Wikipedia:Today's featured article/November 20, 2012

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and for its architecture. The original motte-and-bailey castle, built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror, was designed to protect Norman dominance around the outskirts of London and to oversee a strategically important part of the River Thames. The castle's lavish early 19th-century State Apartments are architecturally significant, and the 15th-century St George's Chapel is an outstanding example of English Perpendicular Gothic design. Since the time of Henry I it has been used by a succession of monarchs and is the longest-occupied palace in Europe. A popular tourist attraction, it is used as a venue for hosting state visits, and is the Queen's preferred weekend home. It was used as a refuge for the royal family during the Second World War and survived a fire on 20 November 1992. More than five hundred people live and work in Windsor, making it the largest inhabited castle in the world. (Full article...)

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