Warwick and Castle
 Castles |
Dominating the town is Warwick Castle, a majestic 14th century fortification with massive walls, towers and turrets, mirrored in the restful waters of the River Avon, above which the castle stands. Recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086, much of the original castle was destroyed during the Barons' revolt of 1264 - most of the present castle dates from the 14th century. Warwick Castle was converted into a 'house' in the 17th century, and the present Earl of Warwick, like his predecessors, lives there - it remains one of the few continuously inhabited medieval fortresses. The castle's history, and its fortunes, fluctuated with the rise and fall of its owners over the centuries. The Beauchamp family were responsible for most of the fortifications visible today.
Caesar's Tower, completed in 1356, housed French prisoners captured in the Battle of Poitiers. From the top of the 147ft tower boiling pitch and quick lime was poured onto attacking forces. The Duke of Clarence built the Bear Tower and Clarence Tower, before succumbing to a butt of malmsey wine in the Tower of London - according to Shakespeare. During the 16th century the castle deteriorated, reflecting the quality of those holding the title of Earl of Warwick. An example is John Dudley, who lost the castle together with his head, when trying to put Lady Jane Grey on the throne in place of Mary Tudor. Early in the 17th century the castle passed to Sir Fulke Greville; his successors were granted the earldom in 1759 and the title has remained with the Greville's ever since. The castle's 'Ghost Tower' reveals the dark secrets surrounding the fatal stabbing of Sir Fulke, whose unhappy spirit is said to haunt the tower.
Warwick Castle has two faces - the grim forbidding walls and towers with their dungeons and trappings of war, and the grandeur of its state apartments. Below Caesar's Tower one can visit the original dungeons, with their grisly torture chambers, and see inscriptions carved on the walls by Royalist prisoners held during the Civil War. In the Armoury is a helmet once worn by Oliver Cromwell and the sword of Guy of Warwick, a Saxon knight who vanquished marauding Danes by slaying their giant warrior, Colbrand. In contrast, the sumptuous State Rooms house some wonderful art treasures, including examples of Holbein, Rubens and Velasquez. The Great Hall, 62ft long, 45ft wide and 40ft high dominates the apartments; it has a floor of red-and-white Venetian marble, laid in 1830. Even in this room a chilling note is sounded - Oliver Cromwell's death mask is on display. Breathtaking views across the county may be had from the castle ramparts, and there is much for the visitor to explore within the 60 acres of grounds.
In the town of Warwick, one of the finest buildings is Oken's House, a 15th century black-and-white fronted structure near the castle wall, which houses the popular Doll Museum. Two of Warwick's medieval town gateways survive, complete with chapels. The West Gate Chapel forms a part of Lord Leycester's Hospital, a cluster of precariously tottering 15th century half-timbered almshouses, leaning out over a cobbled pavement, and enclosing a pretty courtyard with galleries. At the other end of the High Street is the 15th century East Gate, with St Peter's Chapel above. Warwickshire Museum is housed in a 17th century market hall, and offers displays of the geology, history and natural history of the county. Originally built in arches to provide cover for stallholders, in the 19th century it was railed off and used for the stocks. These stocks were on wheels, the culprit pulled them into the railed space before being locked in - they were still in use in 1872 as a punishment for drunkenness. The Shire Hall contains two courtrooms linked with the County Gaol next door. Here, the dungeon dating from 1680, is a single room with one grating permitting of light and air to enter. As many as 50 prisoners were shackled to a single chain, connected to posts, running up the steps and secured above; the groove worn by the chain is visible on the top step. Grim reminders of a grim past.
The splendid medieval church of St Mary, sited at the town's highest point, contains the striking fan-vaulted Beauchamp Chapel. The chapel was built to house the tomb of Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, who died in 1439 - the tomb is one of the finest of the medieval period in Britain. Purbeck marble was used for the base, while a cage of hoops and bars around the effigy was designed to support a velvet pall. The nave and tower of St Mary's Church were built by Sir William Wilson, between 1698 and 1704. The 174ft high tower stands on arches straddling the road and is in Gothic style.