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Marbeck's,
a brick and timber building perched on the top of Windsor
Castle's West wall, has a commanding view over the River
Thames, Eton and the Western approaches to London. Built
by the House of Lancaster during the reign of Henry V, (1413-1422)
the house on this site was probably erected as part of St.
George's College.
Half
hidden behind the Horseshoe Cloisters, Marbeck's shares
its courtyard with St. George's House and Chapel and the
Chapter Library. The Chapter Library is presumed to be where
William Shakespeare rehearsed and performed The Merry Wives
of Windsor which was written for Queen Elizabeth I. This
whole corner of the castle has been the site of houses and
other buildings of St. George's College for over six hundred
years, evidence of a thriving yet separate community within
the castle.
Now
a private residence, Marbeck's was named after John Marbeck,
the organist for St. George's Chapel in 1541. He was also
a composer and his was the first musical setting of the
new liturgy in English. In 1543, Marbeck, with three other
men, fell victim to a heresy hunt in Windsor and was condemned
to death. While the others were all burned at the stake,
Marbeck was reprieved by the intervention of influential
friends.
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