Rejuvenated Lord Leycester Hospital

“The support we have received from many sources has been phenomenal. That has enabled us to not only preserve the ancient buildings but also make them appealing and relevant to visitors in 2023 and for many years to come." 

If you have been around since the year 1126, the chances are, by the 21st century, you could do with a little bit of TLC.

The Lord Leycester Hospital has stood on High Street, Warwick, for that long…and TLC is exactly what the venerable site has just received. A £4.5m repair and restoration project has left it equipped for visitors for many years to come.

The results of the work, which took place during a 20-month closure, are spectacular. The historic glory of the Grade 1-listed buildings remains but with a modernised outlook, offering much improved access, an informative visitor experience and new café and gift shop.

At a time of recession, £4.5million was a substantial investment, principally from the National Lottery Heritage Fund with local donations, including from Warwickshire County Council and Warwick District Council. Thanks to that collective effort, much essential work has been done with heating, lighting and ventilation upgraded, significantly improving sustainability and reducing costs.

But the hard work very much goes on. It has simply entered a new phase: to vindicate all that expense, effort and expertise by making the Lord Leycester cost-effective into the future.

The early signs are good. Since reopening in August, visitor numbers have been excellent, a promising start which supports the findings of an Economic Impact Report drawn up by Warwickshire County Council’s Economy & Skills team for the Master of the Lord Leycester, Heidi Meyer. The strategy is that an improved Visitor Attraction in Warwick will attract a greater number of tourists to the town.

That report predicted that the investment would be justified by the improvements’ impact on both the Lord Leycester Hospital itself and the wider local economy.

“Warwickshire County Council has been very much involved in what has happened here,” said Heidi. “They supported us with a £30,000 grant but their involvement goes back right to the start of the project. 

“We knew that it would be a major project. A lot of work, requiring substantial investment, was needed, so I worked with the County Council to draw up an Economic Impact Report. That report was favourable. It found that a rejuvenated Lord Leycester would have a very positive effect on the local economy, generating an estimated £3million/year. That gave us the confidence to go ahead and gave us good indicators to present to the Lottery and national funders. The report was an integral part of all our applications for funding.”

The Hospital, which houses eight “brethren” (former service personnel who live on site as their predecessors have for centuries) has been renewed and refreshed. Now Master Meyer and the Lord Leycester team are embracing the business challenges of returning the attraction to public life after a 20-month absence.

“The Lord Leycester is one of the jewels in the crown of Warwick’s tourism offer and visitors numbers since we reopened have been great,” Meyer said. “But we need to keep that going. We need to be financially self-sustaining from now on. That is the challenge to everyone here. “

“The bottom line is footfall. We have to get people through the door and, while tourists from across the UK and the world are an important part of that, it is local support - residents, groups, businesses - that we really need to boost footfall figures. “

“It is amazing how many people come here and say, ‘I didn’t know this was here!’ We are an independent charity, not National Trust or English Heritage so not part of their literature. Many people don’t know about us and many businesses don’t know about our café which is open to everyone not just ticket holders, our Great Hall and our Guild Hall which can be hired for meetings or training.” 

Six full-time jobs have been created to support the galvanised Lord Leycester which hosts tours, talks, music performances, family days and school and cubs visits. Throughout almost a millennium at the heart of Warwick, the Lord Leycester Hospital has been deeply embedded in its community…never more than now. Working with local charities, the hospital offers wellbeing activities to support veterans, people with disabilities and people experiencing mental health issues. 

“The support we have received from many sources has been phenomenal,” said Meyer. “That has enabled us to not only preserve the ancient buildings but also make them appealing and relevant to visitors in 2023 and for many years to come. 

“We are so proud of the Hospital, which is as integral to the heritage of Warwick as the castle – it is from here that the Guilds provided civic governance to the town. Our message to businesses and people all around us is simple…come and share this wonderful place and help us protect the future of one of the most important medieval sites in Britain right here in Warwick.”