Our Star-Studded Warwick Guest List

Our town’s been flooded with the rich and famous since the moment it was founded! The town and the castle have brimmed with royalty, with earls, lords, heirs apparent and future royal consorts. Our very own hotel has played a part, welcoming the occasional famous Warwick guest or celebrity visitor, from 1717 through to the present day.

Today we’re taking a stroll through history, catching a glimpse of the famous people who’ve stayed with us over the years.

An Extraordinary Town

Warwick’s so much more than a sleepy little town! The medieval castle has been home to heirs apparent and royal consorts, while poets, actors and footballers have all been born in the town. This includes the intriguing artist and imposter, Olivia Serres, who passed herself off as Princess of Cumberland, even when imprisoned for debt!

A more well-known figure is Robert Dudley, founder of the Lord Leycester Hospital just steps from the Warwick Arms Hotel. Soldier, courtier, strangely close to Queen Elizabeth I and rumoured wife-killer… He would have made a fascinating guest, but we don’t need him to add interest to our historical Warwick guest list!

Heroes And Humourists

Our first famous Warwick guest is none other than Admiral Nelson. You could say he’s a British icon, who somehow managed to be a naval hero at the same time as getting terribly seasick. Now, that’s an encouragement to everyone who feels a little green on a boat, as he went on to fight sea battles against the French, the Danes and the Americans, thwarting Napoleon himself! His service resulted in a statue at Trafalgar Square, but even statues can have a hidden past, with the Warwick Arms playing host to him and his mistress Lady Hamilton, a remarkable performer with a shady past…

Fast forward from an American-fighting admiral to a famed American writer – the white-haired and moustachioed Mark Twain. Not only did the author of Huckleberry Finn stay in our hotel, but The Warwick Arms made an appearance in his time-travel fiction, A Conneticut Yankee In King Arthur’s Court! In the story, the American narrator comes across a mysterious stranger while taking a tour through Warwick Castle, who later visits him (in The Warwick Arms Hotel!) with a manuscript detailing his time-travelling adventures in Camelot. Perhaps it was the castle and our traditional old building that inspired this famous Yankee to the reign of King Arthur!

Our Favourite Warwick Guest

We’re saving the best until last, with the Warwick guest you’re most likely to know: Frank Sinatra, the velvet-voiced sensation!

When he visited Warwick in 1953, Sinatra was an acclaimed singer, known across the world as the ‘Sultan of Swoon’ or simply, ‘The Voice’, although he’d begun to make an appearance in 1940s films. In 1953, he really made a name for himself, becoming an Oscar-winning star in From Here To Eternity, but before he became a staple of the silver screen, he played at the Birmingham Hippodrome. Instead of opting for a lavish hotel nearer his venue, Sinatra became a Warwick guest, staying at the Warwick Arms, with its ‘pleasing style of simple elegance.’

Stay With Us

Tread in the footsteps of our famous guests by booking one of our cosy hotel rooms, although they’ve been much modernised since Nelson, Twain and Sinatra! Head to our website to find the ideal room for you, situated in the heart of a truly historic town.

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