Thames Valley Area Guide: Windsor
Windsor is one of the jewels in the crown of Royal Berkshire and offers a thriving modern town that is also rich with historical architecture. A popular tourist destination that attracts visitors from across Asia, Europe and America, Windsor is a small town with a big reputation.
In this guide, we take a look at the Royal town of Windsor including its demographics, facilities and location. We also focus on the history of the town and its Royal associations plus take a peek at its housing market as well as give you our recommendations of some of Windsor’s best attractions.
Windsor: A Snapshot
The historic market town of Windsor is known worldwide as being the location of one of the UK’s most famous royal residences outside of London. It is Windsor Castle which dominates the town and the Great Park which provides it with a scenic backdrop and rural setting.
Twinned with the famous college town of Eton and bordered to the south by the River Thames, Windsor has an estimated population of around 32,000 people but plays host to over two million tourists each year. 2018 may have seen this peak with the much-anticipated Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle but the town offers some wonderful attractions to keep visitors and residents entertained.
Image via Geograph.
Windsor: The Detail
Twinned with Goslar in Lower Saxony and Neuilly-sur-Seine in France, the town of Windsor can be split into two distinct areas; New Windsor and Old Windsor. The former is where the town proper, including the castle, is situated whilst Old Windsor refers to a settlement known in Anglo Saxon times as Windlesora; a place where the Great Council met during the 11th century. By 1110, these assemblies were taking place at the castle and the former meeting place began to be referred to as Old Windsor.
Since the Norman period and throughout the times of the Plantagenets, Stuarts, Tudors, Georgians and Victorians…right the way through to modern day, Windsor has been the site of an important royal residence; Windsor Castle. With parts of the building and site dating back 1,000 years, it is Europe’s oldest, largest and longest occupied royal castle.
The town has mainly developed in service to this Royal settlement and the many historic buildings have a past that is linked to the castle in some way; from the Crooked House that has a secret tunnel running into the grounds of the castle that is believed to have helped King Charles II secretly escape the confines of his Royal residence to meet with his lovers, to the many houses and shops that helped supply the castle with produce and servants.
For a town of its size, and largely due to the number of visitors that Windsor attracts, it is well served by plenty of restaurants, bars, cafes and shops as well as facilities like a theatre, leisure centre, banks, building societies and hotels. The surrounding area also offers plenty of distraction from golf clubs to riding schools, rowing clubs to the Royal Windsor racecourse.
The town’s location on the River Thames makes it an idyllic one for plenty of riverside walks and activities.
A short walk across the Windsor-Eton bridge to the north bank of the river and you can reach the beautiful town of Eton with its historic, prestigious and imposing public school, Eton College. The town has some wonderful independent shops offering everything from second-hand books and antiques to clothing, local produce and art galleries.
Eton High Street, Image via Geograph.
Location
Situated three miles south of Slough and directly between Maidenhead and Hayes, Windsor can be reached from junction 6 of the M4 and is just 15-minutes from junction 15 of the M25.
Though just a few junctions away from West London and nestled directly under the incoming flight path for many Heathrow flights, Windsor is extremely well situated for commuters both locally and internationally.
The town is served by two railway stations; Windsor & Eton Central which has a direct line to Slough and Windsor & Eton Riverside with trains running to London Waterloo.
Demographics and Stats of Windsor
Census data for Windsor is shared with Maidenhead or only directly available for Old Windsor.
Whilst this data is a little diluted by virtue of this, we have provided the following snapshot for comparison:
Education
State-funded schools in Windsor form part of the three-tier schooling system. There are eleven First Schools which cater for children up to the age of nine, three Middle Schools which offer education for children up to the age of thirteen and then there are two Secondary Schools which offer single-sex education.
Schools are either controlled by an academy trust of the local authority.
There are also some independent schools which provide private education including the St George’s School which operates from the castle itself and was originally founded to provide choirboys with their schooling. It is now a coeducational preparatory school.
