Follow the all-new trail design at this year’s Windsor Illuminated for the perfect evening out with family and friends, making festive memories
Discover a forest trail full of music and light where woodland creatures come to life and a whole host of festive moments will get you in the seasonal spirit at this year’s Windsor Illuminated.
Windsor Great Park illuminated returns for the fourth year with another magical trail, bringing the woodland to life with dazzling lights, breath-taking projections and flood-lit fountain shows.
Image: Eric Aydin Barberini
Image: Giles Smith
With a generous sparkle of new installations and a sprinkling of favourites returning, this year’s illuminations promise to be more magical than ever.
Follow a path through woodland awash with colour as sparkles of fireflies, luminous beacons and dancing fairies blaze the way, the lake alive with flood-lit fountains and glimmering reflections.
At a cosy rest spot, enjoy mouth-watering good food, mulled wine and hot chocolate or toast marshmallows at one of the fire pits. Top your evening off with a traditional fairground ride, fun for kids of all ages in the Festive Village. Slide down the epic Helter Skelter, take a turn on the Super Carousel or younger guests will enjoy a spin on the Mini Carousel and how about going up and around on the Big Wheel. Enjoy each ride for one token per person, per ride. Book in advance to save.
Everyone is welcome, the trail is dog friendly and every effort has been made to make the trail as inclusive as possible. As the trail is presented in the natural landscape some of the terrain through natural woodland is not suitable for wheelchairs, mobility scooters or buggies. This terrain will be particularly challenging in wet weather. The Trail is 2.2km long and will take approximately 1½ – 2 hours to walk, accounting for stops and refreshments along the way. If you would like to shorten your walk, please speak to event staff in a Hi Vis jacket an they will advise the alternative route/s. Please note that if you take a shorter path, you will miss some of the light displays.
Windsor Great Park Illuminated runs from Friday, 15th November until Saturday, 4th January.
You’re all invited to find out more about this friendly group, between 11am & 4pm on Saturday, 2nd November
Now in its fourth exciting year, the WLHG’s annual open day offers visitors a valuable opportunity to engage with the remarkable heritage of Windsor and surrounding towns and villages.
This free event is open to everyone and will take place on Saturday 2nd November at Windsor Baptist Church, Victoria Street, SL4 1EH. Please tell family, friends, colleagues and any individuals who would enjoy learning more about the local area.
Maps, photographs, letters, videos and other artefacts provide fascinating cultural snapshots of these communities, some of which began as early as Saxon and Norman times.
++ Hot off the press ++!!
The latest edition (No. 38) of Windlesora, WLHG’s regular publication, is now available – still only £5! – and will be on sale along with past Windelsora editions, local reference books and other publications and materials. Please feel free to take along your own memorabilia too – the group would be delighted to hear your stories and learn about any research!
The much-loved actress is starring in Filumena at Theatre Royal Windsor, October 4th to 19th and Yvonne Arnaud Guildford, October 22nd to 26th
Bill Kenwright Ltd presents Eduardo De Filippo’s classic comedy Filumena, as the second play to be directed by Sean Mathias this season at the Theatre Royal Windsor.
Amidst the heat of a Neapolitan summer, Filumena (Felicity Kendal) lies on her deathbed, waiting to marry Domenico (Matthew Kelly), the man who has kept her as his mistress for 25 years.
But no sooner than they are married, she makes a miraculous recovery, much to the surprise of her new, unwilling husband and his younger lover.
However, Filumena holds on to a secret from her past life, revealing that one of her three grown-up sons is Domenico’s. But which one? Will he accept all three?
Q: How did this play actually come about? It was from Bill Kenwright, wasn’t it? A: He wanted to find a play for me and he felt we must work together again. He was being the usual Bill Kenwright: absolutely, amazingly funny and relaxed and jokey. And, you know, the fact that he and Michael [Rudman, Felicity’s late partner] were not well at the same time was something to talk about. I had worked with him many, many times and we absolutely loved each other. I used to call him boss. Then Michael died and I was away and Bill rang and he was just so lovely and funny and reminiscing about things and he said, look you’ve got to do Filumena.
Q: What are your key memories and thoughts of Bill? A: I particularly loved working with him. I loved his sense of humour. I loved his passion. He was incredibly passionate about the work he did and very, very good at it, extremely good at it. He was incredibly intelligent and knowledgeable of the theatre and music and the world… and, of course, his passion for football.
