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Christmas in Warwick is usually an excuse to hit the Christmas markets, see the Christmas lights and generally have a jolly time. Not on this walk though!

We’ve dived into Warwick’s history books once more, to find crimes, murders and famous faces with a connection to the festive period.

You’ll find out what Christmas crimes took place in Warwickshire, and the harsh punishments that were dealt to to criminals who committed them. You’ll hear about Warwick’s connection to A Christmas Carol, and how Charles Dickens changed the very laws of Warwick itself. We’ll talk of Lettice Knollys, the wife of Robert Dudley, and the incredible facts about her life.

And we end with a murder on Christmas morning, so bloody and shocking, making it the perfect finale for our tour!

This is the only Christmas event you need in Warwick! Let’s get festive folks.

The Weirdly Festive Walk of Warwick begins the day after the Warwick Christmas light switch on, which is usually the last Thursday of November.

The Route

1. Lord Leycester Hospital

We begin at one of Warwick’s oldest and most impressive looking buildings; a Tudor almshouse that has housed ex-soldiers for nearly 500 years.

Here we discover the festive sight that took place here not too long ago, and the famous author whose Christmas story has a distant connection to the building.

2. Warwick Castle’s Town Gate

Just on the other side of Warwick Castle’s entrance, you’ll hear how the Castle was the base for the Parliamentarians after the Battle of Edge Hill, the first major conflict in the English Civil War.

But the Christmas that took place just 2 months after the Battle, became one of the spookiest on record (literally). This is one of South Warwickshire’s most famous ghost stories, and arguably the most famous ghost story in English history!

3. Oken Tea Room

The Victorians started the Christmas tradition of telling ghost stories before Christmas, and Oken House is one of Warwick’s most haunted locations! Hear about this wealthy benefactor of Warwici, who still makes an appearance hundreds of years after his death.

4. Warwick Castle Horse Entrance

Just down the road is a large gateway, large enough for a horse and carriage to fit through. But one Christmas, something rather unexpected made its way through these gates, and straight to Daisy Greville, the Countess of Warwick. But what was this strange Christmas gift, that had journeyed from nearby Leamington Spa?

5. Collegiate Church of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is Warwick’s tallest building, and is the burial place for some of England’s most famous faces. Here we will be talking about two of the most famous; Robert Dudley and his wife, Lettice Knollys. But what connection did these two have to Christmas? And just why are they so famous?

6. Old Shire Hall

Warwick was home to the Warwickshire County Courts for around 300 years, meaning the very worst criminals across the county had their trial here during the quarterly assizes. Well, some of those crimes took place at Christmas! Here you will hear of some of the hilariously festive crimes from Victorian England, and the mad punishments that came with it!

7. Old Prison Cell

A lasting memory from Warwick’s old gaol, this spooky door would have housed some violent and depraved criminals. Here you will hear a most tragic story, of murder most foul, and the terrible punishment that came afterwards: public hanging!

8. Warwick Execution Site

Hidden in plain sight on Barrack Street, is the spot where the execution scaffold once would have stood. Which terrible criminals met their end here?

9. Market Square

Ending in Warwick’s historic market square, we discuss a most deadly murder one Christmas morning, one that took 2 years to solve! This is a story spanning continents, featuring greed, revenge and tragedy, and culminating a public execution attended by thousands!