The Lord Leycester Hospital is one of the best preserved examples of medieval courtyard architecture in England and is a charity supporting ex-servicemen.

The site was donated by the 12th Earl of Warwick in the 14th century to the United Guild of the Holy Trinity and St George.

Over the centuries, the ancient buildings and 500 year old gardens have been admired by visitors such as Charles Dickens and Oscar Wilde, King George V[2] and the Queen Mother[3] and travellers from around the world.

[4] In 1617 the Great Hall was used to entertain King James I on his visit to Warwick, an event that left the town in considerable debt.

A plaque on the back wall of the Great Hall commemorating the occasion was covered over in Victorian times but uncovered during a recent renovation project.

The fire was driven up the High Street by a strong south-westerly wind and consumed virtually all the buildings in its path.

The story goes that a representative of his was called from dinner by worried townspeople who thought the chapel may fall down into the High Street.

[5] Every weekday morning (except Mondays) the master and brethren gather for prayers in exactly the same wording directed by Robert Dudley almost 450 years before.

[16] Below is a list of weaponry that is featured in the Guildhall:[17] The soldiers living within the walls of the medieval building are known as the brethren.

[19] A list of masters of the Lord Leycester Hospital:[20] The building has been used in many historical-set television productions including Pride and Prejudice,[21] Tom Jones,[21] Moll Flanders,[21] Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators,[22] A Christmas Carol[23] and the 2007 Doctor Who episode The Shakespeare Code.