St George & The Dragon -- St George's Gate, Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire, UK
N 51° 29.007 W 000° 36.251
30U E 666349 N 5706310
The relief of St George slaying the Dragon over the arch in St George's Gate into the Upper Ward of Windsor Castle
Waymark Code: WMTBA0
Location: Southern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 10/27/2016
Views: 3
St George's gate was built in the mid-1820s as part of renovations ordered by King George IV (Queen Victoria's father) to convert the Upper Ward into a comfortable place for the Sovereign to live.
An intricately-carved relief panel of St George slaying the Dragon is set into the top of St George's gate that leads from outside the castle walls into the Upper Ward of Windsor Castle.
From the Windsor Castle website: (
visit link)
". . . Shortly after the accession of George IV steps were taken to convert the buildings about the upper ward into a comfortable residence for the sovereign. Hitherto there had been no direct communication between the State apartments on the north and the lodgings on the east and south sides usually occupied by the royal family and visitors of distinction, and the maids of honour and lords and gentlemen in attendance could only reach their quarters by crossing the open quadrangle.
There was also little privacy for the king and queen when living in State apartments to which the public were admitted. It was therefore decided to construct new lodgings for the sovereign along the east front and to connect the whole of the buildings about the ward by a two-storied gallery against the east and south sides. Had this been the only object of the proposed changes little alteration would have been made in the castle, but they unfortunately included others which involved the needless destruction of many ancient features that might well have been spared.
The new works were entrusted by a commission appointed to carry them into effect to Jeffrey Wyatt, a nephew of the late surveyor James Wyatt, and on 12 August 1824 the first stone was laid by the king, who on the same day authorized the architect to change his name to Wyatville and granted him an augmentation of his arms.
The works were carried on with great energy, and on 9 December 1828 the king was able again to take up his residence in the castle, when he conferred upon the architect the honour of knighthood.
From the beginning Wyatville's expenditure seems largely to have exceeded his estimates, and instead of the £150,000 first voted by Parliament more than half a million had been spent upon the alterations by 1830. (fn. 32) A select committee was accordingly appointed to inquire into the expense of completing them, before which Sir Jeffrey Wyatville tendered explanations. He also submitted a statement of the works carried out since 1824 to the following effect:
A List of the Works that have been done, beginning on the South Side.
Twelve old houses have been pulled down and cleared away.
The boundary wall to the round tower mound on the east has been built.
The new St. George's gate and adjoining walls, also wall and stairs up the slope to the round tower on the south side . . . ."