Medieval castle
In May 1946, Stratford's city council approved the naming of Warwick Road. It fit the Stratford Shakespearean tradition, because Warwick is the shortened form of Warwickshire, England. Warwick is also the name of the county town famous for its well-preserved medieval buildings.
The River Avon in England divides the county into woodland Warwickshire, the remains of the Forest Arden (see Arden Park), and the meadowland to the southeast. The Town of Warwickshire's main attractions are for tourists and students of architecture and medieval history. In the year 914, Ethelfleda, a daughter of Alfred the Great, built a stronghold there against the Danes. Warwick Castle is one of the few medieval fortresses in England that is still inhabited. For nearly 1,000 years it has stood on a crag above the Avon River, fortified with towers and dungeons, displaying the finest private collections of medieval armour in Britain.
No sooner had the First Folio of Shakespeare’s plays been published in 1623, than the first tourists began to trickle into Stratford-on-Avon. Shakespeare’s fame spread, and the pressures of tourism increased, spilling over to transform Warwickshire into what has now become known as "Shakespeare country." By Stanford Dingman
Warwick Castle
Warwick Castle is a medieval castle developed from a wooden fort, originally built by William the Conqueror during 1068. The name Warwick is derived from "war" and the Anglo-Saxon "wick," meaning a "station." Thus the name Warwick means "a great stronghold in war."
Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England, situated on a meander of the River Avon.
The original wooden motte-and-bailey castle was rebuilt in stone during the 12th century.
Today it houses one of the finest private collections of armour in Britain.
During the Hundred Years War, the façade opposite the town was refortified, resulting in one of the most recognizable examples of 14th-century military architecture. It was used as a stronghold until the early 17th century, when it was granted to Sir Fulke Greville by James I in 1604. Greville converted it to a country house, and it was owned by the Greville family until 1978, when it was bought by the Tussauds Group. (The Grevilles became earls of Warwick in 1759.)
In 2007, the Blackstone Group bought the Tussauds Group and merged it with Merlin Entertainments. Warwick Castle was then sold to Nick Leslau's investment firm, Prestbury Group, under a sale and leaseback agreement. Merlin continues to operate the site under a renewable 35-year lease. Source: Wikipedia