Lord Leycester Hospital facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lord Leycester Hospital
Native name Chapel of St. James the Great
Lord Leycester Hospital
Location	Warwick, Warwickshire, England
Area	Warwick
Founded	1571 by Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
Built	from 1126 to the late 15th century
Built for	The United Guilds of Warwick
Restored	Chapel restored 1860, accommodation restored 1966
Restored by	Chapel restored by Sir George Gilbert Scott
Architectural style(s)	Medieval courtyard architecture
Governing body	The Lord Leycester Hospital (charity)
Listed Building – Grade I
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The Lord Leycester Hospital (often called the Lord Leycester) is a very old and special place in Warwick, England. It's one of the best examples of medieval buildings with a courtyard that you can still see today! It's also a charity that helps former soldiers.

This amazing building is right next to the West Gate in Warwick. It's so important that it's a Grade I listed building, which means it's protected because of its history. For almost 900 years, people have built things and done important activities here. It all started with a chapel built in 1126.

Many famous people have visited the Lord Leycester Hospital over the centuries. These include writers like Charles Dickens and Oscar Wilde, and even kings and queens like King George V and the Queen Mother. People from all over the world come to admire its ancient buildings and 500-year-old gardens.

A Long History of the Lord Leycester

The Lord Leycester Hospital has a fascinating past, stretching back many centuries.

How It All Began in the 12th Century

The Lord Leycester Hospital started as just a chapel. This was the Chapel of St James the Great. It was built in 1126 by Roger de Newburgh, who was the 2nd Norman Earl of Warwick. The chapel was built right over the West Gate of Warwick.

Guilds and Growth in the 14th Century

In the late 1300s, the chapel was rebuilt by the 12th Earl of Warwick. In 1386, he gave the chapel to the Guild of St George. A guild was like a club or a group of people who worked together. This guild was created in 1383 with permission from King Richard II.

Later, two other guilds, the Guild of the Holy Trinity and the Guild of the Blessed Virgin Mary, joined them. Together, they formed the United Guilds of Warwick. They added living spaces and public rooms, including the Great Hall. These additions created the courtyard of the Lord Leycester that we see today.

Courtyard of the Hospital

The Guildhall in the 15th Century

The Guildhall was built in 1450 by Richard Neville, who was known as "The Kingmaker." It was a private room where the Guilds met to talk about important things. They discussed business, religion, and politics. The large table in the Guildhall is believed to be the original one used by the United Guilds of Warwick.

A New Purpose in the 16th Century

The United Guilds were closed down by King Henry VIII in 1546. However, their property had already been given to the people of Warwick by Thomas Oken, who was the Master of the Guilds. These buildings were then used for meetings and for teaching, becoming what is now Warwick School.

The 1571 Leicester Hospital Act, which allowed the Earl of Leicester to start a hospital in Warwick

In 1571, Robert Dudley, the 1st Earl of Leicester, bought the buildings. He started a "hospital" there, which was a place for old or injured soldiers and their wives to live. This was allowed by a royal charter from Queen Elizabeth I. It was run by 12 "Brethren" (who were originally soldiers) and a "Master." Money from different properties helped to pay for it.

Royal Visits and a Great Fire in the 17th Century

In 1617, King James I visited Warwick and was entertained in the Great Hall. This visit cost the town a lot of money! There's a plaque on the back wall of the Great Hall that remembers this event. It was covered up for a long time but was found again during a recent repair project.

In 1694, the Great Fire of Warwick started very close to the Lord Leycester Hospital. A strong wind pushed the fire up High Street, destroying almost all the buildings in its path. Many old timber-framed houses were burned down and later rebuilt with stone and brick. Luckily, the Lord Leycester Hospital and its nearby buildings were some of the only ancient structures to survive the fire.

Restorations in the 19th and 20th Centuries

Leicester's Hospital, Warwick (1850-98) by Francis Frith

The chapel was greatly repaired by Sir Gilbert Scott in 1860. People in the town were so worried the chapel might fall down that they called his representative from dinner to help! This is when the flying buttresses, which support the chapel today, were added.

In 1956, the way the Hospital was run changed. A new group of Governors took charge. On November 3, 1966, the restored Hospital, with updated living spaces, was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

The Lord Leycester Today in the 21st Century

Houses opposite the Lord Leycester Hospital. The red brick shows the Friends Meeting House where the Great Fire of Warwick began in 1694

Today, the Hospital is led by a "Master," who is a retired officer from the Armed Forces. Eight former servicemen and their wives live in flats there. They help visitors by giving tours of the buildings and gardens. The Hospital gets its money from visitors, as the original properties that funded it were sold over the years. In November 2017, Heidi Meyer became the first woman to be the Master.

The Master's Garden has a very old stone urn. It's 2,000 years old and was once part of an Egyptian nilometer. A nilometer was a device used to measure the height of the River Nile in Ancient Egypt.

Egyptian Urn, supposedly 2,000 years old, once used to measure the River Nile in Ancient Egypt

What You Can See Today

The Lord Leycester Hospital has many amazing features that show its long history.

The Chapel of St. James the Great

The chapel has beautiful wood carvings. You can see the famous Warwick symbol of the bear and ragged staff. There's also a two-tailed lion from the Dudley family's coat of arms. These carvings show the amazing skill of Warwick's woodworkers.

The stained glass in the eastern window is very fine. It was made by the Birmingham company of Clayton & Bell. Above the south door, there's a special window designed by William Morris. He also designed the fabrics around the altar. Every weekday morning (except Mondays), the Master and Brethren still gather here for prayers. They use the exact same words that Robert Dudley wrote almost 450 years ago.

The Great Hall

The Great Hall looks very much like it did in the 1300s. Only the floor, heating system, and restrooms have changed. The Guilds used this hall for public events. Today, it's still used for dinners, dances, concerts, and meetings.

The Guildhall

Today, the Guildhall is a display area for many historical items. You can see different weapons here. These include flintlock muskets sent by the King during the Chartist Riots. There are also Napoleonic swords, which might have come from the Battle of Waterloo. You can even see a cannonball that was dug up from the Battle of Edge Hill.

Weapons in the Guildhall

Here is a list of some of the weapons you can see in the Guildhall:

Wood engraving of the walkway at the Lord Leycester, looking towards the Chapel

The Masters and Brethren

The soldiers who live in the medieval building are called the Brethren. The Master and the Brethren share a history of almost 450 years. They meet in the Chapel every day to pray together. They use the exact words written by their founder, the 1st Earl of Leicester.

The Brethren wear special uniforms and give tours of the buildings and gardens to visitors. There's also a public cafe at the hospital called The Brethren's Kitchen.

Here is a list of the Masters of the Lord Leycester Hospital:

On the Big Screen

The Lord Leycester Hospital has been used in many TV shows that are set in the past. These include Pride and Prejudice, Tom Jones, Moll Flanders, Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators, A Christmas Carol, and the 2007 Doctor Who episode The Shakespeare Code.

Images for kids

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  Frontage of the Lord Leycester Hospital

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  Under the Gallery in the Courtyard of the Hospital

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  Frontage of the Lord Leycester