Summer visit to The Lord Leycester Hospital
at 1pm on Thursday 19th, June 2025
Welford and Weston Local History Society
(www.welfordandweston.org.uk)
Newsletter 98 – Apr 16th 2025
Dear History Society member,
I am pleased to announce that bookings are now open for our summer visit this year, on Thursday 19th June, to the recently restored Lord Leycester Hospital in Warwick.
The Royal Hospital Chelsea with its pensioners in their scarlet coloured livery are famous worldwide but The Lord Leycester is a much older, quieter and smaller forerunner of this most English of institutions. However, both have stood the test of time and still provide a place of sanctuary for those who have sacrificed to serve their country.
Over 700 years ago the Guilds of Warwick built their headquarters – a conference room, a banqueting hall, a mansion for the Master of the Guilds, storage rooms and lodgings for travellers. The Guildsmen built this splendid example of medieval half-timbered buildings with trees felled in the 1200’s from forests across England. Today the site survives intact and tops the list of most complete and important medieval buildings in the British Isles.
Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
What makes it such a gem is the enduring communities that have lived within the walls since the 1300’s. First came the Guilds and then the Earl of Leicester, Robert Dudley, who was a favourite of Elizabeth I. Dudley founded the Lord Leycester Hospital in 1571 – a philanthropic community of a Master and twelve Brethren. Coming from the ranks of soldiers injured in Tudor wars, the Brethren were deserving recipients of Dudley’s philanthropy. Today, the Master and Brethren still live in the community of the Lord Leycester established by Robert Dudley. Within the honey-coloured half-timbered walls it is as if time stood still: The Master and Brethren wearing Tudor livery and adhering to an ancient way of life.
Please complete this form to reserve your place
** Please make cheques payable to Welford & Weston Local History Society
and return to our Treasurer, Dave Holmes, Peacehaven, Binton Rd CV37 8PR
or our Chair, Karen Dickinson, The Old Forge, Chapel Street, CV37 8PX
.
Buildings that are over 700 years old need repair and restoration from time to time. In 2017, it was time to launch a third major capital works project to repair and improve the Lord Leycester. With over £5m of funding from major grant makers including the National Heritage Lottery Fund, the Lord Leycester has restored the fabric of the building and enhanced the visitor experience. Accessibility has been improved across the medieval site and the exhibition spaces have been modernised to showcase the rich history like never before.
We will be escorted on this wonderful guided tour by the Master himself – one of a long line of veterans who have lived on this site since the Tudor age. Your 90 minute tour will explain the history of the site, the lifestyle of the Master and Brethren through the centuries and glimpses into a centuries old way of life.
Accessibility
Because it is a medieval site with 700 year old buildings it is important to mention access! There is a lift to the second floor galleries if visitors need it but access to the chapel is by stairs only. (There’s a 3D model of the chapel for those who can’t do stairs!)
Parking and toilets
Please note that this is a self-drive event. There is no onsite parking but visitors can be dropped off in the Cul de Sac right next to the Lord Leycester– a 20 meter walk to the front gate. City Centre parking is available nearby or there is street parking on the A429 Stratford Road / West Street. Accessible toilets are available
Price and How to Book
The price for this trip will be £30.00 for members, and £35.00 for non-members. This includes entry to the venue, guided tour and a delicious cream tea including hibiscus fizz!
There are 40 places available on this trip. Please book early to avoid disappointment.
If you would like to join us for this trip, please complete the booking form below and indicate whether you have spare capacity in your car for others to join you. Alternatively indicate whether you would like a lift.
This is a great opportunity for a super tour – I hope to see you there
Karen Dickinson
If you have any questions or concerns, please get in touch
karen@mflp.co.uk 07970 179821
- Account Name : Welford and Weston Local history society
- Sort Code : 09-01-54
- Account number : 83103284
- Reference : Your name
