The Windsor Guildhall is the town hall of

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

, Berkshire, England. It is situated in the High Street, about from Castle Hill, which leads to the main public entrance to

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original c ...

. It is a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

History

A deed of 1369, now in the possession of

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

, refers to the "gildaule", and a charter of 1439 states that "pleas happening in the said borough... shall be pleaded and holden in the guildhall there, before the mayor and bailiffs for the time being".

Norden Norden is a Scandinavian and German word, directly translated as "the North". It may refer to: Places England * Norden, Basingstoke, a ward of Basingstoke and Deane * Norden, Dorset, a hamlet near Corfe Castle * Norden, Greater Manchester, a vi ...

's map of 1607 shows a market house in the location of the present guildhall: the main part of it is raised on wooden pillars to allow the space beneath to be used as a covered corn market. The erection of the present guildhall was begun in 1687, under the direction of Sir Thomas Fitz (Fitch or Fiddes) but the story is that on his death in 1689, the task was taken over and completed by

Sir Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren PRS FRS (; – ) was one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history, as well as an anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist. He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 churches ...

. The cost of construction was £2687/1s/6d. The new building was supported by stone columns, like its predecessor. This allowed for corn markets to be held in the covered area. It has been told for many years that Wren was asked to insert additional columns to support the weight of the heavy building above; Wren supposedly did not believe they were necessary and made them slightly short, so that they do not quite touch the ceiling. However, there is little evidence that Wren was ever involved with the design or construction of the Guildhall. It is now believed that the story grew out of Wren's connections with Windsor along with the actions of his son, also called Christopher Wren. The younger Wren served as a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for Windsor and commissioned the statue of Prince George of Denmark in 1713 on the south end of the building with his name was engraved underneath. The pillars were probably moved into the corn market from the east side when the extension was added in 1829. The gaps at the top of the pillars are now filled with tiles smaller than the capitals. A statue of Queen Anne was commissioned by the council in 1708 on the north side of the building. The 1829 extension was a two-storey building at the back of the existing hall, designed by James Bedborough. Major restorations of the building were undertaken in 1851, and, following its use as a food office during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, again in 1950–1951. The restored building was reopened during the

Festival of Britain The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition and fair that reached millions of visitors throughout the United Kingdom in the summer of 1951. Historian Kenneth O. Morgan says the Festival was a "triumphant success" during which people: ...

by Princess Elizabeth. The guildhall was a facility for dispensing justice and

Quarter Sessions The courts of quarter sessions or quarter sessions were local courts traditionally held at four set times each year in the Kingdom of England from 1388 (extending also to Wales following the Laws in Wales Act 1535). They were also established in ...

were held there until 1971. Since the formation of the

Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead is a Royal Borough of Berkshire, in South East England. It is named after both the towns of Maidenhead and Windsor, the borough also covers the nearby towns of Ascot and Eton. It is home to Windsor ...

in 1974, the guildhall has been used by the borough council for ceremonies and committee meetings. On 9 April 2005, the

wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles The wedding of Prince Charles (later Charles III) and Camilla Parker Bowles took place in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall, on 9 April 2005. The ceremony, conducted in the presence of the couple's families, was followed by a Church of Eng ...

took place there and, on 21 December 2005, it hosted one of the first same sex civil partnership ceremonies to be held in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, that of Sir Elton John and

David Furnish David James Furnish (born 25 October 1962) is a Canadian filmmaker and former advertising executive. He is married to English singer, pianist and composer Sir Elton John. Early life and education David Furnish was born in Toronto, Ontario, the ...

. On 12 March 2011, the new Windsor and Royal Borough Museum was officially opened in the Guildhall by Queen Elizabeth II.

References

{{reflist 1687 establishments in England Buildings and structures in Windsor, Berkshire

Government buildings completed in 1689 Windsor Guildhall Grade I listed government buildings Guildhalls in the United Kingdom

History

See also

References