With its extravagant colonnade, the 17th-century Windsor Guildhall is one of the stunning structures on Windsor’s high street. The building has served as a town hall, corn market and museum. Attend a wedding or gala dinner in this historic site.
Intriguing mixed features make up the façade, including a redbrick pediment, an arcade and a pair of pink portals. See the building at night, its colonnade illuminated in golden light.
Wander through the arcade and notice how the decorative columns don’t quite reach the ceiling. The former corn market was held here between the pillars.
Walk around the site’s halls, available daily. You can also glimpse the lavish interior via the online virtual tour. Inspect the portraits adorning the walls of the majestic Council Chamber. Brass chandeliers drop from the ceiling in this ornate hall, seating up to 100 guests.
Appreciate the intimate setting of the smaller Ascot Room. Prince Charles and his wife Camila were married here in 2005, before Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish had one of England’s first same-sex civil partnership ceremonies in the building.
Banquets and funerals are also held in this building, the same place where gas masks and ration books were passed out during World War II. Visit the Windsor & Royal Borough Museum to learn about the development of the town. Stare in puzzlement at the neighboring Crooked House that leans to the side.
The guildhall was designed by architect Sir Thomas Fitch. Sir Christopher Wren, architect of St Paul’s Cathedral in London, took over the job upon Fitch’s death. It was completed in 1689.
Windsor Guildhall is just southwest of the Windsor Castle compound. Bus stops and train stations are near the building, which is a short walk south from the Windsor Promenade water taxi stop.
While in the area, visit other attractions such as St. George’s Chapel, the Bachelor’s Acre and the Soldier’s Statue.
