Lord Leycester Hospital is one of the town of Warwick‘s great medieval treasures, formerly a home for the Brethren (injured military heroes of Queen Elizabeth I‘s wars), and the pride and joy of Sir Robert Dudley, Earl of Leycester, from 1571, the time when he first took it over to please Elizabeth.
It is now not only a historical vision on Warwick’s high street, adjoining Warwick’s West Gate and medieval wall, but also a hugely popular film location. You will have seen Dr Who and Martha, Mr Darcy, Ebenezer Scrooge, Luella Shakespeare and Frank Hathaway along with Sebastian and a sprinkling of strange clients, all making their way around the precincts and courtyard of the Lord Leycester Hospital. It is one of my favourite places in Warwick, an amazing survival from the 1694 Great Fire of Warwick, and it features in all my three Warwickshire books published by Amberley.
The Lord Leycester Hospital has now been through an extensive programme of changes; rooms hitherto inaccessible to the public have been opened up, and the Brethren’s Kitchen has been restored to its original state as a medieval kitchen:
while the cafe has moved to a new location in the Great Hall.
A room in the Master’s House has been opened as a museum:
and you may study a wealth of information about the history of Lord Leycester Hospital alongside a timeline of major national events for the last 900 years.
There are also experiential exhibits and videos to enjoy:
So the experience of visiting Lord Leycester Hospital has been transformed.
In the Chapel over the West Gate, you may choose different examples of music from each of six centuries to listen to.
Then, if you make your way through the doorway at the rear of the chapel, you will walk along on top of Warwick’s remaining medieval, wall, to the Master’s Garden.
Finally, enjoy the Master’s Garden which still makes a big impact on you even in winter when the branches and flower beds are bare.
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- All photos of the Lord Leycester Hospital on this blog post are taken by Sheila Robinson 0n 19 December 2023.
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