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The choir
is the liturgical focus of the church. It is identical in design to the
nave but its rich furnishings bestow upon it a sense of intimacy and opulence.
The East Window and Reredos
 The
whole east wall of the choir is arranged as a sumptuous backdrop to the
high altar of the chapel. As it presently exists this gigantic composition
of stone and glass was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott. It was commissioned
as a memorial to Queen Victoria's consort, Prince Albert, who died in
1861, and was unveiled at the wedding of the Prince of Wales in 1863.
 The three panels of the altar reredos were carved in alabaster to Scott's
designs by J.B. Philip. Above the centre of the altar is the Ascension
of Christ. This is flanked to the left by his appearance in the garden
after the Resurrection and to the right by his disputation in the Temple.
The glass, which was made by the company of Clayton and Bell presents
four principal subjects. Across the bottom of the window are panels depicting
the private and public works of the Prince. Occupying the central lights
in tiers above this are depicted respectively the Nativity with the three
kings bearing their gifts; the Resurrection and - in the top two tiers
- the Last Judgement.
 Running around the window frame are sculptures of the nine orders of
angels and, in its apex, a depiction of the Trinity. The upper part of
this collection of sculptures is medieval but the lower figures were created
in the 1860s work.
The Choir Stalls
 Set
within the main body of the choir are the stalls erected for the college
community. These are arranged in a U-shape within the main body of the
building. In their original form these comprised two tiers of seats, one
raised above the other, but various additions and alterations were made
to them in 1786-91 under the direction of the chapter carpenter Henry
Emlyn.
 The
original stalls, which were completed in 1483-4, were designed with a
very particular seating system in mind. Their upper tier was intended
for the canons of the college and the Knights of the Garter, who sat alternately
along the sides of the choir. Each of these stalls was provided with an
ornate wooden canopy and these were originally of two types so as to distinguish
between the knights and priests who occupied them. The lower tier of stalls
was for the vicars, lay clerks and choristers of the college and was not
provided with canopies. To the west of the choir against the choir screen
were special stalls for the king and the dean, each provided with an especially
impressive canopy.
 Both the stalls and the system of seating that they enshrine have been
preserved to the present day. So too has a gradually changing heraldic
display within the choir. Since the Middle Ages it has been the practice
to place a helmet, sword and banner above the stall of each Knight of
the Garter. In the case of women appointed to the order a banner and a
crown or coronet are placed over the stall. These emblems are a colourful
symbol of their owner's occupancy of the stall and suggest their continuous
presence in the devotions of the community.
 When a companion of the order dies all these trappings are removed and
replaced by those of their successor. They are given one permanent memorial
in the choir, however, in their so-called stall plate. These are usually
small copper gilt or enamel plates bearing the arms of the companion and
a short inscription. There are around 800 such plates attached to the
stalls of which the earliest dates to about 1390.
The Royal Closet
 Raised
up within the building to the north side of the choir and overlooking
the high altar are two internally projecting windows. That to the left
is built of stone and opens into the raised chapel of Edward IV's Chantry.
But that in timber to the right is the royal pew or closet. It was built
by Henry VIII to allow his first queen, Catherine of Aragon, to watch
the Garter ceremony and is elaborately decorated with coats of arms and
heraldic emblems. From here it is possible to attend divine service in
the chapel without appearing publicly. The detailing of the closet is
very flamboyant and its roof rises as a half cupola decorated with Tudor
heraldic beasts.
The Gates of Edward IV's Chantry
 The gate of Edward IV's Chantry is perhaps the most elaborate piece
of medieval decorative ironwork to survive in England. It comprises two
intricate polygonal turrets and, hanging from these, a pair of hinged
doors. Every part of the gate is richly ornamented with swirling tracery
patterns and complex canopies and the whole was originally gilded.
This gate was made between about 1477-84 to ornament the monument of
Edward IV and was almost certainly the work of a master smith called John
Tresilian. To judge from the detailing of the gate it would appear that
Tresilian was familiar with early 15th-century decorative ironwork produced
in the Low Countries. Tresilian also produced some rich fittings for the
door of Edward IV's Chantry and an offertory box for Henry VI's
tomb.
The gate stands today immediately to the left of the high altar and its
original position to the north of the tomb remains a matter of speculation.
Most probably it stood beneath the chantry chapel of Edward IV in the
aisle to the north of the choir.
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