Warwick
Warwick (
pronounced ) is the historic county town of
Warwickshire in
England and has a population of 25,434 (2001 census). The town lies upon the
River Avon and is located 18 km (11 miles) south of
Coventry and 4 km (2.5 miles) west of
Leamington Spa.
The town is most famous for the impressive
Warwick Castle, the construction of which began in 1068, which attracts huge numbers of tourists from around the world. The town centre is also known for its historic architecture, and contains a mixture of
Tudor and
17th-century buildings.
Warwick School is an
independent school for boys which claims to be the third-oldest surviving school in England. The actual date of its founding is unknown, although 914 has been quoted in some cases. For some years the school honoured the fact that King
Edward the Confessor (c.1004-1066) chartered it, although there is no direct evidence for this, and
King Henry VIII re-founded the school in
1545. Whatever the truth of the matter, there is no doubt that there has been a grammar school in the town of Warwick since before the
Norman Conquest, and its successor, the present school, has been on its current site south of the
River Avon since 1879.
Warwick School is part of the Warwick Schools Foundation along with The King's High School For Girls and Warwick Preparatory School. Other secondary schools in Warwick include
Myton School and Aylesford School, both state run co-ed.
The
University of Warwick is somewhat confusingly named after the 'county' of Warwickshire, rather than the town, and is in fact situated several miles north on the southern outskirts of
Coventry.
Warwick is also known for
Warwick Racecourse, near the west gate of the medieval town which hosts several televised meets a year. Within the racecourse is a small golfcourse.
According to tradition, Warwick was founded on the banks of the River Avon in the year
914 AD, when
Ethelfleda, sister of
Mercian king
Edward the Elder built defences against
Danish (Viking) invaders; these were to be the basis of
Warwick Castle. The name 'Warwick' means "dwellings by the
weir".
In
1016 the Danes invaded Mercia and burned down much of Warwick, including the
nunnery (which stood on the site of the present day St Nicholas Church).
Its fortifications led Warwick to become an important administrative centre within the Mercian kingdom. In the early
11th century Anglo-Saxon England was divided into administrative areas known as
shires, and the shire administered from Warwick became known as
Warwickshire. By the time of
Domesday Book, Warwick was a royal borough.
In
medieval times, Warwick remained under the control of various
Earls of Warwick, mostly of the Beauchamp family, and became a walled town. Today the only remains of the town walls are the east and west gatehouses. The Eastgate now serves as part of the
King's High School, a sister institution to Warwick School. Warwick was not incorporated as a town until
1545.
 |
The Eastgate, Warwick |
During the
English Civil War the town and castle were garrisoned for Parliament, Sir Edward Peyto withstanding a two week siege by the Royalists. Later musters from 1644 to 1646 record a garrison of up to 350 men under the command of Colonel Purefoy and Major John Bridges. (SP 28/121A-123)In
1694 a great fire destroyed much of the town, and as a result most of the buildings in the town centre are of 17th and 18th century origin, although a number of older medieval buildings survive, especially around the edges of the town centre.
The fire burnt down much of the medieval
church of St Mary; both the chancel and the Beauchamp Chapel, however, survived, the latter having been built between 1443 and 1464 according to the wishes of
Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick (who had died in Rouen in 1439). A full size reclining copper gilt effigy of the Earl lies upon his Purbeck marble tomb - a fine piece of medieval metalwork cast in 1459.
Warwick is near the
M40 motorway and the
A46 trunk road. The town also has good
rail links, with direct services to
London,
Birmingham and
Stratford-upon-Avon provided by
Chiltern Railways from
Warwick Station in the town and also from
Warwick Parkway, a new out-of-town station opened in
2000 a few miles from the town. The other rail operator serving Warwick is
Central Trains (to Birmingham and Stratford). The
Grand Union Canal and the
River Avon also pass through the town.
Population growth has led to Warwick becoming joined to its larger neighbouring town
Leamington Spa with which it forms a small
conurbation. Both towns are now administered as part of the
Warwick District, which has its headquarters in Leamington, although each retains a separate
town council. Warwickshire County Council remains based in Warwick itself.
J. R. R. Tolkien seems to have been very influenced by Warwick (where he was married) and by its Mercian connections: Lynn Forest-Hill, in an article in the
Times Literary Supplement (TLS 8 July 2005 pp 12-13) argues cogently that two important settlements in Tolkien's work were modelled on Warwick -
Edoras closely on the early town, and
Minas Tirith more remotely on the Norman; and that aspects of the plot of the
Lord of the Rings are paralleled in the romance known as
Guy of Warwick.
Warwick and its historic buildings have featured in a number of television series, including the
BBC's drama series
Dangerfield, the period dramas
Pride and Prejudice and
Tom Jones and
Granada Television's
Moll Flanders.
Warwick has many, long established sports clubs including
Warwick Hockey Club which was founded in 1920 and
Racing Club Warwick F.C. founded a year earlier.
Emscote, Woodloes Park, The Cape, Packmores, Bridge End
*
Warwick Castle*
Lord Leycester hospital*
Lord Leycester hotel*
The Warwickshire Museum*
Collegiate Church of St Mary*
Warwick,
Rhode Island*
Saumur,
Pays de la Loire*
Verden,
Lower Saxony*
Warwickshire's Railways - the history of the county's railways from 1838 to 1968*
Warwick Town Council*
A collection of photos of Warwick*
Warwick School*
Warwickshire web directory*
Views of Warwick in Old Postcards
