WARWICK CASTLE

Warwick Castle

Warwick Castle

Warwick Castle has been owned by Madame Tussaud's since 1978, and since then has been developed and promoted as a new-style attraction. The castle was founded in 1068 by William the Conqueror, one of the first six castles to be built in England. Throughout the middle ages its owners played a major part in the development of this country, names like Beauchamp and Neville for example are well known, the latter being the famous Warwick the Kingmaker of Wars of the Roses fame. During the Tudor period Warwick castle flipped in and out of Royal ownership and - the name of Warwick having acquired dangerous associations - the earldom lapsed for a period. In 1604 Sir Fulke Greville, a wealthy wool merchant who had been Treasurer of the Navy under Queen Elizabeth, successfully petitioned James I for the ownership of Warwick Castle. From this time onwards the conversion of a stark fortress into a grand mansion began and in 1763 the state dining room, the last addition to the building, was constructed and Lancelot Brown undertook his first independent work at Warwick landscaping the grounds and estate while still employed at Stowe as head gardener.

The Greville family were granted the title of Earl of Warwick in 1759. frequently by noblemen and travellers from home and overseas. In fact such was the volume of visitors that a Scottish housekeeper, Maria Hume, is said to have amassed a fortune of f30 000 - an enormous sum in those days - from tips given by visitors such as Sir Walter Scott in 1828 who described the castle as 'the most noble sight in England'. Maria Hume's fortune certainly saved the Castle's art collection since the second Earl George had got himself into financial difficulties with business ventures like fullers earth and soap. She was able to satisfy the most pressing creditors from her own resources. By the end of the 19th century the castle was less the resort of the privileged and attracted for example 1093 'trippers' on Easter Sunday 1897. This was presumably due to the development of the railways, the beginnings of tourism to Stratford and the spa town Leamington, both near to Warwick. The admission price for an adult in 1904 was two shillings - (fO.lO). Throughout the first half of this century the castle remained open to visitors [except during war time] and by the late 1960s was attracting 1.50 OOO- 200 000 visitors a year.

New tourism era It is at about this time that the Castle began to be visited In December 1967 the 7th Earl of Warwick settled the estate on his only son Lord Brooke [now the 8th Earl of Warwick]. Lord Brooke realized that the survival of the castle depended on developing the facility for tourists and after seeking advice from all quarters [including Madame Tussaud's] he appointed Strutt and Parker to manage the castle and to create a major tourist attraction. By the mid-1970s patronage had doubled to 375 000 ...