2-982-524 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Great Brass Gun taken from the Chinese, just placed on the North Terrace, Windsor Castle, 1858. A '...monster piece of ordnance which on Wednesday week was taken from Woolwich to Windsor Castle, by command of her Majesty [Queen Victoria]. The gun was taken during the late [Opium] war from the Chinese, and brought to England by the ship Sibyl. It is an admirable piece of workmanship, in brass, and weighs upwards of seven tons. Its length is 13½ feet, girth 7 feet 3 inches, and 12 inches in the bore. It requires upwards of 30 lb. of powder to load it, and it will carry a ball of 200lb. weight. The value of the brass alone is estimated at between £500 and £600'. From "Illustrated London News", 1858.