"Warwick - My Birthplace" a Warwick Travel Page by grayfo

Historic Warwick is a great centre for the tourist, with it’s many antique, china and gift shops and a regular market every Saturday. There is also a wide variety of small specialised shops located around the Market Square, Swan Street and Smith Street plus a selection of pubs, fine restaurants and tearooms

Warwick is a town steeped in history that was founded on the banks of the River Avon in 914 AD by Ethelfleda, sister of Edward the Elder, as a defence against the Danish invaders, on a site overlooking earlier riverside settlements. It was built on a small hill, located so that it controlled the river valley and river crossing on the roads to London, Stratford, Coventry and the salt way to Droitwich. Although the town was ravaged by the Great Fire in 1694, lots of important medieval buildings survived.