Macdonald Hotel

The Macdonald Windsor Hotel is one of Windsor’s best hotels. Originally, in April 1823, number 19 High Street was taken over by John Caley. The Caley family were originally dressmakers and milliners and ran their business in Windsor until 1919 when the next in line to take it over died in hospital after serving in World War I. It was then bought up by Selfridge Provincial Stores. In 1940 John Lewis bought up Selfridges’ businesses along the High Street, and added a jewellery store. Caleys held Royal Warrants for supplying The Queen and The Queen Mother with ‘household and fancy goods’, the Queen Mother adding ‘millinery’ to the citation. Eventually the location, size and layout of the shop made profitable trading impossible. They closed in July 2006. In 2010 the site was re-developed to include the Macdonald Windsor Hotel, entered where the jewellers’ shop used to be, as well as a TK Maxx department store and Esquires coffee shop. The hotel is known for its green initiatives, offers a range of 2,500 digital newspapers and magazines. Bees are kept on the roof to provide fresh honey for the guests.