A mini guide to
A market town with the ruins of Kenilworth Castle and the open space of Abbey Fields
Welcome to the area
Kenilworth is a market town on Finham Brook in the middle of Warwickshire, about 5.5 miles south-west of Coventry and 4.5 miles north of Warwick and Leamington Spa. It had a population of 22,538 at the 2021 census.
Kenilworth Castle, now looked after by English Heritage, was founded after the Norman Conquest and became a palace in the Tudor period; much of it is in ruins, and it has a recreated Elizabethan garden. In the centre of town, Abbey Fields holds the remains of St Mary's Abbey and St Nicholas Church. The railway station reopened in 2018.
Highlights
If you only have a few hours, these are good places to begin.
Largely ruined English Heritage castle, founded after 1066 and turned into a Tudor palace, with a recreated Elizabethan garden.
Directions Website Report a problem with Kenilworth Castle and Elizabethan Garden
Park of 68 acres in the centre of town, once farmland of St Mary's Abbey, with the abbey ruins and its sandstone gatehouse.
Grade I listed parish church in Abbey Fields whose doorway reuses carved stones from the dissolved abbey.
Community theatre and arts centre on Barrow Road with 156 seats and two wheelchair spaces.
Amateur theatre with 120 seats in circle and stalls, staging drama, comedy, thrillers, musicals and pantomime.
Warwickshire Wildlife Trust nature reserve on a historic common, with woodland walks north-east of the centre.
Find your way
The map shows Kenilworth and the streets around it. The Getting there page lists nearby stops and stations.
Insider tips
Kenilworth Castle is run by English Heritage; check its page for opening days and tickets before travelling.
Abbey Fields lies between the castle and the town centre, with the abbey remains and St Nicholas Church on its north side.
The Talisman Theatre and the Priory Theatre stage amateur productions; programmes are on their own sites.
Kenilworth has few hotels with their own websites we could check, so many visitors stay in Warwick or Leamington Spa, both short train or car rides away.
Tips from the Britlens editors
Stratford & Warwickshire
Shakespeare's birthplace, his family homes and the Royal Shakespeare Company beside the Avon
Open the mini guide →
Warwickshire's county town, with its castle above the Avon and medieval streets
Open the mini guide →
A spa town of parks along the River Leam, the Royal Pump Rooms and the Parade
Open the mini guide →Photos from Wikimedia Commons, used under the licences shown. All photo credits
Keep exploring Stratford & Warwickshire
English (UK)
English (US)
Français
Deutsch
Español
Italiano
Nederlands
简体中文