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Windsor Great Park, Berkshire

Windsor Great Park marks a change in man's relationship with nature. Up until the seventeenth century there had been little sentimental feeling for the natural world. Nature was generally something to be feared and hidden from. Go to the Globe Theatre in London, rebuilt to appear as it did in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and you'll see all the natural wood, considered attractive now, covered with colourful paint. By the eighteenth century the changes to the landscape which had begun in Neolithic times crossed a threshold. The Industrial Revolution had gained momentum. The forests that once covered Britain had been cleared and there were simply no "natural" areas left. Every piece of the British landscape had been shaped by man. The eighteenth century poet Coleridge wrote in his poem Kubla Khan of a world of caverns measureless to man; but this world was also a "pleasure dome" for the amusement of the great king Kubla Khan. The entire landscape was now, to a greater or lesser extent, a park. Windsor Great Park is a vast and beautiful expression of this change.

The Great Park is a fourteen thousand acre park, eight thousand acres of which are woodland, built to entertain the Hanoverian kings. There are great opportunities for walking, cycling or horse riding. (Permits are required for horse riding: contact The Crown Estates Office at the number below.) There's a thousand acre deer park, and a lake called Virginia Water. Look out for what looks like a ruined Roman temple beside Virginia Water. The pillars were a gift to the Prince Regent, later George the Fourth. There are wonderful views of Windsor Castle from the Long Walk, a grassy avenue two miles in length running towards the castle, with a statue of George the Third at the end.

 

 

 

Queen Anne's Ride, pictured to the left and above, offers similar views, and good car parking off the A332. At the end of the ride is a statue of Queen Elizabeth the Second.

Frogmore House is also recommended. Queen Victoria loved Frogmore. She built a mausoleum there for herself and her husband Albert. To the east of the park you will find Savill Gardens, which are particularly striking March to May when the rhododendrons and azaleas are at their best There are many pubs and restaurants within a short walk of Windsor Castle.

Directions: Parking is convenient at Savill Gardens, with a small charge, or off the A332 coming from Windsor, where there is no charge. Click here for an interactive road and satellie map centred on Windsor Great Park.

 

Access: many paths within the park are suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs.

Contact:

The Crown Estate's Office, Windsor Great Park, Windsor SL4 2HT

telephone: 01753 860222