Margaret Rushton Squadron Leader Henry Maudslay DFC Blue Plaque unveiled The youngest Squadron Leader of the Dam Busters, and one of the youngest pilots, was a local man. Henry Eric Maudslay was born at 1 Vicarage Road, Lillington on 21 July 1921. The Maudslay family had been involved in various branches of engineering for several generations. An … Read more
Richard Hewens was born at Morton Pinkney, Northamptonshire in 1819/20. The first mention of him in Leamington is his marriage to Mary Ann Hall of Budbrooke at All Saints Parish Church in 1841. Richard and Mary Ann were listed at 38 Althorpe Street in the 1851 Census, with Richard’s profession given as “Smith.” They had … Read more
New Street burial ground was opened once the graveyard at the Parish Church was deemed to be full. The ground, an area of 2154 square yards in the historic centre of the (then) new Leamington, was presented to the parish by Mrs Wise and her son Matthew Wise of Shrubland Hall. It was consecrated on … Read more
Henry Bright was born in Sheffield in 1817, where his father Isaac and uncle Philip, were in business as Goldsmiths. Mr Isaac Bright opened a shop on the Parade in Leamington Priors 1831, – one of the first in the New Town, where he traded until shortly before his death in 1849. Mr Isaac Bright … Read more
Robert Leveston Graham (long thought to be his trade name, rather than his given name) was born in the East End of London in 1844, the younger of two sons born to Louisa, the unmarried daughter of Lawrence and Mary Leverston of Stepney. When their mother married, the brothers were raised with their step-siblings in … Read more
George Cunnew was not Leamington born, but he made Leamington his home and built up a successful business here. He came from Bethnal Green, one of the poorest parts of the East End of London in the nineteenth century. George, born in 1822, worked for a bookseller, and looking for better opportunities, moved with his … Read more
Recent research on local iron-founders and ironmongers has uncovered a quite remarkable man with a busy career in court in the second half of the nineteenth century. The man in the spotlight is George William Grove. He first appears in the Leamington Courier as the executor of a will in 1871. Over a period of … Read more
Edward Tracy Turnerelli was the grandson of an Italian count. His father Peter was one of the most eminent sculptors of the age and in 1801 became Royal Sculptor in Ordinary to King George III. He carved portrait busts of many members of the Royal Family and enjoyed a large and lucrative practice. One of … Read more
When the last member of the Wise family died in 1924, and the handsome contents of Shrubland Hall had been sold at auction by Loveitts, a teacher by the name of Miss Nellie Gurney Callier came from Daventry to take the house and grounds to run as a “High Class Boarding School for Girls”. Miss … Read more
This is Richard Soans’ introduction to the fascinating story of a well-known Leamington family business. CLICK HERE to read the full article. Soans is an unusual name. It may be English, a variant of ‘son,’ or it may be Scandinavian. What is indisputable is that our family can be traced back to 1655. Recent generations … Read more
Rosemary Thwaites was the youngest child and only daughter of Captain Sidney Herbert Thwaites, a retired soldier-turned-farmer and a member of the Yorkshire brewing family. Her older brother Leslie Basil Thwaites, a farmer, engineer and inventor, set up Thwaites Agricultural Engineering Company, and Rosemary too grew up interested in motors and mechanisms, driving a car from … Read more
Mrs Fowler, legendary owner of Leamington’s pre-war Blue Café, was born in Derbyshire and grew up in Polesworth, where her father was Vicar of the Parish Church, and Rural Dean. In 1906, at the age of 25, she married George Herbert Fowler, an Oxford-educated mining engineer who was managing director of Arley Colliery in nearby … 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...