England
Warwickshire

Lord Leycester's Hospital, Warwick

Summary
A collection of superb half timbered medieval buildings established as a home for aged and infirm soldiers by Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, in 1571.

The Hospital is not one building, but a collection of buildings just inside the medieval Westgate to the town of Warwick. in the late 14th century Thomas Beauchamp, 12th Earl of Warwick built a chantry chapel dedicated to St James over the gatehouse. This chapel was given to the Guild of St George in 1383 to act as its chantry chapel. Another of Warwick's guilds, the Guild of the Blessed Virgin, joined with the Guild of St George. The size of the resultant guild, which became the United Guilds of Warwick, meant that expanded quarters were needed for meetings and other guild functions. So a range of buildings were constructed to provide meeting rooms, dining areas, and living quarters.

Henry VIII disbanded the United Guilds in 1546, and the guild buildings might well have been lost to the crown. The Master of the United Guilds, however, one Thomas Oken, saw the end coming and transferred ownership of the guild property at Westgate to the Burgesses of Warwick (the Tudor equivilent of a modern town council).

The buildings did not stay with the Burgesses for long, however; in 1571 Robert Dudley, favourite of Queen Elizabeth, purchased the property and, under royal charter, created a home for 12 aged or infirm soldiers and their wives. To administer the 'Hospital', a corporation was established, with a Master overseeing operations. The corporation was endowed with estates which at that time produced an annual income of £200.

The Hospital was divided into seperate quarters for the Brethren residents. And so things stayed for almost 400 years, with the corporation administering the Hospital under a charter laid down by Lord Leycester (the Earl of Leicester). In 1954 the Corporation was abolished, replaced by a Board of Governors, and the Hospital was refitted and modernized. The number of living quartes was reduced to 8 rather than the original 12, and the remodelled Hospital was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, in 1966.

Though it has been modernized, the original purpose of Lord Leycester's Hospital has remained unchanged. It provides living quarters for 8 ex-servicemen and their familis. In exchange for the living space, the residents contribute yto the administration amd upkep of the Hospital. The original estates which were supposed to provide income for the Hospital were sold off over the centuries, and today Lord Leycester's Hospital depends on visitors fees and charitable gifts.

The architecture of the half-timbered buildings is quite superb, with some excellent roofing and entry porches to the living areas. Within the centre of the compound lies the Master's Garden, a quiet, peaceful green space planted by the wife of a former Master.

Lord Leycester's Hospital is located at the western end of High Street, just inside the Westgate. As you enter, spare a glance across the High Street where further medieval buildings still stand. In the same group of buildings that houses Lord Leycester's Hospital is the Queen's Own Hussars Museum.

Entry:
Fee charged

Details
Lord Leycester's Hospital
60 High Street
Warwick
Warwickshire
England

Location: At the west end of High Street, just inside the medieval West Gate
Website: Lord Leycester's Hospital
Email: lordleycester@btinternet.com
OS SP2864