Q: What is Filumena about and what drew you to this character? A: I read the play and I imagined saying the lines and I wanted to be in that play. That’s what draws me to something. I love the play. I love the way it evolves. And the character is strong. She has had everything thrown at her in her life. And she could be the ultimate victim; she is in fact a victim of circumstance and fate. But she is anything but victimised. And she just pushes ahead with determination. She has a wonderful sense of humour, and she is full of passion, passion for the man she loves, passion for her children, passion for her family, passion to live against all odds from a very difficult start in life and quite a difficult life. Overcoming difficulties and making them into something successful is something I admire in people and that is this character. For me, with acting, you’re creating something that is actually not real. It’s not you, but you have to understand the facet of that complicated character that you’re asked to draw.
The play is hugely religious, in that my character’s strength comes from her religion – she’s Catholic – and her strength comes from a belief in what is right. It’s also a play about deception, why it’s necessary, if it’s necessary. It’s a play about jealousy, about children, about class and caste and a woman’s place and it’s also a play about surviving love and how incredibly intolerable poverty can be, and how that can impact on a woman’s choices in those days. So it’s touching an awful lot of things that people talk about. The character I play is an older woman, but her life, the life of the man she loves when they were younger, was quite extraordinary and that’s what you learn about.
The play is not very well known, so nobody has seen it played hundreds of times. So you hear it in your head as your own rhythm and tune. I’ve found working on this progressively more difficult, because I think it’s the first time for years that I haven’t had Michael giving me a kind of, well, how many more hours are you going to do that? And I have a way of working that has always been very much part of our life together and that really has brought home that he’s not here. He would always give me his opinion about a play and whether I should do it or not; I haven’t had it on this. So I had no idea whether he would say, don’t touch it, you will be absolutely boring, in which case I wouldn’t have. So that opinion isn’t there to draw on. So there’s no strength from that. I mean, in the past he has sometimes said, you must do this because you’d be wonderful. And he was, you know, usually pretty good and sometimes he would say that’s not for you and if I went ahead he was proved right. I tend to spend a long time at the kitchen table writing it out and rewriting and rewriting and that’s how I learn. And you know every now and again, well there would be words of encouragement or, have you got to act three? So I don’t have anybody to comment, but, you know, that’s not to say I’m not loving it. I do enjoy the process and I do think the more I read the script, the more I am just so happy to be doing this job. I just love this play.
Q: I was going to ask are you looking forward to getting back on tour? A: Going on tour is very much part of my history as an actor. I mean, I started my career going on tour. And I think as things have gone on in the last three, four, five, ten years, it’s more and more important that actors go on tour, because the West End is appallingly expensive. People don’t actually come up from the regions in the way they used to, so we have to go to them and going out on tour is important.
Q: What is it about Windsor that you always associate with or look forward to? A: One of the successful plays I did there was Noel Coward’s Fallen Angels, directed by Michael [Rudman] and produced by Bill Kenwright, so you can imagine it’s a very special place for me. It holds memories forever.
Q: Is there anything you always like to do when you’re in Windsor? A: I usually walk along the river with the dog. I think I may not have the dog with me, though, in the first few weeks of this play, because I have realised this is a huge part. I usually look at a play and think, oh I’m dead by the middle of the second act, and I think, that’s lovely! I didn’t quite realise how long a role it was until I started studying it. So I think I won’t be seeing much of Windsor this time, I’m afraid.
Q: Do you know much about the original playwright, Eduardo de Filippo? A: I don’t know much about him. The play is set in Naples. I saw the original production of this translation [by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall]. Years and years ago, Zeffirelli directed it, in 1977. That was in London with Joan Plowright. Judi Dench did the second production [here in 1998]. They were memorable. Absolutely memorable. But I don’t see that their performances are in any way going to be the one I do. There’s more than one way to play the character. It’s that beautifully written.
Q: One of the key people in the production is obviously the director, Sean Mathias. A: I’ve seen a lot of his work, which I think is just lovely. I’ve met him many times. He’s a gorgeously relaxing person to be with, but with a very firm and incredibly highly skilled and intelligent way of looking at plays. And so he absolutely was somebody that I’ve always wanted to work with. He creates this band of merry men, which is very important when you’re putting on a play. I think he will be, well, I hope, a friend for life, because he clearly is a very special person. He has something, which to me is a very important part of being a director, he has a very firm idea of how he will steer the ship right and it is not that it is his vision, but it is his collecting of all the various things that are going on. I like directors like that and I know I will love working with him.
