Lords and Ladies, King Henry and King Edwards

Guests who came on Unlocking Warwick’s Court House Tour on Saturday 25th August heard about some of the history of the county town with the building of the Court House after the Great Fire, and they were also able to have a brief preview of some of the entries for this year’s Horticultural Show taking place in the ballroom and the Pageant Gardens.

Tour Guide Sue Rigby related some of the landmark events in Warwick’s history, dating back more than 1,100 years. She explained how the Saxon ‘Lady of the Mercians’, Aethelflaeda, built a fort in Warwick in 914 to protect against the Danes. The Norman earls turned it into a mighty castle; King Henry VIII’s commissioners tried to seize the town’s wealth but were out-foxed by Thomas Oken, and after the Great Fire of 1694, the town centre was reconstructed in elegant Georgian style.

There is a plaque commemorating Aethelflaeda, daughter of Alfred the Great.

The Town Council Chamber can be hired for meetings

The annual Horticultural Show will be open to the public throughout the bank holiday weekend, with displays of spuds and other vegetables, fruit, flowers and craft work.

The next Court House Tour will be on Saturday September 1st, 11am – 11.45am. The tours are free to attend, and there’s no need to book. Just turn up at the Visitor Information Centre in Jury Street/Castle Street ready for an eleven o’clock start.