Fine Antique Victorian Cork Picture of Windsor Castle from the River Thames 1895 For Sale

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Fine antique Victorian picture made from cork of the royal residence Windsor Castle from the River Thames with the Round Tower and flag in central position, with the sky and river painted in watercolour. Housed in its original antique black laquer frame. On the reverse is an inscription:\"To
My Friend
Chas Lloyd
From
Old Don Carlo
1895\"Queen Victoria and Prince Albert made Windsor Castle their principal royal residence, despite Victoria complaining early in her reign that the castle was \"dull and tiresome\" and \"prison-like\", and preferring Osborne and Balmoral as holiday residences. The growth of the British Empire and Victoria\'s close dynastic ties to Europe made Windsor the hub for many diplomatic and state visits, assisted by the new railways and steamships of the period. Indeed, it has been argued that Windsor reached its social peak during the Victorian era, seeing the introduction of invitations to numerous prominent figures to \"dine and sleep\" at the castle. Victoria took a close interest in the details of how Windsor Castle was run, including the minutiae of the social events. Few visitors found these occasions comfortable, both due to the design of the castle and the excessive royal formality. Prince Albert died in the Blue Room at Windsor Castle in 1861 and was buried in the Royal Mausoleum built at nearby Frogmore, within the Home Park. The prince\'s rooms were maintained exactly as they had been at the moment of his death and Victoria kept the castle in a state of mourning for many years, becoming known as the \"Widow of Windsor\", a phrase popularised in the famous poem by Rudyard Kipling.The Queen shunned the use of Buckingham Palace after Albert\'s death and instead used Windsor Castle as her residence when conducting official business near London.Towards the end of her reign plays, operas and other entertainments slowly began to be held at the castle again, accommodating both the Queen\'s desire for entertainment and her reluctance to be seen in public.Several minor alterations were made to the Upper Ward under Victoria. Anthony Salvin rebuilt Wyatville\'s grand staircase, with Edward Blore constructing a new private chapel within the State Apartments. Salvin also rebuilt the State Dining Room following a serious fire in 1853. Ludwig Gruner assisted in the design of the Queen\'s Private Audience Chamber in the south range. Blore and Salvin also did extensive work in the Lower Ward, under the direction of Prince Albert, including the Hundred Steps leading down into Windsor town, rebuilding the Garter, Curfew and Salisbury towers, the houses of the Military Knights and creating a new Guardhouse. George Gilbert Scott rebuilt the Horseshoe Cloister in the 1870s. The Norman Gatehouse was turned into a private dwelling for Sir Henry Ponsonby. Windsor Castle did not benefit from many of the minor improvements of the era, however, as Victoria disliked gaslight, preferring candles; electric lighting was only installed in limited parts of the castle at the end of her reign. Indeed, the castle was famously cold and draughty in Victoria\'s reign, but it was connected to a nearby reservoir, with water reliably piped into the interior for the first time.Many of the changes under Victoria were to the surrounding parklands and buildings. The Royal Dairy at Frogmore was rebuilt in a Tudorbethan style in 1853; George III\'s Dairy rebuilt in a Renaissance style in 1859; the Georgian Flemish Farm rebuilt, and the Norfolk Farm renovated.The Long Walk was planted with fresh trees to replace the diseased stock. The Windsor Castle and Town Approaches Act, passed by Parliament in 1848, permitted the closing and re-routing of the old roads which previously ran through the park from Windsor to Datchet and Old Windsor. These changes allowed the Royal Family to undertake the enclosure of a large area of parkland to form the private \"Home Park\" with no public roads passing through it. The Queen granted additional rights for public access to the remainder of the park as part of this arrangement.Size of Frame: 39 x 34 cm approx