This page is one of several pages which are based on articles in our book entitled Royal Leamington Spa, A History in 100 Buildings which was published in 2018 and is no longer in print.
Image Allan Jennings
Bath Assembly Hall is a large three-storied red brick and stone building which clearly displays its name in a curved escutcheon above the entrance. The carved wording also states that the hall was built in 1926 but in fact it was not opened until June 1927 by Lt Gen Sir John Keir (he served in the Boer and First World Wars and, despite leaving the army in some disgrace, he was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of Warwickshire). It was designed by Birmingham architect Horace G Bradley in art deco style; he also designed the Bath Cinema (later the Clifton), next door to the west, and the Regal in Portland Place East/Augusta Place. The design of the façade is very distinctive in Leamington with a semi-circular top surmounted by Terpsichore; she is a female figure holding a globe (the Earth) and she was one of the nine muses in Greek myths. *Mick, – Terpsichore was the muse of Dance and the Chorus. She is usually seen holding a Lyre. Urania was the muse of Astronomy who usually held a globe, but not above her head, or clothed in such clinging material! I think she’s a 1920s ‘film star’ version.
The building was constructed to cater for the 1920s craze for dancing by Bath Garages and Entertainments Ltd and consisted of a car showroom which could accommodate 60 cars at ground level, a dance hall on the first floor and a private ballroom and balcony on the floor above. The venue complemented the Parthenon and the town hall as places of entertainment in the town. There were moveable screens so that those on the second floor could dance to the orchestra playing in the main ballroom below. There was a large dome above the centre. The dancing areas were luxuriously appointed and could accommodate nearly 700 people.
From the start the building was designed for dancing and was always known as the Palais-de-Danse. Music at the Leamington Palais was initially played by the Jack Southorn band and there was a local Master of Ceremonies, named Robert Creelman, who was known as an excellent dancer. The name Bath Assembly was never used after August 1927 although that is what it says on the front. Initially dances were available held every Saturday and most Thursdays; occasionally there were also tea dances in late afternoon. The premises were also used for private events and productions by independent entrepreneurs.
Very soon after opening the venue showed that it was fashion-conscious by organising a “Black Bottom” Dance Competition, albeit the ballroom version. The business model soon proved to be somewhat precarious, however, and it closed from June to August Bank Holiday in 1932. There appears to have been fierce competition with the Blue Café at the Parthenon in Bath Street. In 1934 the local Olde Time Dance Club began to hold dances on Tuesdays and the Frank Rawlings Band was the regular ensemble on Saturdays.
In 1936 the venue came under new management and the regular dance music was provided by the Warwick Metronome Band. In 1940 it became the ballroom of choice for the Wright School of Dancing Winter Ball.
During World War II the small building between the Palais-de-Danse and the Clifton cinema provided comforts for servicemen and was known as the Donut Dugout. The Palais was used for many special dances during the war and must have provided a boost to morale for many people in those difficult times. All was not easy because a drinks licence was refused for the dances on Fridays in 1942 because many under-aged people attended. At the end of the war, several Victory dances were organised including one in 1946 by the Midland Red Sports and Social Club.
Some well-known characters visited the venue around this time, including Jack Jackson in 1945 and Kenneth Horne of radio’s Much Binding Club in 1948. The local MP, Anthony Eden, was also occasionally the guest at events.
As the venue struggled to balance the books the hall was used for other events such as regular sessions of a Health and Beauty Group. It was thought around 1950 that the fashion was changing in favour of ‘old-fashioned’ dancing but this had limited impact on attendance. Another innovation was the use of the hall by the Modern Jazz Club fortnightly on Mondays.
In 1954 about £10,000 was spent on alterations and improvement and the hall was relaunched for conferences, concerts and dinners. It was rebranded “the Spa Ballroom” and the Grand Premier event was held in September of that year.
The venue became Spa Casino in 1970 and Spa Bingo in 1974.It was the Granada Social Cub in 1980 and Bingo was played there. This continued until about 1990 when it was renamed the Gala Club. The business closed soon afterwards.
Pre-war, the garage was run by Bath Garage Ltd. It was taken over by Percy Johnson about 1946; in 1951 it was being advertised as “the garage with the larger clock”.
Percy Johnson ran the business as the Talbot/Peugeot garage until 1974 when it was taken over as Horton Motors who ran it until about 1985. At that date the Peugeot dealership was taken over by Dennis Cooper on Tachbrook Drive.
Meanwhile, the upper floor became a Dance Studio, run until the late 80s by Miss Alwyn Probert and her assistant Barbara O’Rourke, as “The Oakley School of Dancing”. Barbara continued for some years after Miss Probert’s retirement, and later joined forces with LWAD (Leamington and Warwick Academy of Dance), which now operates in several centres in the district.
In 2018 there is a tanning parlour on the site of the garage, with a Martial Arts Academy above.
There was a major refurbishment of the Assembly in 2008 when the décor of the main hall within was re-designed by Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen, a TV interior designer and personality at that time. The main logo used repeatedly in the wall decoration is a picture of the lady with the globe on the roof. It is a venue for performances of music and comedy from many genres. It is marketed as “The Leamington Assembly” in 2018.
As Leamington’s other assembly rooms have been used for different purposes or closed down, and another, the Royal Spa Centre, has opened, it is good to see the old Bath Assembly soldiering on. The building is Listed Grade II.
Michael Jeffs, 2018