Warwick’s Historical Highlights: From East Gate to the Castle

(5 reviews)

Warwick audio tour: Warwick’s Historical Highlights: From East Gate to the Castle

This is a 1.4mi walking tour

It takes an average of 90 mins to complete.

Warwick

The United Kingdom

$14.99

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About the Tour

Warwick’s medieval streets whisper stories of rebellion and royal intrigue. On this 90-minute walking tour, you’ll peel back the layers of a town that has survived fires, civil wars, and centuries of transformation while maintaining its remarkable architectural heritage.

The tour begins at the imposing East Gate, one of only two surviving medieval gateways. You’ll traverse cobblestone streets lined with Tudor and Georgian buildings, passing through a landscape that’s witnessed momentous events like the Norman Conquest and the English Civil War. You’ll wind through historical quarters to find the sites of long-forgotten dramas that shaped the town, and hear about its extraordinary characters.

As you walk through this living museum of English history, you’ll hear the stories behind the town’s most significant landmarks, like the haunting tales of the Lord Leycester Hospital. The tour ends at the iconic Warwick Castle, a testament to nearly 1,000 years of English history.

On this Warwick tour, you’ll also:

Explore the medieval East Gate and West Gate, rare survivors of Warwick’s original defensive walls
Discover the site of the devastating Great Fire of 1694 that reshaped the town
Learn about the infamous ”Bloody Code” and the dramatic public executions that once drew crowds
Meet powerful medieval figures like Richard Beauchamp and Richard Neville, known as Warwick the Kingmaker
Hear the remarkable story of local philanthropist Thomas Oken at the Oken Tea Rooms
Take in architectural treasures spanning Tudor, Georgian, and medieval periods, including St Mary’s Church, Market Hall Museum, and the Warwick Arms Hotel
Explore the atmospheric and perfectly preserved Mill Street

A walk through Warwick is a journey through the heart of English history, where every stone and street corner tells a story of courage, conflict, or community.

Tour Producer

Talk the Walk

11 tours

I’m Ian Grover and for many years it’s been my pleasure to guide visitors around London and throughout the British Isles. As well as the iconic sights, I delight in showing the hidden gems that many people miss.

My background was centred around the automotive industry when in 1980 I started work as a trainee car salesman with Renault UK Ltd. Over the coming years I progressed to sales management with Mercedes-Benz and finally ended up with the splendidly sounding title of Personal Liaison Manager, responsible for UK sales of their two flagship models. These were the ultra-luxurious Maybach, and a 300 km/h supercar called the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. When these two programmes came to an end I decided to take a different path in life and do something that I had always had a passion for and I became a tour guide.

I went to the University of Westminster in London where, after comprehensive training, I qualified with distinction as a City of Westminster Tour Guide, Since then, over the past years I have delivered both walking tours of London and driving tours throughout the British Isles and this is something that I still enjoy immensely.

In addition to my physical tours, through my Talk the Walk profile on VoiceMap, I'm now focussed on producing engaging audio tours so that travellers can explore with me in their own time and at their own pace.

Preview Location

Location 21

Bear and Bacchus Pub

On your left you'll see a red brick building with an arched doorway. Stop when you're outside the door numbered 52.

Although we're still in Brook Street, this is connected to the white building to the right and it's actually the entrance to number 52 High Street. You'll se... On your left you'll see a red brick building with an arched doorway. Stop when you're outside the door numbered 52.

Although we're still in Brook Street, this is connected to the white building to the right and it's actually the entrance to number 52 High Street. You'll see a plaque on the wall showing that this is Bear and Buculus House. That's because this building used to be the Bear and Bacchus pub, which changed its name in the early 1900s to the Bear and Buculus. Back in 1812, the Bear and Bucchus was the place where the unfortunate 14 year old Hannah Miller met her end.

On that fateful March day, Hannah had been going about her chores, making William Brookes's bed and generally tidying up the bedroom. In her book, Vanessa Morgan reports that Brooks spotted Hannah picking up a letter from the floor and then became agitated. After a brief argument Hannah ran out of the house and into the yard behind with Brooks following her, by which time he had picked up a pistol from inside the house. Turning round Hannah pleaded "for God's sake Mr Brookes, please don't shoot me". But a shot rang out and Hannah collapsed to the ground in agony. Neighbours heard Hannah's cries for help and rushed to her assistance, carrying her back into the house. Brookes had run upstairs by this time and as they supported her to an armchair, Brookes looked down from the landing, raised his pistol and fired another shot at Hannah. Brookes then shut himself in his bedroom and the neighbours carried Hannah here to the Bear and Bacchus pub and a surgeon was called to attend to her. By then, blood was pouring out of a hole in the side of her head and running down her neck. Sadly, as the surgeon examined Hannah he saw that it was too late for anything to be done, and she died there and then inside the building you see here.

Having been alerted by the noise, more neighbours arrived and rushed into Brookes's house and overpowered him until two Police constables arrived to arrest him. He was accused of murder and his trial took place at the end of March. Reports of the trial at the time referred to Brookes as the Mad Parson of Warwick. He was found guilty but was spared his meeting with the hangman though as he was declared insane, and sentenced to be detained at His Majesty's pleasure.

Now if you happen to be here at nighttime, then be aware that locals have reported several sightings of a young girl walking around here, dressed in white, blood stained clothing. Could this be the spirit of the ill-fated, 14 year old Hannah Miller?

Well let's not hang around to find out. Cross to the other side of Brook Street and then walk to where it meets the High Street. Then turn right at the corner and walk along the pathway with the diagonal tiles alongside the timber framed building on the right. You'll hear from me when you're there.. Read More

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Major Landmarks

Eastgate
St Mary’s Church
Warwickshire County Council
The Thomas Lloyd - JD Wetherspoon
The Old Coffee Tavern
Market Hall Museum, Warwick
The Lord Leycester
West Gate
The Warwick Arms Hotel
The Oken Tea Rooms
Warwick Castle
The Old Shire Hall

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
57 Smith St, Warwick CV34 4HU, UK
Total distance

2km
Final location
Castle Ln, Warwick CV34 4QX, UK
Distance back to start location

306.76m

Directions to Starting Point

The tour begins on Smith Street at its corner with Chapel Street. You should stand on the pavement next to the red brick building you'll see that has a long brass plaque on the front door. If you use what3words then the exact location is ///fixed.rival.doors. This is an easy 6 minute walk from Warwick Railway Station. Alternatively there is the large St Nicholas Car Park car park nearby which is also about a 5 minute walk from the start point.

When there you'll have a great view of the East Gate which is slightly further up Smith Street and which will be our first stop.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

There is no shortage of places to eat and drink in Warwick. My suggestions would the The Old Coffee Tavern or the Tilted Wig which are both attractive pubs where good food is also available. The Thomas Lloyd pub is a Weatherspoons pub and also offers a wide range of drinks and food at more affordable prices.

The Market Hall Museum and the Lord Leycester Hospital are all well worth a visit if they are open, as is St Mary's Church with its tall tower that offers fabulous views over Warwick and the surrounding countryside.

Best time of day

There are no restrictions so this tour can be taken any time of day or night.

Precautions

Warwick is a nice safe town and generally doesn't suffer from the overcrowding that some historic towns and villages have to contend with. My only advice would be to take care over some of the cobbled areas as these can get a little slippery in wet weather.

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App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”