Home Page
See also
Books for Sale
The Restoration following the Fire
To contact us,
email Thamesweb.
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