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The beautiful town of Windsor is found in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, a short distance to the west of national capital London. The town is known primarily as the home of Windsor Castle, a stunning building that dates in parts to the 11th century, but which is not the oldest part of the settlement; some areas are thought to pre-date the official royal residence by some 300 years in the nearby Old Windsor part of Berkshire. Part of the special castle, and indeed Windsor experience, comes in the form of the changing of the guards; visitors can look on as the guards march along the High Street, an event that takes place every other day throughout the year.
Windsor is a particularly desirable and wealthy place to be seen, to live and to visit and it is home to two of the UK’s 20 most popular visitor attractions – the aforementioned castle and Legoland Windsor which was built on the site of the old Windsor Safari Park. Another impressive place to visit is Windsor Great Park which is set to the south of the town. The park is simply massive and has the excellent Virginia Water affixed to its south, bringing a sizeable lake and a popular area to walk and spend time with family for example. Windsor Great Park proves suitable for the likes of horse riding and for horse-drawn carriages, while the town as a whole is known for its hosting of polo and horse racing; indeed, Windsor Racecourse hosts a number of meetings throughout the year.
There is evidence of Anglo-Saxon settlement and even some Roman settlement in the Windsor area. In fact, Windsor was first mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle while Windsor Castle was noted in the Domesday Book of 1086. Royals were relocated to the castle in New Windsor not long after. By the Middle Ages Windsor took on national significance and it was a fairly wealthy town by this stage. Over the years the striking castle was developed and revamped, however there was a period of stagnation in the town after the Reformation, with poverty and poor housing recorded in the 16th and 17th centuries. The 19th century saw a turnaround however, with the introduction of two barracks as well as new railways from 1849 and Queen Victoria’s residence in the town from the 1840s. Today, many of the lovely streets date to the 19th century. Incidentally, New Windsor was officially renamed Windsor in 1974.