School Tour of Court House

On 25th January, Children from Warwick’s All Saints Junior School escaped from the classroom for a while to take part in specially organised tours of the Jury Street Court House, to learn a little about the history of the town.

Two classes of eight and nine year olds divided into smaller groups to visit the Warwickshire Yeomanry Museum in the basement , the Visitor Centre, the Regency Ballroom on the first floor, the Pageant Garden and the magnificent Court House frontage with its statue of Justice. 

Unlocking Warwick volunteers told them about the Great Fire of Warwick which devastated the town in 1694, and the rebuilding of the town centre to strict rules which banned thatched roofs and flammable wooden framed houses. They heard about the magistrates’ sessions which began in the mid-16th century and how criminals would be sent to the House of Correction for hard labour in the treadmills, or put in the stocks in the market square. 

And they heard about the huge difference in the lives of the rich nobility, and the poor people of Warwick who lived in crowded and insanitary conditions until late Victorian times. 

The children went away with some maps of the town to help them with their school projects about the history of Warwick. 

If you are a teacher in a local school and would like to arrange a visit to the Court House in Jury Street, contact the Visitor Centre (01926 492212) or email info@unlockingwarwick.org