Our church enshrines much of the history of England, and has great architectural beauty and significance. It is a home of prayer and worship, with a strong musical tradition. St Mary’s was founded on its present site in 1123 by Roger de Newburgh, the Earl of Warwick. The Crypt still remains from the original Norman building, and houses a rare example of a medieval ducking stool. The Chancel, Vestry and Chapter House were rebuilt in the Fourteenth Century by Thomas Beauchamp, and this section of the building represents one of the highest peaks of English Gothic architecture. The tomb of Thomas Beauchamp stands in front of the high altar; the tiny figures around its base give a fine depiction of Fourteenth Century English fashion. Fulke Greville's enigmatic monument takes up most of the Chapter House. The glorious Beauchamp Chapel was built in the Fifteenth Century to house the tomb of Richard Beauchamp, the Earl of Warwick and one of the richest and most powerful people in the history of our country. It is a magnificent example of the European ecclesiastical architecture of its time, and ranks as one of this country’s greatest treasures. The Chapel also houses the tombs of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, his brother Ambrose Dudley, Earl of Warwick, and Robert’s son, the “Noble Impe”. The Nave and Tower were destroyed in the great fire of Warwick in 1694, and rebuilt by 1704 by the brothers Francis and William Smith, builder architects of Warwick. The chapel of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment (Royal Regiment of Fusiliers) occupies the North Transept.