Q: What is it all these years on that keeps you wanting to get back on stage? A: I think one of the things I realised is that I actually like to work. That’s what I am. I’m a working Cocker Spaniel. I’m not, you know, a show dog and I’m not a lap dog. I’m working and that’s what I love and I feel it’s just what I’m supposed to be doing. And I just feel better about it when I’m doing it. I love being in the company of clever people doing a job that I understand.
Windsor Photographic Society Exhibition will run from Tuesday 1st to Thursday 31st October
The Windsor Photographic Society (WPS) annual exhibition showcases the variety of photographs taken by its members and is also an opportunity for them to see their work exhibited. Some photographs may be available to purchase.
Members are holding a special opening night on Tuesday, 1st October, and hope you can join them in The Old Court licensed bar and upper areas.
You can view their photographs and meet members who would love to tell you more about their club!
WPS meet at The Old Court at 7.45pm on Monday evenings and fully welcome new members. They offer a full and varied programme that includes presentations, practical workshops, photo walks and competitions. There are members at every level of expertise (from beginners through to professionals), using all kinds of cameras and phones, willing to share a wealth of experience.
Resurgence tour comes to Windsor for three performances, August 9th and 10th, after 30-year break
London City Ballet, the new company of celebrated dancers from around the world, will return to touring after a break of almost 30 years, arriving at the Theatre Royal Windsor.
Formerly the resident company of Sadler’s Wells, and internationally recognised as one of the world’s leading dance collectives, the prolific touring company was famously patronised by Diana, Princess of Wales. The original London City Ballet closed its doors in 1996 after 18 years of operations.
The Resurgence tour includes performances at many of the former company’s beloved venues in the UK, including the Theatre Royal Windsor. The company will also perform in Italy, Portugal, China and New York. The UK tour concludes at Sadler’s Wells in London in September.
London City Ballet is a touring company for a new generation bringing their experience and artistry to the stage, presenting engaging stories through dance. Under the direction of Artistic Director Christopher Marney (former principal dancer at New Adventures and director of the Joffrey Ballet Studio Company of Chicago), the company will present a programme of acclaimed works by British choreographers including the revival of Kenneth MacMillan’s 1972 one-act ballet Ballade, unseen in Europe for over 50 years.
The repertoire also includes Ashley Page’s Larina Waltz marking the ballet’s 30th anniversary, and Olivier award-winner Arielle Smith premieres a new creation Five Dances. A full company work by Christopher Marney called Eve, which premiered at Sadler’s Wells in 2022, will close the evening.
Christopher Marney has spent two years rebuilding London City Ballet with insights from its early pioneers. The works selected for the 2024 international tour pay homage to the company’s roots in the form of rarely seen archival footage. The Resurgence tour is shaped by the repertoire selected and to highlight the re-launch of this famous dance company.
He said: “London City Ballet informed my own career. Seeing the company perform as a child stimulated my enthusiasm for the artform.
“I am drawn to reviving past repertoire of influential choreographers alongside presenting dynamic new works from current dance talent.”
Christopher continues: “The Resurgence tour offers audiences the chance to enjoy some of the most compelling dancers from around the world perform choreography rarely seen, many of whom are former principals from leading dance companies. We’re a progressive and diverse company celebrating exceptional dancers presenting engaging work for a new generation.”
The company comprises 14 dancers, many of whom are former principals from leading dance companies. This international troupe originate from countries including Brazil, South Korea, UK, Romania, Canada, Spain and from ballet companies including the Royal Ballet, Scottish Ballet, Orlando Ballet, Ballet Black, San Francisco Ballet, Staatsballet Berlin and ENB.
Performances: Friday 9th @ 7.30pm and Saturday 10th @ 2.30pm and 7.30pm.
This Christmas, families visiting the Official Residences of His Majesty The King in London, Windsor and Edinburgh can learn how the Tudors and the Victorians celebrated Christmas and enjoy festive carols beneath magnificent Christmas trees.
The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace
This Christmas, children can enjoy a special storytelling performance bringing to life the tales and traditions of the festive season at the Tudor Court, while exploring the exhibition of Holbein’s works at The Queen’s Gallery. Two performers dressed as Tudor Londoners will give young visitors a glimpse into Tudor life as they prepare for the festive season. Children can find out what gifts were given and what food and drink was consumed at the Tudor Court, discovering how many Tudor Christmas celebrations form part of today’s traditional activities.
On selected dates, families can also join a Christmas activity day where they can make twinkling, miniature portrait decorations, inspired by the jewel-like miniatures in the exhibition; perfect as a gift or to hang on a Christmas tree.
A Tudor Christmas Storytelling experience takes place on a drop-in basis and lasts approximately 40 minutes.
