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The destination of this year’s Hitchin
Society Outing was the historic town of Warwick,
founded in AD 914 by a daughter of Alfred the Great. In 1694 a fire destroyed much of the
medieval town, and sadly only a few buildings of that era survived. These now contrast pleasantly with the
elegant Georgian buildings which eventually replaced those that were
destroyed.
Our first visit was to the Collegiate
Church of St Mary with its magnificent Beauchamp Chapel which thankfully was
saved from the effects of the fire.
Much of the remainder of the church was however lost, but rebuilt in a
remarkable mixture of gothic and renaissance styles.
The afternoon started with a guided tour of
the town, with sights of fine medieval buildings including Oken’s House, the
home of a remarkable benefactor of Warwick,
and past the exterior of Warwick
Castle to the banks of
the River Avon. A visit to Shire Hall
and the Market Place followed, with the tour ending at the splendid medieval
foundation of Lord
Leycester Hospital. These former Collegiate buildings became,
after the dissolution, a charity for former soldiers, which continues to this
day to provide accommodation for retired service personnel. We were fortunate to be given a guided tour
by the Master, a retired Colonel, who showed us not only the Chapel and
Guildhall but also the Master’s Garden, an award-winning historic walled
garden at its best in the late afternoon sunshine. A day out to remember.
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