Leonard Baldwin, Hotel Keeper, of the Warwick Arms Hotel, High Street

 

Invoice from Leonard Baldwin to the Earl of Warwick

Warwickshire County Record Office reference CR1887/Box57

 

Warwick High Street., showing the Warwick Arms Hotel

Warwickshire County Record Office reference PH1035/C6033/B3209.

Leonard Baldwin was the hotel keeper at the Warwick Arms Hotel in the second half of the Victorian era. He lived there for nearly 40 years, with his wife Louisa and their six children. Their son William also joined the business after training as a veterinary surgeon. The Warwick Arms Hotel was very busy. It was a stopping place for the mail coaches as well as for other travellers. Having a vet on hand to look after the horses would have been a selling point for the hotel.

Mail coaches delivered letters and parcels across the country for Royal Mail. They followed a network of roads and stopped at designated coaching inns where they could swap horses. Coaches followed a strict timetable and swapped horses every 10 to 15 miles. It could take as little as three minutes to make the swap when the coach was in a hurry.

Well used by the county as a whole

The Warwick Arms Hotel was well used by the people of Warwick and the wider county. Records show it was a popular venue for holding property auctions and committee meetings. Groups such as the Warwickshire Agricultural Society, the Warwickshire Tenant Farmer Association and the Warwickshire Hunt would meet at the hotel.

The Earl and Countess of Warwick frequently used the Warwick Arms for hosting dinners and entertainment. One bill to the Earl of Warwick was for 30 dinners and deserts, and another 30 the next day. The bill lists the drinks and cigars bought by the Earl too, including whisky, wine, sherry, ale, port.

Livery hire

Leonard also offered Livery Hire from the Warwick Arms Hotel. People would hire carriages and horses from him. Newspaper adverts list the types of carriages that were available for weddings and funerals. You could choose between a glass hearse with one horse or a pair, or a hearse with plumes. Horses suited for hunting could be hired for the hunting season.

The success of the Warwick Arms Hotel during Leonard’s time as Hotel Keeper might have been in part due to his personality. A short obituary describes him as the ‘genial proprietor of the Warwick Arms Hotel’ and says, ‘his urbanity gained for him a large circle of friends.’ This suggests Leonard was a welcoming, friendly host.

This article is part of the Through the Shop Window trail showcasing the links between Warwick businesses and Warwick Castle in the 1800s. Supported by The Friends of Warwickshire County Record Office, The Steven Wallsgrove Legacy and Warwick Town Council.