The House of Windsor

The final excursion of our Berkshire break saw us visiting Windsor Castle, another first for me in this foreign land known as "The South."

We did the normal tourist round, starting with the changing of the guard before visiting the ghosts of kings and queens in St. George's Chapel. A walk around the grounds was followed by a viewing of Queen Mary's Doll House, and a promenade through the State Apartments.

It is undoubtedly a spectacular place, rich in history and art. This is the history of power and nation building, not the view of Britain presented by Danny Boyle in the Olympic opening ceremony. I couldn't quite take the unproblematised display of artefacts looted from other nations and cultures, but was grimly fascinated by the bullet that killed Nelson. I wondered what the tourists of many other nationalities that were wandering the halls made of it all.

My photographic portfolio of the day is typically made up mostly of gargoyles, stone heads, coal hole covers, post boxes, weather vanes, sundials and plaques, but in amongst them are a few more typical views of the castle, like this one.

Tomorrow, the return journey north.

Coal hole cover of the day.

Post box of the day.

Gargoyles of the day.

Stone head of the day.

Plaque of the day.