Lord Leycester's Hospital at Warwick is simply one of the most stunning medieval buildings that I have seen. The 1st Earl of Leicester acquired the 14th century buildings in 1571, founding a hospital (in effect, the social housing of its time) for aged or injured soldiers and their wives, under royal charter from Queen Elizabeth I. It still provides a residence for a small number of former soldiers and their families. The word hospital did not originally mean a medical facility, but rather a charitable institution where the needy, infirm or aged could live.
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