It was built on a Norman foundation. The ancient Norman building remains as the crypt. In 1123 the Earl of Warwick built St Mary's on top of the Norman church. The most glorious part of the church is the gorgeous Beauchamp chapel, built to house the tomb of Richard Beauchamp, the then Earl of Warwick in the 15th century. It is a beautiful addition that also houses the tombs of later descendants. Each tomb is as sumptuous as the one before. We had an elderly gentleman as our guide and he showed such unparalleled passion and love for the church. He reminded me of another elderly guide when we visited Canterbury cathedral a few years ago. This sweet guy took a group of us on a 3 hour tour of Canterbury cathedral and we were spellbound by his explanation. After the tour of the chapel we went down the basement to see the crypt. When we were ready to leave I decided to leave a donation. There was poster about the repairs needed for the church and the millions of pounds it would need. I gave a 20 pound donation. Might have been cheaper to visit Warwick castle but this was more than worth it.
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