PRESS RELEASE

6 March 2020

Windsor Castle’s first café opens in Edward III’s medieval Undercroft

The first café for visitors to Windsor Castle has opened in Edward III’s medieval Undercroft, which for centuries served as the royal residence’s principal wine cellar and is one of the oldest surviving spaces in the 1,000-year-old Castle.

Visitors to the Undercroft Café can enjoy freshly prepared meals, including sandwiches, wraps and salads, served alongside an exclusive selection of teas. Sweet treats The Undercroft Café at Windsor Castle range from vanilla mille-feuille and vegan chocolate cake to fruit scones and Victoria sponge. During the summer months, the Café will serve ice cream produced using milk from the Jersey herd at the Royal Farms, Windsor.

The Undercroft is on the ground floor of the Castle beneath St George’s Hall, where State Banquets take place, and dates back to Edward III’s major renovations during the 1350s and 1360s. Throughout the 14th century, the Undercroft served as the Castle’s principal cellar, used for the storage of barrels of beer and wine. In the 17th century, during Charles II’s reign, the space was subdivided to accommodate a confectionary, a silver scullery and an eating room for Royal Household staff. In the 19th century, the Undercroft was further subdivided to make room for the Lord Chamberlain’s Office, the Servants’ Hall and the Office of the Yeoman of the Pantry.

Following the Windsor Castle fire of 1992, the Undercroft was reinstated as a single space. The walls had absorbed large amounts of water and had to be stripped back to allow them to dry out. This revealed that more of the room’s early fabric had survived than previously thought. Subsequent restoration work has turned the space back into the medieval interior it once was.

The creation of the Undercroft Café is part of Future Programme, a series of projects funded by Royal Collection Trust to enhance the visitor experience at Windsor Castle. Other recent developments include the reinstatement of the Georgian Inner Hall and the addition of the State Entrance to the visitor route. This year will also see the opening of a dedicated Learning Centre, enabling more schoolchildren, families and adults to engage with the Castle and the Royal Collection.

Michelle Lockhart, Commercial Director, Royal Collection Trust, said, ‘The opening of Windsor Castle’s first café in what was, fittingly, the medieval cellar is an exciting development in our ongoing programme of works to deliver the best-possible experience of visiting this royal residence. We hope that our visitors will enjoy the opportunity to pause for

Press Office, Royal Collection Trust, York House, St James’s Palace, London SW1A 1BQ T. +44 (0)20 7839 1377, [email protected], www.rct.uk a cup of tea or a bite to eat while taking in the atmospheric surroundings of the Undercroft, one of the few surviving parts of Edward III’s magnificent Gothic palace.’

Ends

The Undercroft Café is open daily for visitors with an admission ticket to Windsor Castle.

Visitor information and tickets for Windsor Castle: www.rct.uk, T. +44 (0)30 3123 7304.

A selection of images is available to download from www.picselect.com. For further information and images, please contact the Royal Collection Trust Press Office, +44 (0)20 7839 1377, [email protected].

Notes to Editors

Royal Collection Trust, a department of the Royal Household, is responsible for the care of the Royal Collection and manages the public opening of the official residences of The Queen. Income generated from admissions and from associated commercial activities contributes directly to The Royal Collection Trust, a registered charity. The aims of The Trust are the care and conservation of the Royal Collection, and the promotion of access and enjoyment through exhibitions, publications, loans and educational programmes. Royal Collection Trust’s work is undertaken without public funding of any kind.

The Royal Collection is among the largest and most important art collections in the world, and one of the last great European royal collections to remain intact. It comprises almost all aspects of the fine and decorative arts, and is spread among some 15 royal residences and former residences across the UK, most of which are regularly open to the public. The Royal Collection is held in trust by the Sovereign for her successors and the nation, and is not owned by The Queen as a private individual.

Admission to Windsor Castle is managed by The Royal Collection Trust, a registered charity in England and Wales (1016972) and in Scotland (SCO39772).

Press Office, Royal Collection Trust, York House, St James’s Palace, London SW1A 1BQ T. +44 (0)20 7839 1377, [email protected], www.rct.uk