All lit up

Warwick residents may have noticed that the famous Lord Leycester Hospital, the most photographed building in the town, is now illuminated in the evenings, giving a striking entrance to Warwick for anyone approaching via Westgate.

The lighting has been provided by The Warwick Court Leet. It is all low energy LED – apparently it consumes less electricity than one bar of an electric fire. The lights are turned off at 11pm to make sure local residents aren’t kept awake!

The Lord Leycester is a fascinating collection of buildings, including the medieval Chapel of St. James built in 1126. In the late 1300s it was rebuilt by the 12th Earl of Warwick. The Guildhall was added alongside in 1450. The Guilds ran the town until Henry VIII dispersed them, but the property had already been transferred to the Burgesses of Warwick by Thomas Oken and remained the administrative centre. 

In 1571 Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester, acquired the building as a retirement home (‘hospital’) for old soldiers. They were called the Brethren, and there are brethren resident there to this day.

In return for the Guildhall, the Earl gave the town several other buildings including the Jury Street Court House which became the Mayor’s Parlour and the Town Hall, as it is to this day. It was rebuilt in the early 1700s after the Great Fire of Warwick.

The Court House is also illuminated in the evenings, with back light on the statue of justice. So now there are two fine buildings illuminated after dark at each end of Warwick High Street, and St. Mary’s Church tower is also lit in the evenings. Warwick is a fine sight at night.