Great Hall of Warwick Castle. May 1998. Click on the photo for a larger version.
The wood buffet in the center of the photo was made in the mid-19th century from a large oak from the grounds of nearby Kenilworth Castle and shows scenes of Elizabeth I’s famous visit in 1575. The hall itself dates from the 14th century, was rebuilt in the 17th century, and then restored in the late 19th century after a fire.
Tomorrow, January 15, is the 450th anniversary of the coronation of Elizabeth I. So instead of going for something obvious like Westminster Abbey, I chose this photo of the Great Hall at Warwick. Mini trivia contest (sorry, only prize is braggin’ rights) – does anyone know the connection? It’s probably a bit esoteric, but I’ll bet some of you know why my brain linked the two. 🙂
Elizabeth I visited warwick castle twice during her reign as queen first she visited the castle in1566 during a tour of england and second in 1572 when she stayed four days and four nights.Ambrose dudley the third earl of warwick left the castle for Elizabeth to visit when he wasn’t there.
Isn’t the Earl of Leicester (Robert Dudley) buried in the town of Warwick?
Yes, there are connections between Elizabeth and the castle. And yes, Robin, as well as Ambrose is buried in the town… I’ll have a photo of the church one of these days. But the connection that popped into my head is something a bit more specific to the Great Hall and Elizabeth’s coronation. Maybe I’ll give a hint later. 🙂
As a young girl, MANY years ago, I saw the famous Coronation Portrait in the Great Hall – it is now in the National Portrait Gallery. Could that be what you were thinking of??
Ding-ding-ding! We have a winner! Yep, Marilyn is right, that’s what I was thinking of. The reason behind this is from the old picture books of Britain that I grew up with and looked through obsessively in my teen years. One had a photo of the hall with the portrait in it, so I still tend to associate it with Warwick, even though it hasn’t been there in 30 years! (It was purchased by the NPG in 1978, although I’m not sure exactly when it was moved to the gallery in London.)
I do remember that the portrait looked well in its old noble setting and was surprised when it was sold.
When I went more recently to St Mary’s Church to photograph the Dudley tombs and the amazing Beauchamp tomb for a book I was doing, the elderly guide came staggering in with a step-ladder so that I could see better! Unfortunately, he was convinced that after the Robert-Lettice marriage Elizabeth never spoke to Robert again, and no amount of explaining could change his mind.
It turned out that he was a resident at the Lord Leycester Hospital, one of my very favourite Tudor places. Apparently the administrators were having difficulty letting the apartments to old soldiers and were thinking of offering them as retirement homes to the general public.
I believe that a little suit of armour belonging to Robert and Lettice’s young son is still in the castle – could it be one of those seen in your photo?
Hmmm, I’m not sure about the armour, I’ll have to look in to that! Unfortunately I have forgotten a lot about the place since my visit. It’s on my list of “re-visit” places though for when I finally manage to get back over there.
I have a few photos of Lord Leycester Hospital which will definitely be featured here in the future. I really like that building too. 🙂
A copy of Elizabeth the First’s famous coronation portrait used to hang in the Great Hall of Warwick Castle.