Discover the untold stories that bring to life the people who once lived and worked at the iconic Warwick Castle with this new exhibition by Heritage and Culture Warwickshire.
The ground floor of Market Hall Museum, Warwick will be redisplayed to tell over 300 years of history inspired by the Greville Family collection, held at Warwickshire County Record Office.
Warwick Castle Unboxed: New stories from an old castle will open on Friday 20 March, with an opening celebration day with tours and activities taking place on Saturday 28 March.
The culmination of a four-year project, this exhibition begins with Fulke Greville asking King James I for Warwick Castle, over 300 years ago. The exhibition features stories about the Greville family, courting scandal in Regency society and managing ambulance trains in WW1.
Visitors to the exhibition will also discover tales of the maid tempted by an easter egg, the aardvark that nipped a footman, and the housekeeper who lent her savings to pay an Earl’s debts.
Councillor Mike Bannister, Portfolio Holder for Customer and Localities said: “This exhibition offers a unique opportunity to look behind the walls of Warwick Castle and discover the real stories of the people who shaped its history. By bringing together archive material, personal letters, and unexpected objects, we’re able to share a more human, and perhaps unexpected side of the castle’s past.”
On display are original documents from the Greville Family collection and objects from Warwickshire Museum collections, including the original letter from Fulke Greville asking King James for Warwick Castle, and the reply he received. One of the highlights of the exhibition is a letter from Beau Brummell, leader of Regency fashion, to Lady Sarah Savile, later Countess of Warwick, declaring his love.
Rob Eyre, Senior Archivist, says, ‘This is the culmination of four years' work to make the archive more accessible. The exhibition reveals many unknown or forgotten stories about the Grevilles and the people that interacted with them, which is very exciting. I hope that visitors to the museum enjoy discovering more about the people that made the castle a home and a place of work. We’ve got so many stories to tell, we haven’t been able to fit them all into the exhibition. We will be sharing those stories with talks and events while the exhibition is at Market Hall Museum.’
Celebrate the opening on Saturday 28 March with a range of free activities for all the family to enjoy. Meet Parliamentarian soldiers from the British Civil War and a surgeon from a World War 1 ambulance train. Free, no need to book, just drop in. 10am - 2pm.
Sara Wear, Curator of Human History, says ‘Warwick Castle Unboxed combines objects and documents from the museum and archive collections to tell some fascinating stories. We’re grateful for the loan of several objects from Warwick Castle’s collection, including a clock rumoured to have once belonged to Queen Marie Antoinette, and a tandem bicycle from Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.’
Market Hall Museum is open Tuesday – Saturday, FREE entry. Exhibition opens Friday 20th March.
The exhibition is supported by Warwick Castle.