The 21st century renewal of St George's

Striving for excellence,

attention to detail

and a sympathetic, soulful approach

The Dean and Canons of Windsor have sole responsibility for the maintenance and upkeep of St George’s Chapel and the Cloisters and lodgings of the College of St George, which occupy the bottom quarter of Windsor Castle. Granted the freehold by Edward III in 1348, Chapter (the collective name for the Dean and Canons and the governing body of the College) continue a 660-year tradition of caretakers of these important national treasures.

The last refurbishment of the Chapel and its buildings took place during the 1920’s and a service was held in St George’s Chapel on 4 November 1930, to celebrate the completion of the project. The leader of the Times that day read,

“Perhaps nothing better could be wished for our land than that this material restoration should be quickly followed by a spiritual restoration of the ideals which such a place as St George’s seems to affirm”.

In 2002, following a report by the Surveyor of the Fabric which highlighted the great need for a number of works of renewal, the Dean and Canons launched a campaign to fund a 12-year programme to renew St George’s.

Using the very best craftsmen to restore parts of the Chapel and College buildings to their original glory, the project also builds on the excellence of past artisans, layering the skills, technological knowledge and artistic expression of today’s artists and engineers alongside those of the past.

In addition to St George’s Chapel, the College of St George includes a number of buildings of national significance, the Canons' Cloister and No. 25 Denton’s Common amongst them. All of these buildings, in their various ways, have been included in this great project which is an attempt by the current Dean and Canons of Windsor to restore the past and build for the future.

Elements and Scope of the Project

The present programme of refurbishment takes its origin from a complete survey of the College of St George, carried out by Surveyor of the Fabric, Martin Ashley, in 1999/2000.

The twelve year plan that was created as a result of this survey maps out a programme of works which started in 2003 (and was refreshed in 2007) and is due to last until 2020. It includes extensive works, affecting every part of the College and the people who live and work here.

Map of the College buildings. Click here to download a pdf

Much work has already been achieved, please take a moment to explore some of our case studies.Click on the picture below to download a pdf.

Projects

By 2010, a number of projects have been successfully completed. These include:

However there is much more we need to do, and we should be delighted to discuss the campaign. If you would like to talk to a member of the Development Team about supporting the campaign, please do not hesitate to contact us.