Margaret Rushton A Leamington Postal Scandal Leamington’s first Postmaster in 1783 was Benjamin Satchwell, who oversaw a postal service very different from that of today. A recognised postal system had been operating throughout most of the country since the 1630’s, whereby the recipient, not the sender, paid the postage, summoned outdoors by the ringing of the … Read more
Leamington Spa Borough Police Special Constabulary Special Constables are not the relatively new institution that many people suppose. They date back as far as Anglo-Saxon times, when communities policed themselves, hundreds of years before the Police Force that we know. The modern Special Constabulary was created by Act of Parliament in 1673, but in … Read more
Harry Herbert Clarke B Squadron 6th (Iniskilling) Dragoons 7th Cavalry Brigade, 3rd Cavalry Division “A particularly fine and dashing soldier” Harry Herbert Clarke was born in Canterbury in 1872, and enlisted in 1st (Canterbury) Troop, A Squadron, Royal East Kent (Yeomanry) Mounted Rifles at the outbreak of the 2nd South African [Boer] War in October … Read more
Francis Stenton was the Master of Ceremonies at the Upper Assembly Rooms from 1821 to 1830, resigning in mysterious circumstances having been absent for a while. In an address to the subscribers at the election of his successor, Dr Amos Middleton said: “I must ever lament the necessity that has placed Capt. Stenton in a … Read more
Newbold Beeches was an imposing mansion built on a hilltop site overlooking the Leam and most parts of North Leamington. The house was sited on a parcel of land acquired from Lady Willes, on the side of a steep hill. To create a sufficiently large flat site some quite serious engineering work was required. … Read more
Lieutenant General Charles Augustus Goodfellow V.C., C.B., Victoria Cross and Companion – Order of the Bath was born in Essex on 29th November 1836 . At the height of his military service Charles Goodfellow was Colonel Commandant of the Royal Engineers; in fact he was the third member of his family to be appointed Commandant of the … Read more
Bertram Saxelbye Evers, “B” Company, 9th [Service] Battalion [Prince of Wales’s Own] West Yorkshire Regiment, 32nd Brigade 3 November 1891-14 September 1916 Bertram Saxelbye Evers was born on the 3rd November 1891 in Aldborough, North Yorkshire, the youngest of the ten surviving children of Rev. Edwin and Mrs Saxelbye Evers. When he was not either … Read more
Memories of a long-vanished trade A trawl through Leamington Street Directories of the past shows an interesting pattern in the growth and later demise of the family bakery. In 1832, there were only seven shops in the whole of the town, – two butchers, two fish shops and three mercers. Leamington families – or if … Read more
Built in 1875, at the instigation of Henry Bright, backed by Aldermen Wackrill (then Mayor), Bishop and Bradshaw, Campion Terrace Water Works were the first publicly owned waterworks in the country to supply a whole town – Leamington Spa – and the surrounding area with potable (drinking) water. When Mayor Henry Bright laid the Foundation … Read more
Randolph Turpin’s life was a classic rags to riches story that should have had a happy ending. As it turned out, it ended in bankruptcy and tragedy. Born in 1928 in a rented basement flat at 6 Willes Road, Leamington he was christened Randolph Adolphus. His father Lionel came from British Guiana and was descended … Read more
Mary Cordelia Emily Leigh was born in 1866 at Stoneleigh Abbey, the youngest child of William Henry, 2nd Baron Leigh. Her family were among the wealthiest and most influential landowners in Warwickshire, with an estate of nearly 15,000 acres. Despite his great wealth, Cordelia’s father proved a benevolent head of the Leigh estate, with a … Read more
Leamington had many chapels, some are long gone, others have been put to alternative uses, and some lie empty, probably damp and derelict, awaiting their fate. The ex- Baptist chapel on Clarendon Street is one such, being proposed currently for demolition and replacement by housing. There are two chapels however that seem unlikely to face … Read more
Contact the Secretary, Margaret Rushton: secretary@leamingtonhistory.co.uk
June 9, 2026
Nelly (later known as Eleanor Velasco) Thornton was born in Stockwell, London, on 15th April 1880 to Frederick and Sarah Ann Thornton, who was also known as ‘Nellie’. They had...
May 26, 2026
This is Mark’s own brief personal and professional story about how he became interested in the history of Leamington Spa and producing films about the town’s full, varied and fascinating...
May 6, 2026
Acknowledgements to Contributors Writers of Articles Stella BolithoNigel BriggsPeter CoullsBarry FranklinMichael JeffsAllan JenningsMichael PearsonDr Sylvia PinchesMargaret RushtonSidney SysonRichard TaulbutDr John Wilmot Substantial Contributors to Articles. Kay Bugg; Alan Griffin; Dr...