WARWICK , just eight miles northeast of
Stratford and easily reached by bus and train, is famous for
its massive castle, but it also possesses several charming streetscapes
erected in the aftermath of a great fire in 1694, as well as
an especially fine church chancel. An hour or two is quite enough
time to nose around the compact town centre, but you'll need
the whole day if, braving the crowds, you're also set on exploring
the castle. Either way, Warwick is the perfect day-trip from
Stratford.
Towering above the River
Avon at the foot of the town centre, Warwick Castle (daily: April-Oct
10am-6pm; Nov-March 10am-5pm) is locally proclaimed the "greatest
medieval castle in Britain" and, if bulk equals greatness,
then the claim is certainly valid, although much of the existing
structure is the result of extensive nineteenth-century restoration.
It's likely that the first fortress here was raised by Ethelfleda,
daughter of Alfred the Great, in about 915 AD, but things really
took off with the Normans, who built a large motte and bailey
towards the end of the eleventh century. Almost three hundred
years later, the eleventh Earl of Warwick turned the stronghold
into a formidable stone castle, complete with elaborate gatehouses,
multiple turrets and a keep.
The entrance to the castle
is through the old stable block, beyond which a footpath leads
round to the imposing east gate. Over the footbridge - and beyond
the protective towers - is the main courtyard. You can stroll
along the ramparts and climb the towers, but most visitors head
straight for one or other of the special displays installed inside
by the present owners, Madame Tussauds. The most popular of these
displays is the "Royal Weekend Party, 1898", an extravaganza
of waxwork nobility hobnobbing in the private apartments which
were rebuilt in the 1870s after fire damage. Another display,
"Kingmaker - a preparation for Battle", adds smells
and atmospheric sounds to a waxwork scene of the preparations
for Richard Earl of Warwick's - as in "Warwick the Kingmaker"
- final battle in 1471.
Re-emerging from the castle
at the stables, Castle Street leads up the hill for a few yards
to its junction with the High Street. Turn left and it's a brief
stroll to another outstanding building, the Lord Leycester Hospital
(June-Sept Tues-Sun 10am-5pm; Oct-May Tues-Sun 10am-4pm), a tangle
of half-timbered buildings that lean at fairy-tale angles against
the old West Gate. The complex represents one of Britain's best-preserved
examples of domestic Elizabethan architecture. It was established
as a hostel for old soldiers by the Earl of Leicester, a favourite
of Queen Elizabeth I, and incorporates several beamed buildings,
principally in the Great Hall and the Guildhall, as well as a
wonderful galleried courtyard and an intimate chantry chapel.
Doubling back along the
High Street, turn left up Church Street - opposite Castle Street
- for St Mary's church (daily 10am-5pm, 4pm in winter; £1
donation suggested), which was rebuilt in a weird Gothic-Renaissance
amalgam after the fire of 1694. One part remained untouched,
however - the chancel , a glorious specimen of the Perpendicular
style with a splendid vaulted ceiling of flying and fronded ribs.
On the right-hand side of the chancel, the Beauchamp Chapel contains
several beautiful tombs, exquisite works of art beginning with
that of Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, who is depicted in
an elaborate suit of armour of Italian design from the tip of
his swan helmet down. The adjacent tomb of Ambrose Dudley is
of finely carved alabaster, as is that of Robert Dudley, Earl
of Leicester, one of Elizabeth I's most influential advisers.
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