Fodor's Expert Review Lord Leycester Hospital

Unattractive postwar development has spoiled much of Warwick’s town center, but look for the 14th-century half-timber Lord Leycester Hospital at the Norman gate, which is a genuine hidden gem. The Lord Leycester has effectively been a retirement home for soldiers since Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester, dedicated it to that purpose in 1571. Within the complex, there is a 12th-century chapel, an impressive beamed hall, and a fine courtyard with a wattle-and-daub balcony and 500-year-old gardens. You can book a tour with one of the guides dressed in Elizabethan robes and afterwards have cream tea in the very friendly Brethren’s Kitchen, where food has been served for centuries.