Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, is to open its East Terrace Garden to the public for the first time in more than 40 years.

Visitors to the castle will be able to tour the garden – whose highlights include 3,500 rose bushes planted around a central fountain – on weekends during August and September.

Created in the 1820s, the garden boasts a colourful history having served different monarchs’ tastes through the ages.

Windsor Castle was founded by William the Conqueror in the 11th Century. The first garden built there was created in 1824 during the reign of George IV. Before that, in the Middle Ages, it would have been the defensive ditch, according to Richard Williams, Learning Curator at Windsor Castle.

The gardens were later extensively remodelled by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in the 19th century, although Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth, is responsible for the current appearance of the garden dating from 1971.

Rosa Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief. She writes about lifestyle including sustainable and green living.