The latest custodian of Warwick's historic home for veterans is to be officially welcomed in a centuries-old ceremony, marking the latest chapter in its 450-year history.

Dr Daren Bowyer will be formally installed as Master of the Lord Leycester during a service at its Chapel of St James on Wednesday 9 September, in the presence of dignitaries including the Bishop of Coventry.

The ceremony marks the formal welcome of him as custodian of one of Europe's most significant collections of medieval timber-framed buildings and Master of an institution that has provided a home for military veterans since the reign of Elizabeth I.

A former Royal Engineers officer who served for 26 years, Bowyer becomes the 34th person to hold the position after taking the reins earlier this year.

He said: "There is a real weight of history that comes with becoming Master of the Lord Leycester and being formally installed into a role that has been held by 33 people before me is an incredibly humbling moment.

"The Lord Leycester isn't simply an historic building. It is an institution with a purpose that has endured for more than four and a half centuries, and to become part of that continuing story is an enormous privilege.

"Most importantly, this is still a home. The Brethren sit at the heart of the Lord Leycester and with the role of Master comes a responsibility to them, to this remarkable place and to all those who have gone before us.

"To stand in the Chapel of St James and formally take on that responsibility is something I will never forget. I feel enormously proud to become the 34th Master and very conscious that, for all of us who are custodians of somewhere like the Lord Leycester, our job is to care for it during our time and pass it on to those who come next."

Nestled in the heart of Warwick, the Lord Leycester is not only one of the most significant medieval buildings in Europe, but is home to the Brethren - continuing its long history as an almshouse for veterans.

The collection of half-timbered buildings was built by the powerful Warwick Guilds in the late 1300s to conduct Guild business from the town centre but to avoid forfeit to the Crown during Henry VIII's reign they had been handed to the Town.

In the reign of Elizabeth I, the Town gave the buildings to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester and the Queen's favourite courtier, to create a home for soldiers injured in the wars of the Tudor age.

Centuries on, the site remains home to the Brethren, military veterans who live within its walls and welcome visitors, conducting tours and sharing their own military stories.

Bowyer succeeds Heidi Meyer, who oversaw a £5 million National Lottery Heritage Fund-supported transformation of the Lord Leycester, helping preserve its historic buildings and secure the future of the site and its Brethren community.

His appointment continues the Lord Leycester's close connection with the Armed Forces.

He served for 26 years as an officer in the Royal Engineers, including operational service in the Gulf, Balkans and Afghanistan, before moving into charity, education and heritage leadership. Most recently, he was Director of the Gurkha Museum in Winchester, where he led a £5.2 million National Lottery Heritage Fund-supported redevelopment.

His previous roles have also included Director of the Sandhurst Trust and senior positions at Pembroke College, Oxford, and Cumberland Lodge in Windsor Great Park. He holds an MA in Defence Management, an MPhil in International Relations and a PhD in military ethics.

The ceremony to mark the installation of the Master has followed an almost unchanged format since Robert Dudley founded his 'Hospital' for veterans of the Tudor wars, in 1571, in buildings first erected for Warwick's Guilds.

The first Master was a clergyman, Ralph Griffin, and Masters continued to be men of the cloth until the 1950s when the then Patron, William Sidney, first Viscount De L'Isle VC, a decorated war hero and direct descendant of Robert Dudleys' Heirs at Law, had the statutes changed to require that the Master should be a retired military officer. The first such was Rear Admiral Stuart Pears.

The last time this service was held was in 2016 when Heidi Meyer became the first woman to hold the position.

The Master's installation for the 34th Master of the Lord Leycester will be conducted by the Rev Angus Aagaard, Rector of the Collegiate Church of St Mary, in the presence of the current Patron of the Lord Leycester, Philip Sidney, second Viscount De L'Isle, and The Right Reverend Sophie Jelley, Bishop of Coventry and Visitor to the Hospital.

Viscount De L'Isle said: "Daren's installation as the 34th Master of the Lord Leycester is a great occasion, and as hereditary Patron I am delighted to welcome him into the role as he begins a new chapter in the history of the Hospital.

"His energy, commitment and initiative have already made a great impact and I know that my fellow Governors, the Brethren and all the Hospital's friends and supporters will join me in wishing him a long, happy and successful tenure as Master."