Margaret Rushton
Surprisingly, practically nothing has been written about the war years in Leamington or of local people’s wartime experiences. Some recent research into those unfortunate Leamington residents killed by wartime bombing suggests that the war years are a period in urgent need of recording. Such a project is something that almost every member of our group can contribute to in some way. Many of our members will have first‐hand experiences to share and even us wartime … Read more
In 1962 my family were packed off to 19 Waverley Road on the Rushmore Estate, a modern area built on the old Rushmore Farm land in the mid 1920s and early 30s. For us there was a new life to be made and a wealth of new discoveries to be made, starting with the Eagle … Read more
Jane Elizabeth Tolson was born in Yorkshire in 1879, and followed her older brother John Edwin into the teaching profession. A qualified teacher, geography specialist, member of the Royal Geographical Society able linguist and inveterate traveller, Miss Tolson held a series of teaching posts, becoming a head teacher for Staffordshire County Council by 1911. It … Read more
George Edward Stowe was born in 1891 in Leamington, where his father was a builder and joiner. He too became a carpenter and joiner and at the end of the Great War, Cecil Smith of 58 Bath Street lent George £50 to start his own building business. By the 1930s, George Stowe’s business was considered … Read more
James Brown, (1804-1854) Parish Clerk and Builder James Brown was one of the group of builders active in the first half of the nineteenth century who together developed the rapidly growing town of Leamington, shaping the town we know today. Alongside contemporaries in the trade Brown benefitted greatly from the sheer scale of the population … Read more
Leamington, like any medieval parish, was defined by its boundaries at a time when it was important that villagers and their neighbours should know and respect the limits of the parish, – hence the yearly walking of the boundaries at Rogation time. The parish boundaries were often marked by natural features in the landscape, such … Read more
Mrs. E. A. Ashwin – 90 and wants to fly A nonagenarian wanting to fly for the first time would undoubtedly make headlines in any newspaper, even in 2014. The headline above was published in the Leamington Spa Courier as long ago as 4th June 1954, which makes Mrs Elizabeth Anne Ashwin from Shrubland Street … Read more
The fashionable town of Leamington Spa attracted a host of big-name performers from all branches of the Victorian entertainment industry. One of those who came here was the world renowned tightrope walker Charles Blondin. Exactly 150 years ago the great Blondin made a tour of Great Britain and gave a series of performances. Blondin … Read more
It is fairly certain that the eighteenth century village of Leamington Priors had only the most basic equipment for use in the event of fire. Although larger towns and cities might boast one of the early manual fire engines, in villages up and down the land the firefighting equipment generally consisted of a few strategically sited water-filled barrels and some leather buckets. These might be … Read more
A lot has been written about Leamington’s wells and churches, and everyone now surely knows all there is to know about its beginnings. I am writing of life, seen through the eyes of a child during the 1950s in the side streets, away from the town centre, in the streets where ordinary people lived ordinary … Read more
Sunshine House Nursery School 15 Warwick New Road The Ordnance Survey map of 1886 shows 15 Warwick New Road approached by a sweeping drive, a substantial house and attached stable block set in good-sized gardens well-planted with trees. Named Milverton Lawn, it was built for the Company Secretary of the Warwick and Leamington … 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...