By Elliott West
Introduction
Windsor Castle has long been a favourite residence for the royal family to stay part of their year in. Unlike the hustle and bustle of London’s Buckingham Palace, the castle provides the Queen with a tranquillity that is much needed in her working life. Often described as a “fairytale castle”, it is one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture and houses some of the best paintings, including works by Rubens and Holbein. It also has a magnificent medieval chapel, St George’s Chapel, where the Queen’s husband Philip, was recently laid to rest.
The Billiard Room
What is less known is that Windsor Castle had its own billiards room. Now known as the Court Post Office, the Billiard Room is situated on the ground floor of the state apartments facing the North Terrace and is directly under the west end of the Throne Room in the State Apartments. In an unconventional location, the billiard table is made from wood salvaged from HMS Royal George, which sank at Spithead in 1782 with the loss of 800 lives, being raised in 1841.
It was at the time considered by some to be inappropriate and in bad taste to have a table made from the wreck of the ship. However, despite the wood being ordered to be used in the new Royal Chapel instead, it appears that this directive was never carried out.
This room has seen many changes in history over the years and has been functional throughout the reign of Queen Victoria to the current Queen, Elizabeth. Lavishly decorated, the Billiard Room survived the fire that raged through the castle in 1992 and caused £36.5 million of damage to the property. The room, dominated by a large billiard table with a low-hanging candelabra, originally had a leather sofa at the end of the room with billiard stick stands positioned in suitable places and had a large oval mirror over the fireplace and has decorative cornices.
During his life, Prince Philip was a regular user of the Billiard Room and both himself and his wife loved watching snooker. Philip, through his charity work, encouraged working with the young and his first endeavour as patronage was with the London Federation of Boys’ Clubs, where he is pictured talking to teenagers around a snooker table.
Summary
The Billiard Room at Windsor Castle is one of many examples of early cue sports’ history that still exists in this country. Great table manufacturers such as Thurstons, received royal approval from Queen Victoria and provided many of the tables that still exist in the various royal residential homes. One of the hidden treasures of the castle, the Billiard Room remains enshrined in time and a precious example of how the monarchy treasured this past time as one of their leisurely pursuits. One of the 1000 rooms that graces Windsor Castle.
