Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
State Apartments:
Dripping with chandeliers, finely furnished, and strewn with his-
tory and the art of a long line of kings and queens, they're the best I've seen in Britain.
This is where the Queen wows visiting dignitaries. The apartments are even more remark-
able considering that many of these grand halls were badly damaged in a fire on Novem-
ber 20, 1992. They've been immaculately restored since. Take advantage of the talkative
docents in each room, who are happy to answer your questions.
You'll climb the Grand Staircase up to the
Grand Vestibule,
decorated with exotic
items seized by British troops during their missions to colonize various corners of the
world. The
Waterloo Chamber
memorializes Wellington and others (from military of-
ficers to heads of state to Pope Pius VII) who worked together to defeat Napoleon. You'll
pass through various bedchambers, dressing rooms, and drawing rooms of the king and
queen (who traditionally maintained separate quarters). Many rooms are decorated with
fine canvases by some of Europe's top artists, including Rubens, Van Dyck, and Hol-
bein. Finally you emerge into
St. George's Hall,
decorated with emblems representing
the knights of the prestigious Order of the Garter (see sidebar). This is the site of some
of the most elaborate royal banquets—imagine one long table stretching from one end of
the hall to the other, seating 160 VIPs. From here, you'll proceed into the rooms that were
the most damaged by the 1992 fire, including the “Semi-State Apartments.” The
Garter
Throne Room
is where new members of the Order of the Garter are invested (ceremoni-
ally granted their titles).
Now head down to the opposite end of the terrace, and hook left back into the Middle
Ward. From here, you're just above the chapel, with its buttresses; the entrance is about
two-thirds of the way down.
St. George's Chapel:
Housing numerous royal tombs, this chapel is an exquisite ex-
ample of Perpendicular Gothic (dating from about 1500), with classic fan-vaulting spread-
ing out from each pillar and with nearly every joint capped with an elaborate and colorful
roof boss. Most of these emblems are associated with the Knights of the Garter, who con-
sider St. George's their “mother church.” Under the upper stained-glass windows, notice
the continuous frieze of 250 angels, lovingly carved with great detail, ringing the church.
