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Big Royal Dig

Windsor Castle

Statue of Edward III at Windsor Castle
Statue of Edward III at
Windsor Castle
Photo: Ancient Art &
Architecture Collection
Ltd
The Round Table

Edward III was brought up on a literary diet of Arthurian legends. He liked them enormously and determined to establish himself as a latter day Arthur, ruling a land imbued with the spirit of chivalry.

The iconic epicentre of this Arthurian conceit was one of the most mysterious buildings in English history – the one that housed Edward III's Round Table. Constructed at Windsor as part of the headquarters of his newly formed Order of the Garter (still in existence today, the Order was an association of the most important and powerful nobles in the country), the building was designed to house a huge circular table. Around this Edward would gather the Knights of the Garter to discuss important matters of state – not least the military campaigns against the French in the Hundred Years War.

Contemporary accounts suggest the building, which stood for less than half a century, was built during Edward III's remodelling of the Upper Ward. These accounts appear to describe a circular structure at least 200 feet in diameter. The exact whereabouts of this building has puzzled historians and archaeologists for centuries. But a parch mark on an aerial photograph has given archaeologists a tantalising lead. Could the remains of Edward III's round table lie under the lawns of the Upper Ward at Windsor?

The lawn, which lies in the private area of the palace, directly outside the Queen's private apartments, has been geophysically surveyed, and a number of interesting features have emerged. These include a curved stone feature, which could be extrapolated to form part of a circle approximately 200 feet in diameter...

Over the bank holiday weekend, Time Team intends to excavate this and the other geophysical features on what must be the poshest lawn in the country.

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