A foggy day in London town...: Wednesday's Wet Warwick

In the afternoon on Wednesday I dropped into the town of Warwick which is on the same train line and only a couple of stops up from Stratford. Warwick is well known for the Warwick Castle, one of the oldest and most interesting castles in Britain.

I had my ticket booked to see the castle...but there wasn't enough time...and the weather was miserable. So instead I wondered around the small town of Warwick visiting a number of their other attractions.

First was St John's house, a 17th century mansion which is now a museum showcasing the lives of Warwickshire people over the last 300 years. Also inside the house is the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers Museum which explains the story of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment since 1674. An interesting place...but not very exciting.

Next up was Smith Street which has many medieval buildings dotted along the road. These buildings survived Warwick's Great Fire in 1694 which managed to flatten most of the town. At the end of Smith St is a big clock tower which is now part of an all girls school.

The tourist information centre is located in an old Georgian building which used to house the local council. Also in the building is the Warwickshire Yeomanry Museum (I couldn't find the entrance though!) Around the corner is the Collegiate Church of St Mary which houses the Earls of Warwickshire tombs. The church and each of it's chapels are incredible. The catacombs beneath the church are a little spooky as well! I didn't climb the massive tower...too windy and rainy.

In keeping with consistency I went to the Warwickshire Magistrates Court...another very old building...and may have taken a slightly illegal photo of one of the court rooms (don't tell the British Government) although the court rooms weren't that impressive.

Further into the town centre was Market Hall which was built in 1670 and now houses the County Museum. Of particular interest in the museum was a tapestry map of the midlands of the United Kingdom. Some of the photos are below. The tapestry was huge and very intricate.

The Lord Leycester Hospital wasn't open for visitors at the time I visited but it is still impressive to look at outside as it was built during the 14th and 15th century. It is now a rest home for retired servicemen and houses the Queen's Own Hussars Museum.

That's about all there is in Warwick...apart from the castle. It's a smallish town that rides on the fact that they have a GIANT castle. The castle would have to wait for another day though...