(Saturday, 16 December, at 11:20, 12:20, 13:30, and 14:30). The Merry Miniatures: A Christmas activity day runs on a drop-in basis (Sunday, 17 December and Monday,18 December, 11:00 – 15:00).
Windsor Castle
Throughout the Christmas holidays, families can participate in craft activities and workshops exploring how the Victorians celebrated Christmas as well as enjoying the beautifully decorated Castle. This year’s displays include a magnificent 25-foot-high tree in St George’s Hall with sparkling Garter Star decorations.
Families can drop by the Castle’s Pug Yard Learning Centre where they can hear all about a Victorian Christmas and even make a special memento to take home, such as a tree decoration, a wreath or an angel, just as Victorian children may have made. They can also devise their own Christmas menu for Queen Victoria and her family to enjoy on Christmas Day or even dress up as an elegant Victorian stepping out on Christmas morning.
As they tour the Castle, children can take a Christmas family trail and then families can treat themselves to a festive menu at the Undercroft Café.
Throughout December, local school and community choirs will be performing a variety of festive songs and music under the impressive Christmas tree in St George’s Hall.
Activities run daily on a drop-in basis, excluding Tuesdays and Wednesdays
(Saturday, 16 December – Monday, 1 January, 10:00–15:00). The timings of choir performances vary from day to day.
Palace of Holyroodhouse
On a special Christmas activity day, families visiting The King’s official residence in Scotland can join special crafts activities and enjoy local choirs performing festive songs. Children can explore the Palace of Holyroodhouse and view the Christmas displays including a magnificently decorated Christmas tree in the wood-panelled Throne Room and a grand Christmas table display in the Royal Dining Room.
Taking inspiration from the decorations around the Palace and its beautiful 17th-century plaster ceilings, children can make their own clay decoration for their tree at home in the Palace’s Family Room. Many of the Christmas traditions that we know now were popularised by the Victorians and families can learn more as they try their hand at making a Victorian invention, the Christmas cracker.
By the light of the glittering Nordmann Fir Christmas tree, visitors can see the Great Gallery come to life as they enjoy festive performances by the Edinburgh University Renaissance Singers and the Colonies Choir.
Saturday, 16 December, 10:00–15:00. Choir performances at 11:00 and 14:00.
Enjoy a fantastic family day at Windsor Racecourse this Bank Holiday Monday, with 6 races to keep you on your toes
Racing is Everyone’s Turf. From thrilling sport action to spending time with the family, racing has something for everyone and Under 18s Race Free.
From thrilling sport action and the chance to dress up or down, racing has something for everyone and Under 18s Race Free. From June to September, Britain’s 59 racecourses hold more than 40 family days throughout the summer, with the aim of engaging younger audiences and introducing them to the world of racing with exciting and fun activities.
Enjoy a fantastic family day at Windsor Racecourse this Bank Holiday Monday, with 6 races to keep you on your toes. It will be the perfect day out with plenty of entertainment for the kids, including the chance to walk the racetrack and see horses up close, inflatable fun rides, Braniac’s live science experiments and the chance to meet the mad scientists.
Community concert raises £3,000 for DEC Ukraine Appeal
A community concert, organised by local preparatory school St George’s School Windsor Castle and hosted by Windsor Parish Church, raised over £3,000 for the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Appeal.
Beginning with a champagne and canapé reception, more than 100 parents and members of the local community took their sets for the event on April 28th and enjoyed a stirring rendition of Fauré’s Requiem.
Led by the school’s director of music, James Wilkinson, the 40-minute piece of work was performed by the St George’s School Chamber Choir, accompanied by an ensemble of professional musicians. Four of the senior choristers of St George’s Chapel Windsor Castle, all Year 8 students at the school, joined the stage for the spine-tingling Pie Jesu.
“It was an exceptional and highly poignant performance, perfect for the occasion,” commented William Goldsmith, head of St George’s School Windsor Castle. “As a school with the values of kindness, honesty and courage, we felt rightly compelled to use some of the breadth of talent that exists across the school to support the plight of the people of Ukraine in a positive and meaningful way.”
The money raised, through advance ticket sales and donations on the night, will be given to the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal to help provide food, water, shelter, healthcare and protection for families fleeing conflict in the country.
“We are extremely grateful for all of the generous donations from those who attended, the musicians and performers for donating their time and the support from the school’s parent body and wider community to enable the event to go ahead,” added Goldsmith.
Windsor Parish Church, Brill Media, Run Print Run and Luxe Flowers were among those to support the event.
