Warwick's sense of enterprise spans the centuries
This is a town with global appeal and a true sense of local togetherness...
On September 5th, 1694, The Great Fire of Warwick rampaged along High Street and Jury Street, destroying much of the town centre. The horrific event, thankfully without loss of life, caused devastation, rendered hundreds of people homeless and left the town in shock.
The people of Warwick, and its business community, however, have always been a resilient, enterprising lot and they swiftly did two things. They banned thatched rooves from the town with immediate effect. And they came up with a plan to attract people back to Warwick after it was rebuilt.
“What we need,” they decided, “is a visitor attraction.” So, they laid out Warwick Racecourse on St Mary’s Lands on the south-west side of town.
Good plan. So good that its success still resonates today. More than 300 years later, Warwick Racecourse remains integral to the economy of the town.
That robust spirit of 1694 also still beats strong. There has been no Great Fire in recent years, but Covid, Brexit, recession and rising costs combined have brought severe challenges to the town’s traders. The response of those traders – from Warwick Castle with its 750,000 visitors per year and the world-famous racecourse (the sixth oldest in the world), to small independents like Warwick Sports and Torry’s - has been as one: Let’s pull together to move forward.
Tommy Williams, general manager at Warwick Racecourse, said: “We are incredibly proud to be associated with a racecourse so steeped in history, but it’s not easy to balance caring for such an old site with making it profitable. Our ageing buildings require constant maintenance, some with listed status which makes refurbishment and improvement even harder, so there must be a fine balance between what we can do and how we best utilise the facilities.
“But we are hugely enthusiastic about the local community and being a key stakeholder within the town. It is imperative that businesses in Warwick work together. We were delighted to host the excellent Warwickshire Towns Network Conference again this year and are keen to help promote not only the town but the area as a whole. The more we can encourage tourism and help businesses, the greater prospects for a thriving local economy.”
Tourism is one engine behind that economy. Another is the town’s appealing array of independent shops which make it a true foundation economy. Ninety per cent of shops in the town centre and on elegant Smith Street (the oldest trading centre of Warwick) are independent. Many are longstanding.
Warwick Sports has equipped the town’s athletes since 1979 when husband and wife John and Ray Hammond went into a sports shop in Bournemouth and came out with an idea.
The shop was owned by former professional footballer Ted MacDougall and he told them, ‘you’ll never make a fortune running a sports shop, but you’ll make a living.’
Three months later, they opened Warwick Sports, in Swan Street, and the family firm is still thriving. Ray is still involved and daughter Andrea is the manager.
“We’ve come through three recessions and a pandemic and are still going strong,” Andrea said. “There were times when we had to put money in, but it was worth it. Warwick is so lovely and we now have generations of customers. It’s great that so many people choose to come to Warwick.”
Andrea echoes the view of Tommy Williams that a collective approach is the best way forward.
“There is a great vibe among the town’s businesses right now,” she said. “These are exciting times with the proactive approach from Warwick Castle. Liam Bartlett, general manager at the castle, is keen to get involved and that is the way forward - businesses big and small of all kinds all pulling together.”
Warwick Castle’s involvement is hugely welcome. The castle has long helped power the local economy, from the Earls of Warwick filling the Warwick Arms (opened in 1591 and still open!) with guests they couldn’t squeeze into the castle, to its acquisition by Tussauds in the 1990s, to today when, owned by Merlin Entertainment, it attracts visitors from around the world. Last week the Castle hosted a meeting of Warwick Chamber of Trade in its Great Hall. This is a town with global appeal and a true sense of local togetherness.
Warwickshire County Council is proud to be part of the collective effort but also sees the importance of taking a leading role at times. In 2022, for The Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Birmingham, Warwick’s Market Square hosted a festival site, which offered sporting action on the big screen and a range of activities designed to increase dwell time in the town. The site, curated and managed by WCC, was furnished with artificial grass, deckchairs and bunting and offered residents and visitors an engaging space to take in the action. It also enabled local sports clubs to engage with residents as part of the CWG legacy.
The local climax of the Games was the cycling road race through Warwick, watched by thousands of spectators lining the streets and millions more on screens across the world. Australia’s Georgia Baker took the gold medal but Warwick emphatically took gold too for having been such a creative, warm and welcoming host to competitors and spectators alike.