Have you ever wanted to go behind the scenes of one of the Royal Households?
As undergraduates at the Edge Hotel School we were thrilled to be invited, not only to visit Windsor Castle, but also to gain an exclusive insight into the unique housekeeping operations and a special tour.
The day began with a tour from David and Barry. With fountains of knowledge, wit and charm, they kept us informed and entertained throughout the morning. David answered our endless questions with a funny and memorable story.
We were all blown away by the eclectic heritage of Windsor Castle as we walked through the public areas where visiting heads of state meet Her Majesty the Queen.
To our delight and amazement, we were fortunate enough to be granted access to the library located in the private quarters, steeped in history with works dated back to the 14th century and gifts donated to Her Majesty. Librarians Oliver and Bridget gave a presentation on the literature and work they look after before showing us around. We were all grateful to them for taking the time to show us particular pieces – the works by Leonardo Da Vinci generated a lot of interest!
Our morning tour finished in the impressive kitchen, learning about the history behind it and how it operates for state visits – we even heard a few stories of how Chef Mark Flanagan and his team cater for such events.
Our afternoon had a key focus on the housekeeping operations and how the team at Windsor Castle preserve the interior and keep it looking so perfect. We started off by going down to the laundry room, where linen dating back to 1901 is looked after by expert professionals who obviously take great pride and care in their work. The attention to detail, as you would expect, is so precise. We were informed that organisation is crucial to their success.
Jennifer, who specialises in preservation as part of the housekeeping team, presented our afternoon session. Jennifer shared her experiences with us and explained the challenges they faced when caring for the Royal House. The science behind the methods used and the depth of her work intrigued us. The housekeeping team at Windsor Castle uses technology to monitor the humidity, temperature and light in each room to ensure the correct cleaning techniques are employed to upkeep furniture to the highest of standards.
The team uses cleaning brushes made of hog’s hair, horsehair, pony hair and goat’s hair, according to the type of surface. It was interesting to learn just how much detail must be considered. To fully clean one public room can take up to two days!
From start to finish our host Lorraine made it not only an educational but enjoyable visit; she was also very approachable and personable, providing interesting information and answering all our questions. Lorraine has also been kind enough to offer Edge Hotel School students the opportunity to gain work experience at Windsor Castle, which is a fantastic and exciting opportunity!
It’s safe to say all of the students found it a unique and unforgettable experience. Incredible!
Below are some thoughts on the day from some of our fellow students:
“Eye-opening, and an unforgettable experience. Extremely grateful to all who took time to share their experience and explain the history of Windsor Castle and stories with us.” – Sarah Oatridge
“Thank you very much for an exciting and insightful day, it is great to see how housekeeping differs at the Royal Household from areas of the hotel sector” – George Moison
“I felt very privileged to have visited Windsor Castle; I found it interesting to learn about the different elements to obtain high standards within housekeeping.” – Emily Billings
“I thought it was amazing to see drawings from Leonardo Da Vinci, that no one else from the public have seen in the last four years. Overall the experience was memorable and I would recommend it to all. ”- Blake Carter
“Visiting Windsor Castle was a valuable and eye opening trips, the back of house operations are incredible and we are privileged to have seen them” – Maisy Bedford
