Lord Leycester Hospital

Lord Leycester Hospital is a medieval complex with half-timbered buildings and wooden galleries organized around a central courtyard decorated with heraldic crests. The main hall once served as an important meeting space and remains a striking feature within the arrangement.

Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, founded this institution in 1571 with a royal charter from Queen Elizabeth I to house retired soldiers and their wives. The buildings themselves trace their origins to medieval structures that evolved and adapted over centuries.

The buildings started as the meeting place for Warwick's merchant guilds, where local traders and craftspeople gathered to conduct business. Visitors can still sense how the space was designed to bring these communities together.

The site welcomes visitors from Tuesday through Sunday, with guided tours available to explain the various rooms and their history. Most visitors find two to three hours is enough time to explore at a relaxed pace.

The complex escaped destruction during the Great Fire of 1694 when favorable winds protected its wooden structures while much of Warwick burned. This makes it one of the few places where you can see buildings that survived this turning point in the town's history.