Hidden behind the ancient buildings of the Lord Leycester Hospital is the Master’s Garden. This historic plot, enclosed by the town wall of Warwick, has been cultivated for over 500 years and was restored by a former Master’s wife, a noted garden historian. It now comprises mixed shrub and herbaceous planting with climbing roses and clematis. Garden features include a 12th century Norman arch discovered under the current Chapel and a huge stone vase, 2,000 years old, which once topped a column on the banks of the River Nile. The conical thatched summerhouse was mentioned in the diary of Nathaniel Hawthorne, the American author, who visited the garden in 1855. Beneath the gazebo can be seen the stove and hypocaust (underfloor heating) system of an early pineapple pit. Among the more unusual (for the Midlands) shrubs are suede-barked myrtle (myrtus luma), cercidiphyllum japonicum pendulum, clerodendrum trichotomum fargesii and a magnificent abutilon vitifolium ‘Album’. In spring the magnolias and tulips are delightful and splendid old paeonies and swags of climbing roses make early summer particularly spectacular.
MARCH/ APRIL 2019 - We are currently launching our Plant Sponsorship scheme. In preparation for summer, we are looking to collect plants for the gardens on site. If you are able to donate a plant or alternatively wish to sponsor one on the following list, please contact master@lordleycester.com with the name of the item you wish to sponsor.
MARCH/ APRIL 2019 - We are currently launching our Plant Sponsorship scheme. In preparation for summer, we are looking to collect plants for the gardens on site. If you are able to donate a plant or alternatively wish to sponsor one on the following list, please contact master@lordleycester.com with the name of the item you wish to sponsor.
| Sponsor a plant - List |
For ardent fans who like to see the unfolding beauty of the garden throughout the year we offer Garden Season Tickets at £15 valid for one year from purchase, available from our Ticket Office. The Garden is open two days a year in April and August free to Warwick residents. Regular opening times are: winter 10-4 and summer 10-5. The Lord Leycester is closed on Mondays, except Bank Holidays.
