This vast room was built in tribute to the success of the forces of Great Britain, Austria, Prussia and Russia at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815 when Napoleon Bonaparte was finally defeated.
The panelled walls of the Waterloo Chamber are applied with limewood carvings, most of which date from the 1680s, carved by Grinling Gibbons and his assistants. They were salvaged from the former Royal chapel during its demolition in the 1820s.
The ingenious roof is reminiscent of a ship’s timbers.
The Indian carpet was woven for this room by the inmates of Agra prison for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, finally reaching Windsor in 1894. Thought to be the largest seamless carpet in existence, it weighs two tonnes. During the 1992 fire it took 50 soldiers to roll it up and move it to safety.
The garter Luncheon, given by The Queen for the Knights and Ladies of the Garter, is held here each June. The table is set for fifty to sixty guests with magnificent gilt dining silver, and the guests are entertained by a band which plays on the balcony.
The Virtual Room
