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CLICK PICTURE TO ENLARGE
The Collegiate Church of St Mary dominates much of the skyline in
Warwick, it looks impressive enough to be a cathedral. In fact it almost
is a cathedral but because it does not have the throne of a bishop it is
called a Collegiate Church. The church dates back to 1123 and was
built by by the Earl of Warwick, Robert de Newburgh. |
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Large portions of the church were rebuilt in the late 1300s by Thomas
Beauchamp II whose tomb is in the chancel. Going up the left hand side
of the church you will see the Regimental Chapel (left). It is memorial
to the men who served in the Regiment. Just outside is a brass of
Thomas Oken, his house is now a teahouse in Castle Street. |
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Walk round a little further to find the steps leading down to
the crypt. Parts of it date back to the original 1123 building.
The coffin lids date back to the 1300s and probably originated
from Kenilworth Castle. The tumbrell (the trolley part) of a
ducking stool has been in the crypt for 200 years It was used to
punish mainly women. The would be tied to the stool on the
tumbrell and ducked repeatedly into water. |
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Small it may be but the Dean's Chapel at at Mary's is
spectacular. The altar cloth in the left hand picture was used
at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth. The ceiling is a
magnificent example of Gothic architecture with unusual fan
vaulting. |
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Above are three views of the tomb of Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick.
The tomb is constructed from Purbeck marble and gilded latten. The middle and
right hand pictures (click to enlarge any of the pictures) show "weepers" around
the base of the tomb. Weepers were living people who would mourn the death of
the person in the tomb. On one side of Richard de Beauchamp's tomb are women
weepers and on the other side are men weepers. All the weepers were in fact dead
by the time Richard was laid in his final resting place in the chapel.Richard
died on 30 April 1439 and he left a large part of his estate to St Mary's
Collegiate Church with instructions that the Beauchamp chapel be built. It
wasn't until 1475 that the chapel was built and his body was placed in its
current position.
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On the left is the tomb of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
(1532 to 1588) alongside his wife Lettice Dudley. Their son,
Robert Dudley, who only lived to the age of 5, is also entombed
in the Beauchamp Chapel. On the right is a view of the
three large tombs, the third being that of Ambrose Dudley. |
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Much of the interior (the Chancel, Vestry and
the Chapter House) of St Mary's Collegiate Church was
rebuilt by Thomas Beauchamp II (1338 - 1401), 12th Earl of
Warwick. The imposing alabaster tomb (see right) in the middle
of the chancel is of Thomas Beauchamp I (1313 - 1369), 11th Earl
of Warwick and his wife Katherine Mortimer. Unusually their
hands are clasped together. |
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Being slightly wary of too much "culture", we still thoroughly
recommend a visit to St Mary's Church. Although not a Cathedral, it has
all the magnificence of one.
USEFUL INFORMATION FOR ST MARY'S COLLEGIATE CHURCH
| Official Website |
Click here |
| Location |
Church Street, Warwick CV34 4AB .
Click here for a map |
| Opening Hours |
Monday and Friday 9.00 am to 12.00 pm
Tuesday to Thursday 9.00 am to 5.00 pm
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| Entrance Charges |
Free although a voluntary donation of £2.00 is greatly appreciated
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| Disabled Access |
Check this out. Some parts are definitely not accessible such as the
crypt, others are. |
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Copyright 2008 - 2011 David Marks and Susan Mason. All right reserved
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