Visiting the Court House

Unlocking Warwick’s Court House Tour on 4th May, Bank Holiday Saturday, was attended by visitors from the local area, including Alcester, Leamington and Southam, and also by a couple from as far away as Preston in Lancashire. 

Guides Sue and Paula decided to stay inside the building on this occasion, because there was a very chilly northerly breeze blowing outside, and it was cosier inside. 

They briefly told the history of Warwick from its founding in 914 as a fortified town by Aethelflaeda, the Lady  of the Mercians, and the way the corporation was created to replace the old Guilds in the 16th century. The Court House/Town Hall was constructed at the central crossroads by Francis Smith thirty years after the Great Fire of Warwick had destroyed much of the centre of the town. Now a Grade-1 listed building, it was restored and reopened five years ago. 

Visitors saw the Town Council Chamber and the Regency Ballroom, which was the centre of high society social life throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, and is now used for a wide range of community activities and private functions.

The next Court House Tour will be on the second bank holiday Saturday of this month – May 25th. It is free to attend and lasts from 11am to 11.45am. There’s no need to book; just turn up at the Visitor Information Centre in Jury Street.