- Venue
- Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum
- Starts
- Saturday, June 25, 2011
- Ends
- Sunday, September 18, 2011
- Address
- Royal Pump Rooms, The Parade, Leamington Spa, CV32 4AA
- Location
- West Midlands
At Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum a new exhibition will open on 25 June which focuses on the life and legacy in Warwickshire of Robert Dudley (1532 – 1588), Earl of Leicester. The favourite of Queen Elizabeth I, Dudley is one of the most controversial and glamorous characters in English history. The exhibition will feature major events such as the visits of Queen Elizabeth to Robert and his brother Ambrose (the Earl of Warwick) at Warwick Castle in 1572 and to Robert at Kenilworth Castle in 1575. Both visits were celebrated with lavish entertainments, particularly the spectacular 19 days of ‘Princelye Pleasures’ at Kenilworth, which involved water pageants, fireworks, plays, dancing and sports. The exhibition will showcase the Dudley heritage of Warwickshire, with displays of paintings, prints, documents and other works from local collections. The accompanying text will draw on contemporary sources including descriptions of Queen Elizabeth I’s visits to Kenilworth and Warwick, supplemented by the work of later writers, including Sir William Dugdale. It is hoped that visitors will be inspired to explore for themselves Lord Leicester’s legacy in Warwickshire and beyond. Entry to the exhibition will be free and there is a linked programme of activities for the family.
