You Can Visit Windsor Castle’s East Terrace Garden For the First Time in 40 Years
The historic garden is now open to the public.
Windsor Castle in the English county of Berkshire is known as the oldest and largest castle in the world. Queen Elizabeth II spends many of her weekends there, and it’s had a sweeping history of royal occupants since the 11th century. But there’s one area of the residence that’s been blocked off to visitors for over 40 years — that is, until now. The formerly private area at Windsor Castle’s East Terrace Garden is now open to visitors for the first time in four decades. Since the 1970s, the garden has only been accessible to the Windsor family.
Facing the east corridor of the castle, the garden contains a bronze lotus fountain surrounded by 3,500 rose bushes and yew domes (a type of British evergreen), according to the Royal Collection Trust. With raised terraces surrounding the area to provide an overlooking view, the garden is said to be quite a lovely site to see from every direction.
The historic garden was originally created for King George IV in the 1820s featuring many imported statues and plants, some of which are still there! It was a hotspot for many royal events throughout history, including numerous garden parties hosted by King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.
You may also recognize the garden since it’s often used as background scenery for portraits of the royal family. Queen Elizabeth herself was photographed there with her infamous corgis in April of 2016. Now, you can go and snap your own selfie in the same spot!
All throughout August and September, you can purchase a ticket to visit the beautiful and historic East Terrace garden grounds. Ticket costs are $16 for children 17 and under, $28 per adult ticket, and $25 for seniors. Who knows, maybe you’ll even run into the queen while you’re there! How exciting would it be to get this close to royal family history?
