Church of the Week: The Chapel at Warwick Castle, Warwick, England

In 1068, William the Conqueror built a timber castle on the banks of the River Avon in order to consolidate the Norman Conquest in the Midlands and Northern England. In 1088, William appointed Henry de Beaumont (1088-1119) Constable of Warwick (at some point, Beaumont changed his name to Neville). Five generations of his descendants held the title of Earl of Warwick, occupying that castle. Around 1260, a new castle of stone was constructed on the same site, and it was here (in a castle greatly improved during the fourteenth century) that Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick during the War of the Roses, earned the title, "The Kingmaker" for his role in deposing both Henry VI and Edward VI.

The current chapel is due to the efforts of Sir Greville in the early seventeenth century. It is built on the site of the old chapel, founded in 1119. Until 1900, the families of the Earls of Warwick worshiped in this chapel.

The lovely Robin and I visited this chapel in 1995, along with Aubrey and Aaron.

The medieval stained glass windows in the Chapel were presented by the Earl of Exeter in 1759. There are also Flemish wood carvings which date back to 1740.

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