History in the Sunshine – Unlocking Warwick

On 18th September, in bright sunshine, 15 members of a U3A Group from Dorridge enjoyed a specially arranged Court House Tour with Unlocking Warwick.

In the morning they had visited the fascinating Warwickshire Yeomanry Museum in the Court House basement, with curator Philip Wilson explaining the history of the county’s volunteer cavalry regiment.

During the afternoon tour, they heard about the history of the administration of the county town on this site at the central crossroads, and the building of the present Grade-1 listed building by Francis Smith in 1725 after The Great Fire of Warwick.

Guide Sue Rigby told of the founding of the town by King Alfred the Great’s daughter, Aethelflaed

The group from Dorridge said they’d found the tour really interesting and enjoyable.

Special tours for community groups can usually be arranged and cost nothing. They usually last just 45 minutes, and introduce visitors to the origins of Warwick as a fortress town in Saxon times and its development over the past 1100 years.

The next Court House Tours will be on Saturday 21st September during Heritage Open Days Weekend. The free tours around the Court House/Town Hall in Jury Street will begin at 11am and 2pm.

There’s no need to book in advance; just turn up at the Visitor Information Centre and as you stroll round the outside of the building, hear an introduction to the history of Warwick, and the place of the Court House in the town’s development. The weather promises to be warm and sunny once again.