Windsor Castle in Windsor, United Kingdom is England's largest fortress and a principal royal palace, occupies some thirteen acres on its commanding ridge above the Thames. First established by William the Conqueror, its earliest stone ranges were raised by Henry II between 1165 and 1179, centred on the great round keep set upon an artificial motte and flanked by the Lower, Middle, and Upper Wards. The fabric has grown through centuries of royal patronage — from Edward III's foundation of the Order of the Garter and the later St George's Chapel, to Charles II's rebuilding under Hugh May. The castle's present aspect is largely the work of James Wyatt and Sir Jeffry Wyatville in the early nineteenth century, with further refinements by Blore and Salvin in Queen Victoria's reign, all set within its dramatic cliff-top site and terraced eastern gardens. - AsNotedIn