St George's Chapel, Windsor

St George’s Chapel stands in the Lower Ward of Windsor Castle, a royal peculiar built in the late-medieval Perpendicular Gothic style. King Edward III founded it in the 14th century and enlarged it a century later under Edward IV and Henry VII. The chapel became the Chapel of the Order of the Garter and houses the dean and canons of Windsor. It has served as the burial place for British royalty since the 19th century. The running of the chapel is handled by the College of St George, supported by a charity founded in 1931. The chapel has witnessed royal services, weddings and burials over seven centuries. Charles I was buried here after his execution in 1649 alongside Henry VIII and Jane Seymour. George III restored the chapel in the 18th century, and Queen Victoria completed the Albert Memorial Chapel. A major restoration in the 1920s included sculptures by Mahomet Thomas Phillips. The King George VI Memorial Chapel was added in 1969. Inside, the choir is sung by choristers from St George’s School. Seventy-six heraldic statues of the Royal Beasts crown the roof, representing fourteen heraldic animals. The stalls of the Order of the Garter display members’ heraldic devices, swords and banners. The Rutland Chantry holds a monumental brass to Anne of York and her husband Sir Thomas St Leger. The iron gates and locks were crafted by the medieval metalsmith John Tresilian.