Windsor Castle garden opens for first time in 40 years
Windsor Castle opens its private garden
for the first time in 40 years
The castle is one of Queen Elizabeth’s homes
Location: Windsor
and a staple of the British royal family
The East Terrace Garden has been a private area
for generations of royals
dating back to the 1820s
Courtesy: Royal Collection Trust - Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020
Courtesy: Royal Collection Trust / Patrick Lichfield
(SOUNDBITE) (English) LEARNING CURATOR AT WINDSOR CASTLE, RICHARD WILLIAMS, SAYING:"
So, the first garden built here was created in 1824 during the reign of George IV. But before that, in the Middle Ages, it would have been the defensive ditch, so to protect the castle walls. Then Charles II in the 17th century created this terrace that we're standing on and also put in bowling lawns because he really enjoyed bowling. // But it's in the 20th century, its current look, was very much the responsibility of the Duke of Edinburgh. So, he effectively redesigned it in 1971, laying out the design of the rose beds and even designing the fountain at the center, which is in the shape of a lotus flower."
Visitors will be now able to tour the garden
which features 3,500 rose bushes
planted around a central fountain