30 years of Windsor Castle fire: From destruction to restoration, see images

This weekend marks 30 years since a massive fire that caused the Royal Family millions of pounds to restore badly damaged Windsor Castle. At 11:30 am, the fire started to spread after a hot lamp set a curtain on fire, interrupting the Queen and Prince Philip's wedding anniversary.

Due to a lack of fire-fighting equipment, Windsor Castle was vulnerable to significant damage from the fire. The fire quickly spread to other areas of the estate, including Brunswick Tower and St. George's Hall. By the afternoon, the floors of Brunswick Tower had fallen down, and, by the time it was 6:30 pm, the tower was completely covered up by the flames, reaching heights of 15 meters.

St. George's Hall also collapsed shortly after that. It took until the early hours of November 21 for the fire to be completely doused. For the benefit of the royal family, Windsor Castle maintained a 20-man fire department that was situated two miles distant.

However, it ultimately took about ten times as many men to put out the fire, with help from the fire departments of Berkshire, Surrey, Oxfordshire, and London.

Despite the fire's extensive devastation, the royals were able to salvage some priceless items like jewellery and pieces of art. However, two pieces were misplaced. One was a rosewood sideboard, while the other was a Sir William Beechey portrait of George III from 1798.

To carry items to safety, Prince Andrew reportedly organized a human chain. The public saw images of the Queen inspecting the extent of the damage the following morning while donning her renowned hooded mackintosh.

At first, the entire nation came together to support her. However, the issue became even more divisive when the government declared it would pay for the restoration. This was anticipated to cost between £20 million and £40 million at the time.

In the end, the repairs cost a staggering £36 million. However, the public opening of Buckingham Palace helped raise 70% of this. The Queen reportedly spent £2 million of her funds, according to reports.

On November 20, 1997—exactly five years after the fire started and on the occasion of the Queen and Prince Philip's 50th wedding anniversary—repair work was formally completed.

FAQs:

1. How long did the repair work take?
   The repair work took 5 long years.
2. What was the cost of repair work?
   The repairs cost a staggering £36 million.