Our best picks for…
…some upmarket shopping.
The Windsor Royal Station is unlike any other shopping mall/precinct you will visit and is elegantly built around the original railway station built in the town during the 1850s. Now converted to include modern (and many independent) shops, the area is partially under cover and provides a great central meeting spot for some upmarket window shopping. There are also some nice eateries in the precinct which makes for a great spot for some people watching.
…seeing the sights.
Windsor is home to a branch of the ever-popular amphibious sightseeing bus, the Duck Tours. Boarding a purpose built yellow all terrain vehicle, the live guide will take you over land and water to show you the best bits of the town including the castle, the river and the Crown Estate. It’s an exciting ride for kids who always love the sensation as the bus drives down the slipway and into the water.
…some craft beer tasting.
The Windsor & Eton Brewery has been operating since 2010 creating some outstanding new beers. They offer a fun and personalised tour of their premises which is ideal for anyone with an interest in beers and brewing which culminates in a chance to sample the produce. Run every Saturday afternoon for a price of £12.50 per person, this 45-minute tour is a great way to be involved with independent craft breweries.
…a Royal experience.
There is no way we could offer suggestions of what to do in Windsor without recommending the castle itself. Built in the 11th century and an official residence of Her Majesty The Queen and family, Windsor Castle is the longest occupied palace in Europe.
Over 100 rooms were devastated by fire in 1992 yet efforts by firefighters and staff to rescue precious artworks plus extensive renovations mean that the castle is resplendent with opulence and beauty. It is an extraordinary place to visit that is rich with national heritage and architecture as well as being historically significant.
There are guided tours available which take in the Changing of the Guards, the Treasures of the Castle and some of the State Rooms. Location of many royal weddings including that of Prince Harry and Meghan Markel, the St George’s Chapel is also open to the public.
Image via Wikipedia.
…a scenic walk.
The above images is one of the most iconic ones you will find of Windsor Castle and is taken on the impressive three mile, tree-lined stretch of the Windsor Great Park. This particular part of the estate is known as the Long Walk and is a part of Deer Park. It contains a population of around 500 hinds and stags who roam freely and is a beautiful spot for a walk. The Red Deer are well used to visitors, often standing very still and posing for some great photo opportunities.
…some family fun.
Not only is Windsor the location of one of the UK’s top historical tourist attractions within the town itself but it is also home to the infinitely popular Legoland. Formerly the site of Windsor Safari Park, Legoland opened in 1996 and attracts around 2.2 million visitors each year making it the UK’s second most visited theme park.
The rides and spectacles are mainly geared to a younger audience of around 3-12 years old and is a good resort to spend a day out with the family….particularly if your kids are keen on Lego.
Image via Legoland Windsor.
Housing in Windsor
The average house valuation in Windsor currently stands at £584,539 with the average price paid over the last twelve months being just slightly less at £580,519 (over 273 sales figures up to September 2019, Source: Zoopla). This is 3.21% lower than a year ago with property prices falling by an average of £19,352.
These prices are higher than the average for Berkshire and are more in keeping with those house valuations seen in London boroughs than in the home counties. This is reflected in Zoopla’s report on the highest value towns where Ascot, Windsor & Maidenhead rank as the 13th most expensive areas outside of Greater London for house prices.
Average house prices can be further broken down by property type as follows:
Windsor has a mixed building stock with a range of new homes as well as character properties dating from Victoria and Edwardian times as well as more traditional houses from the 19th and 18th century.
There is a good mix of styles and sizes with some modern estate locations and more rural detached properties.
Image via Geograph.
Property Assistant in Windsor
Property Assistant offers great coverage of the housing market in Windsor having successfully sold property in the area and found homes for many clients within the town. We offer a comprehensive marketing and sales service for homeowners as well as bespoke property search support for anyone looking for their dream home.
If you’d like to know more about why our clients recommend our services and why we see things differently to other agents, gives us a call on 0118 912 2370.
This article was first published on the Property Assistant website.