Windsor
The small town of Windsor lies on the south banks of the River Thames about 22 miles west of London. There was a Saxon settlement on the present site of Windsor called Windlesora and was a residence of Anglo-Saxon kings before the Norman Conquest when William I (the Conqueror:1027-1087) successfully seized the English throne and built, in about 1070, a castle on the hill overlooking the town to protect the western approaches to London.
Although Windsor is dominated by the castle, the town itself offers some fabulous sites, being a wonderful example of an old English town. It contains many old buildings, inns and cobbled narrow streets and its centre has retained its medieval appearance. Several buildings are particularly worthy of note. The old Town Hall in the High street, for instance, designed in 1687 by Sir Christopher Wren, possesses enormous charm emphasised by an interesting story, which surrounds its design. Following its construction the councillors allegedly demanded extra columns to support the building. Wren, confident in his original design, nevertheless added a number of columns to placate the councillors. However, if one carefully observes the columns one realises that they do not actually touch the ceiling and in reality serve nothing more than decorative purposes.
One of the most interesting of the houses in the town centre is the "crooked house" so named because it slants to one side and appears to be on the verge of collapse There are regular tourist excursions around the town by open top double decker bus as well as trips on the River Thames.