The present building dates from 1822 when it replaced an ancient building with Saxon arches and Norman work that was in dire need of expensive renovation. The outer walls follow the plan of the mediaeval church with old burial vaults lying beneath the present floor; retained memorials from the previous church can be found on the walls. The architect, Charles Hollis, designed the building with cast iron columns and ribs that support a 84’ X 60’ roof. It was consecrated by the Bishop of Salisbury on 22nd June, 1822. Along the South Wall you can find a painting of the earlier church, photographs of the church plate and some past and more recent information about the church. The eight bells, were transferred from the old building; they are, by ancient command, rung for royal occasions at the Sovereign’s expense.*

The Last Supper – a national treasure painted by Franz de Cleyn (1588-1658), court painter to James I. Previously hung in the St. George’s, Windsor, it was given to the Parish Church by George III. Before the Apse was added, the painting hung over the Altar where the screen is now. For the best view, stand at the end of the central aisle and look up towards the west door.*

Royal Pew The two ‘thrones’ were a gift of Princess Augusta (daughter of George III) who regularly worshipped in the Parish Church. The pew is fronted by wooden panels carved by Grinling Gibbons (1648-1720), each showing a pelican feeding its young. (Look for the peapod – Gibbons signature) Formally, these were part of the altar rail in St George’s, Windsor.*

Mayor’s Pew Midway down the Centre Aisle are wide pews reserved for Aldermen and Councillors, while the Mayor’s pew bears the Royal Arms of the Borough of Windsor and a cushion for the mayoral mace.*

Chancel and Apse was added in 1870 by Samuel S Teulon. The stained glass windows illustrate Jesus words in Matthew’s Gospel. (Matthew 25 v35-40) . The mosaics are by Antonio Salviati (1816-90) and depict the instruments of the Passion, and below, several angelic musicians with other symbols. The Chancel Screen was added in 1898 as a thank offering for the 60 years reign of Queen Victoria.*

*More information can be found on the Church Welcome Leaflet, the source of the quotes above.

We were due to meet my nephew for lunch so we spent the morning in Windsor. The first place to visit was The Parish Church of St John the Baptist to see the 1660 painting of The Last Supper. As we arrived outside the church Mr C realised that he had forgotten to pick up his camera. He returned to the hotel to get it which left me plenty of time to find lots of other treasures within the church. When Mr C returned I showed him some of the more interesting features.

As we left we realised that the Changing of the Guard ceremony was soon to take place so we lingered a little so that we could see the soldiers marching out of their barracks on the way to Windsor Castle to take up their guard duty standing down the Ghurkas that we had seen mounting guard on our visit to Windsor Castle.

After watching the soldiers march we walked to the George IV Gateway at Windsor Castle, the start of the three mile tree lined ‘Long Walk’ to the copper statue of George III riding a horse. Being time limited, we didn’t quite reach the statue before we had to turn back.

Along the walk I was presented with my medal for the Platinum Jubilee Challenge, received for my pledge to walk 70 miles for the Queen’s Jubilee and a total of 100 miles for May’s National Walking month. On the Long Walk I had an interesting encounter with an Old English Sheepdog. He came to say hello to Mr C then circled around me pushing his way through my legs from behind before jumping up and gently putting his front paws on my shoulders. The owner was surprised at his behaviour as he doesn’t normally do that.

Back in town we made our way to Clarence Brasserie & Tearoom where we were meeting my nephew and his good lady for lunch. We had intended to sit outside but a few spots of rain and an ominous cloud led us to retreat indoors. This turned out to be a good choice; shortly afterwards the heavens opened! It was lovely to see my nephew and we had a good catchup over lunch.

After lunch, Mr C and I went to Henley where I was hoping to pick up a couple of outdoor clothing items from the Rohan outdoor shop. I arrived to find that the summer waterproof jacket I was hoping for was not due to arrive until the end of June. The fleece I was looking for was in stock but not in my size. Apparently, I was the second person that day who had enquired about the jacket in that size and they don’t stock all sizes these days due to online shopping. Well to my mind that was two sales lost on that day for not adequately stocking shops with merchandise. Before returning to the hotel we had just enough time for tea and cake, in my case the cake was passion fruit and frangipane.

We dined in a Thai Restaurant, The Giggling Squid. The service and food were excellent but for the second night running we had been placed within the fierce, icy blast of the air conditioning unit! We had a nightcap in Weatherspoon’s before returning to the hotel for our final night before returning home the next morning.