Historic Warwick building which houses ex-servicemen is given £1.4m Armistice Day boost by National Lottery fund

The money will pay for a four-year renovation and income generating project at the Lord Leycester Hospital
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The Lord Leycester Hospital in Warwick has today (Thursday November 11 - Armistice Day) been given a £1.42 million grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to pay for a four-year renovation project at the historic building.

The money will be used to transform the Grade I and II listed landmark buildings into a modern visitor attraction, that tells both the story of the heritage buildings and of the residents past and present.

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Visitors will be able to explore the site's heritage through guided tours, trails and displays.

The current Brethren in uniform outside the Lord Leycester Hospital in Warwick.The current Brethren in uniform outside the Lord Leycester Hospital in Warwick.
The current Brethren in uniform outside the Lord Leycester Hospital in Warwick.

Treasures on display will include medals from the Crimean War and Battle of Waterloo, a helmet worn at the 1854 battle of Balaclava, and a custom-built chair made for King James I when he visited Warwick in 1617.

The hospital, which will have been in existence for 450 years from next month, currently houses seven armed forces veterans known as the Brethren.

Between them they have served with the Grenadier Guards, Royal Air Force, Royal Ordnance Corps, Royal Navy and Irish Guards.

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Their ages range from 33 to 84 and the countries where they have been in military action include Egypt, Northern Ireland, Cyprus, the Falklands and Afghanistan.

The Lord Leycester Hospital in Warwick.The Lord Leycester Hospital in Warwick.
The Lord Leycester Hospital in Warwick.

Also, as part of the Heritage Fund project, a calendar of community engagement activities and events has been planned.

The aim of this is 'to once again make the Lord Leycester Hospital a vibrant community hub for local people'.

Dr Heidi Meyer, who is the Lord Leycester’s first female master, said: “The Lord Leycester was founded in the reign of Elizabeth I, exists still in the reign of Elizabeth II with the same core task to provide a home to deserving veterans.

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“The National Lottery Heritage Fund grant will ensure this philanthropic legacy continues and that our beautiful medieval buildings are resilient enough to provide a home for our military men and women long into the future.”

Past Brethren outside the Lord Leycester Hospital in Warwick.Past Brethren outside the Lord Leycester Hospital in Warwick.
Past Brethren outside the Lord Leycester Hospital in Warwick.

The site is still patronised by the descendants of its founder and its current patron, Lord De L’Isle Philip Sidney, is an ancestor.

He said: "I am delighted that Lottery has awarded this substantial grant to the Lord Leycester Hospital, particularly as it comes in the 450th anniversary year of the Hospital's founding by my ancestor Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.

“The grant will enable us to restore the fabric of our beautiful mediaeval buildings and revitalise the interior to help tell the stories of the Masters and Brethren who have been at the heart of the Hospital for the past four centuries, as well as enabling us to continue to provide homes and community for ex-servicemen in the centuries to come."

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On Remembrance Sunday (November 14) , the Brethren will wear the current uniforms that consist of 100-year-old blue frock coats and hats, to take part in Warwick’s Remembrance Day service.

Gordon Hill, 84, who was in the Royal Air Force and is the oldest of the Brethen, said: “I joined the RAF at 18 years of age and was stationed all over the world.

"I was lucky to get a place at the Lord Leycester Hospital and have lived here for the past five years.

"We are one big happy family. We give each other companionship, support, shared experiences and laughter.

"The Lord Leycester Hospital is a unique place to call home and we are all very proud to be this generation of Brethen and become a part of its rich historic legacy. Long may it continue.”

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