03-11-2025 · 7 min read
The removal of scaffolding from the tower of St Mary's marked a moment of celebration for the entire Warwick community. After an extensive programme of restoration, the tower stands revealed in its full splendour, with repaired stonework, gleaming clock faces, restored pinnacles, and freshly painted heraldic shields. As noted by Visit Warwick, the town's tourism hub, the reopening of the tower and its 160-step climb to the viewing platform is expected to be a significant draw for visitors to the area.
The reopening represents far more than the completion of a building project. It signals the culmination of years of planning, fundraising, and community effort that brought together donors, volunteers, heritage organisations, and skilled craftspeople in a shared endeavour to preserve one of the most recognisable landmarks in the West Midlands.
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27-07-2025 · 5 min read
The success of Campaign 2023 has always depended on more than large institutional grants, important as those have been. Equally vital has been the remarkable outpouring of support from the people of Warwick and the wider community, who have organised, attended, and contributed to an extraordinary range of fundraising activities since the campaign's launch.
From intimate garden parties to large-scale public events, the variety and energy of the community's response has been one of the defining features of the campaign. Each event, regardless of its size, has contributed not only financially but also by strengthening the sense of shared purpose that makes the restoration possible.
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25-04-2025 · 6 min read
Among the most visually striking features of the St Mary's tower are the twelve painted heraldic shields positioned near the top of the structure. According to Historic England's guidance on making changes to places of worship, restoring decorative elements such as these requires specialist knowledge to ensure that both historical accuracy and material compatibility are maintained. At St Mary's, the shield restoration proved to be one of the most technically demanding and historically rewarding aspects of the entire project.
The shields bear the coats of arms of historic families and benefactors associated with the church and the town of Warwick. Positioned high on the tower where they catch the light, they were originally intended to be visible from the streets below, proclaiming the status and patronage of those they represented.
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25-01-2025 · 5 min read
After months of careful planning and fundraising, the extension of scaffolding to the full height of the tower marked the beginning of the active restoration phase. The sight of the tower wrapped in steel and protective netting was a bittersweet moment for many in Warwick, signalling both the scale of the challenge and the determination of the community to address it.
The scaffolding operation itself was a significant undertaking. The structure needed to reach the very top of the 130-foot tower while maintaining stability in exposed conditions and allowing the specialist conservation team safe access to every section of the stonework.
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23-11-2024 · 6 min read
High within the tower of St Mary's hangs a ring of ten bells, and the people who ring them form one of the most enduring volunteer groups in Warwick. The bellringing band at St Mary's maintains a practice that connects the present day to centuries of musical tradition, sounding the bells for services, weddings, funerals, and national occasions with a skill that requires years of dedication to develop.
The bells themselves carry their own history. Three of the ten bells date from the original casting before the Great Fire of 1694, making them among the oldest surviving features of the church.
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07-10-2024 · 5 min read
The tower that dominates the Warwick skyline today owes its existence to one of the most catastrophic events in the town's history. On the 5th of September 1694, a fire broke out in a house near the centre of Warwick and, driven by strong winds, quickly spread through the tightly packed medieval streets. By the time the flames were brought under control, much of the town centre had been reduced to ashes, including significant portions of the Collegiate Church of St Mary.
The medieval tower, which had stood for several centuries, was completely destroyed along with the nave and much of the church's interior.
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