Further information about St George’s School Windsor Castle can be found at www.stgwindsor.org, or by attending the school’s upcoming open event on Saturday 21 May. Interested families are invited to register for the event via the website or by calling 01753 865553
LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort is opening its newest attraction this Saturday, 30th April – step inside and explore
Take an enchanting new walk-through The LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort’s newest attraction as The Magical Forest opens this weekend.
The immersive experience which marks a new realm in the story of its multi-million pound land, LEGO® MYTHICA: World of Mythical Creatures, is set to capture children’s hearts and imaginations when it opens this weekend.
Model Maker Will Saunders (28) puts the finishing touches to some of the mythical LEGO creatures that populate The Magical Forest, the new immersive walkthrough experience launching at the LEGOLAND ® Windsor Resort this Saturday. Will laid the final bricks to a snappy plant model and the vibrant baby Lava Dragon. All the LEGO ® Models were built using over 80,000 LEGO bricks
The finishing touches have been applied and the swirling vortex of dazzling lights offers a glimpse into how guests will start their adventure in this parallel universe, where LEGO creatures come to life using awesome Augmented Reality (AR) with surprises in store around every corner.
Fan-favourite, Bits & Bobs and the friendly baby Alicorn, will surprise guests as at the enchanted waterfall before they head deep in the heart of The Magical Forest. Guests can also expect to unearth secret LEGO habitats hidden beneath the undergrowth and foliage, but just beware for the giant Venus Fly Trap which can be a little snappy – especially when they first meet intrepid young explorers.
The adventure hots up as first look imagery reveals how the habitat shifts from an enchanted forest to a landscape of lava where guests will come eye to eye with a group of Crystal Claw Crabs and a super-sized LEGO dragon egg, before braving the grand finale by entering the magnificent Lava Dragon’s cave, who is stirring inside.
Activated exclusively via the LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort app, families will set off on an intrepid adventure where an AR overlay takes users on a journey narrated by Bobs as he’s magically brought to life and transforms from LEGO to his real-life form in The Realm. Bobs guides guests along The Magical Forest pathway as you meet other creatures from the realm, including; Crystal Claw Crabs, Baby Lava Dragons, Venus Fly Trap and the incredible Lava Dragon herself.
Families will get to help Bobs find his missing wing, breathe fire like a Baby Lava Dragon, and play with the Crystal Claw Crabs; before witnessing and getting to capture a photo of the amazing mother Lava Dragon in full flight. With each creature, you discover you’ll also add a special virtual card to your digital collection with facts and stats about them.
To celebrate the launch of The Magical Forest there are also two exclusive AR Pop Badges featuring the Crystal Claw Crabs and baby Lava Dragons to collect.
LEGO MYTHICA: World of Mythical Creatures also features the UK’s first ever flying theatre ride, Flight of The Sky Lion, which takes guests on a mind-blowing 4D film adventure on board a flying gondola where they soar, swoop and dive with guardian Maximus on an amazing adventure through the epic world.
The land which is full of epic adventures waiting to be discovered also includes the Fire and Ice Freefall drop tower ride and the exhilarating water ride, Hydra’s Challenge.
Families can book in to enjoy the UK’s first flying theatre ride at the LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort at the end of this month
Gates will open to the new multi-million-pound land, created by kids for kids, on Saturday, 29th May.
Standing at over 25 metres tall, the Flight of the Sky Lion ride is at the heart of LEGO® MYTHICA: World of Mythical Creatures, the hotly anticipated new land which marks the park’s single biggest investment since the resort opened 25 years ago.
Aboard the Flying Theatre ride, families will be taken under the Sky Lion’s wing and transported to the parallel universe of LEGO MYTHICA, where mythical creatures come to life. Standing at 13 metres tall, the equivalent of 325 LEGO Minifigures, are two drop towers and prepare to get wet on Hydra’s Challenge steering your own vessel.
Also not to be missed will be the 13 mythical creatures made from more than 1.7 million bricks by a team of 15 master builders over f 8,649 hours – almost a full year of building. Adorning the Flying Theatre building will be the model of the Sky Lion, Maximus, made of 685,530 bricks. Using the resort’s new augmented reality technology, watch the mythical creatures come to life before your eyes using the LEGOLAND App.
Helen Bull, divisional director at the resort, said: “The country has never needed escapism more than right now and we’ve worked closely with children and their families to make sure our new land delivers thrills for everyone.”
The Resort’s existing 4D Cinema will feature a new and exclusive LEGO MYTHICA film. To book tickets, visit www.legoland.co.uk
