Business in Windsor - A Quick Tour of... Windsor

History, Royalty and River are the keywords to describe the attractions of Windsor. To residents and visitors alike, Windsor means English history - the world-famous castle, the river with all the traditional trappings and the ancient forest known as Windsor Great Park.

Windsor started life as a small Saxon town. This changed when William the Conqueror decided to build a castle two miles from the original town (now known as Old Windsor). The Domesday Book notes that Windsor was the third largest settlement in Berkshire with nearly 500 inhabitants. Queen Victoria made Windsor the royal weekend retreat, and the Central Station became the focus of celebrations for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897 and for the current Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002.

EATING AND DRINKING

In Windsor it can truly be said you are spoilt for choice when it comes to places to eat and drink. There are countless pubs, café’s, wine bars and restaurants dotted throughout the town and it is almost impossible to walk more than a few yards without finding one! There are the usual smattering of Chinese, Indian and Thai restaurants as well as the popular ‘fast-food’ outlets. Most of the pubs offer excellent ‘Pub Grub’ too.

SHOPPING

Windsor features an amazingly diverse selection of interesting shops, many of which specialise in selling high-quality UK-made goods. On a short walk through Windsor you could buy for example some 1960’s dinky toys, some original Victorian jewellery, an air rifle, some Scottish woollens, a pint of fresh cockles, some vinyl records, a pound of venison steak, 3 yards of indian silk, an electric guitar and a trampoline... there is even a shop that specialises in selling Motor-racing memorabilia. The usual ‘brand’ shops can be found in the High Street and if you venture out to Old Windsor you’ll find the famous Windsor Farmshop selling fresh game and other free-range / organic produce fresh from the Royal Estate.

DID YOU KNOW?
There’s a sure way of telling whether the Queen is in residence when you visit Windsor Castle: look at the flag that’s flying. If it’s the Union Jack, she’s not there; if it’s the English Standard (Yellow and blue flag with crest), she’s at home.

Adjacent to the castle you’ll find a cobbled street full of quaint shops. This is Market Street - the shortest street in the UK.

The Guildhall was designed by Sir Christopher Wren. The town council of the time expressed doubt that Wren’s design could support the weight of the ceiling and insisted he build additional supporting pillars in the centre. In order to appease the councillors, Wren added the pillars but to prove his point left them a couple of inches short so they don’t actually ‘support’ anything – take a look next time you’re in Windsor.

WORTH A VISIT:
The Old Central Station – jam-packed with cafes, designer shops, street entertainers and other attractions (The tourist information centre is also located here).

Legoland – built on the site of Windsor Safari Park a few minutes out of town this theme park is very popular especially with younger children.

Windsor Leisure Pool – indoor pool with wave machine

The Theatre Royal

Windsor Great Park – Beautiful scenery year-round. Virginia Water, the Long Walk & Copper Horse, Savill Gardens – perfect for Sunday afternoon walks.

photograph by Carol Evans