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Inside Warwick Castle
There are many exhibits inside Warwick Castle. The exhibits open to the public are on three floors of the main appartment block. Each floor depicts life in Warwick Castle during a different period of its history.
At the right is shown the castle Chapel, built around 1600. Warwick Castle played an important role in the English Civil War, which had religious origins. Oilver Cromwell may well have sought guidance at this altar.
All the pictures on this page are my own. They were all taken in available light using 800 ASA colour print film. |  |
The Undercroft
Richard Neville, Kingmaker
In the basement of Warwick Castle, also called the Undercroft, is a series of exhibits illustrating the life of the castle during the period of Richard Neville, the Kingmaker.
This life-size wax figure shows Richard Neville and his supporters preparing for battle.
During the reign of Henry VI, Richard Neville was the most powerful man in England, determining the countries internal politics, and running its foreign policy.
Neville's story was popularised in Shakespeare's play Henry VI Part 3. More on my Shakespeare Page.
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The Undercroft also includes life-size exhibits showing many medieval craftsmen at work, including the blacksmith, armourer, and the wheelwright shown here.
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Here some of the ladies in the castle are at work embroidering heraldic banners.
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 | State Rooms
On the ground floor of the castle are the Great Hall (see below) and State Rooms. The state rooms were lavishly decorated and furnished around 1670. This picture shows the Green Drawing Room.
The paintings around the fireplace are portraits of the major figures of the Civil War, painted at the time in the school of van Dyke.
The table is Italian, made about 1500, and is inlaid with semi-precious stones.
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This is the state dining room. This picture was taken during Christmas, and shows the table prepared for Christmas festivities.
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Most of the State Rooms have panelled walls, elaborately decorated plaster ceilings, and contain many unique antiques and paintings.
This picture, taken in the Blue Boudoir, is a portrait of Henry VIII.
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The Queen Anne Bedroom is on the same floor as the State Rooms.
The bed, shown here, was brought to the castle in preparation for a visit by Queen Anne in 1704. Her visit was cancelled, but the bed remained at the castle.
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 | Royal Weekend Party
On the first floor of the main appartment block of Warwick Castle is a series of 12 appartment rooms, furnished as they would have been in Victorian times, around 1890.
The exhibits in these rooms depict the castle during a Royal Weekend Party, when royalty were entertained here. Most of these rooms include life-size wax figures, in period costume, depicting real personalities of the period.
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The picture above shows the Countess of Warwick in the Library. At the right is shown the music room. The soprano is Clara Butt, a famous singer of the time. Seated is Lady Randolph Churchill.
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The picture at the left shows the Ladies Boudoir.
The two female figures depicted here are Daisy, Countess of Warwick, and
Victoria, Lady Sackville-West.
Both had romantic liasons with some of the most illustrious English gentlemen of the day.
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"Is my bath ready yet, Jeeves?"
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 | The Great Hall
The Great Hall was first built in the 14th century, and was rebuilt, in its present form, in 1871.
The artifact shown here is in the Great hall and is a horse clad in 16th century equestrian armour. Its rider wears heavy Italian jousting armour.
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At the right is a view of the Great Hall, taken from a balcony which runs between the appartment rooms on the first floor.
The floor of the Great Hall is of red and white Italian marble.
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Armoury
Another fine collection of armour, and another horse and rider, shown at the right, are in the castle armoury.
The armoury is located on the East front, between the Gatehouse and Caesars Tower. It houses a collection of swords, armour, crossbows and pistols.
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Young visitors are allowed to try on some of the helmets.
If you have a special interest in armour, then visit the National Museum of Armour in Leeds.
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One of the exhibits in the Warwick Castle armoury is this helmet, worn by Oliver Cromwell.
The English Civil War was based around a religious conflcit between King Charles I, and the Puritan reformist movement. The Earl of Warwick and Oliver Cromwell were leading Puritans.
The outcome of the Civil War was the defeat of King Charles. Cromwell was a deeply religious man, who viewed this outcome as the Will of God.
Cromwell emerged as the principal figure from the English Civil War.
He is the only Englishman ever to have been offerred the role of King. Cromwell declined, preferring to be known as the Lord Protector.
Some recent newspaper polls to find the "Greatest Englishman of the Millennium" have placed Cromwell in the top ten Greatest Englishmen, above all kings.
The following extract is from the Encyclopaedia Britannica article on Cromwell:
Oliver Cromwell, an English soldier and statesman of outstanding
gifts, was Lord Protector of the republican Commonwealth of
England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1653 to 1658. One of the
leading generals on the parliamentary side in the English Civil
War against King Charles I, he helped to bring about the overthrow
of the Stuart monarchy, and, as Lord Protector, he raised his
country's status once more to that of a leading European power
from the decline it had gone through since the death of Queen
Elizabeth I. Cromwell was one of the most remarkable rulers
in modern European history; for although a convinced
Calvinist, he believed deeply in the value of religious toleration.
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