People

Rosa Harriet Newmarch 1857-1940

              Rosa Newmarch was born at 29 Lansdowne Place*, Leamington, the youngest of the family of four boys and three girls of the physician Samuel Jeaffreson. She was an artist, an accomplished musician, linguist, poet, writer, critic and composer, – and a wife and mother. Mrs Newmarch began her … Read more

Derek Billings, A Tribute

Derek was a long-time member of the Leamington History Group who sadly passed away in July 2021. He was always keen to contribute to the activities of the Group and he was particularly noted for his collection of items relating to the history of the town and his huge collection of photographs. He was a … Read more

Henry Fedeski, Architect

Henry Michael Fedeski, FRIBA, Dip.T.P, AMTPI, 1907 – 1993 Henry Fedeski was born on Friday, 6th December 1907 at 28 Clarendon Street (now Road), Aston, Birmingham. His father was also named Henry and his mother was Mildred Mary. Our subject Henry, was one of five children; he had one brother and three sisters and his … Read more

Thomas Stedman Whitwell, Architect

Dates: 1784 to 1840. Thomas Stedman Whitwell was born in Coventry. and was active in Leamington Spa from about 1820 to 1822. In notices of his death he is named Stedman Thomas Whitwell (Stedman is occasionally spelled as Steadman). His only antecedent traced so far is an uncle named Mr Whitwell who was a surgeon … Read more

Architects of Victorian Leamington Spa

This is a video of the Zoom presentation made to our Virtual monthly meeting by Mick Jeffs on Monday, 25th October 2021. It will be available for a couple of weeks so that people can view it again or catch-up if they missed it. Just click on the title image below

Dr E A Huntley, (1852-1917) Medical Pioneer

Dr Edith Ara Huntley, 1852-1918, Pioneering woman doctor Edith Ara Huntley was the older of two daughters of Arabella and Richard Huntley, born at Kings Langley, Hertfordshire in 1852, where their father was then joint owner of a Brewery. Edith lived in Leamington Spa, with her parents and younger sister Eliza from at least 1861 … Read more

Mary Hart, 98 Brunswick Street, Leamington

Attempted Suicide by Local Leamington Resident Mary Hart, aged 31 years, caused quite a stir on Saturday 2 July 1870 at10.15 p.m. when she tried to drown herself.  She was hauled before the magistrates for the crime of attempting to commit suicide by jumping off Castle Bridge, Warwick, into the River Avon. Originally from the … Read more

A Wartime Telephonist

Betty Monica Still In an interview  a couple of years ago with Betty Still,  Betty recounted her early life in Leamington and her work as a telephonist up to and through WW2, in Leamington and Coventry.  She was born at 4 Victoria Road Leamington Spa.    When she was five, the family moved to 42 Willes … Read more

Harry Warr, Builder and Bandleader

Harry Warr joined his father George* in business as a plumber and house decorator when he left Clapham Terrace School aged thirteen in 1923.  By the outbreak of WW2, he had become a Special Constable, and joined the Police War Reserve.  In October 1943, Harry was drafted into the Navy, and the business was ‘mothballed’ … Read more

Confederate President Jefferson F Davis in Leamington Spa

Leamington History Group has recently been fortunate to receive information from Jacksonville, Florida. We are grateful that William J Stier has presented us with images of an original unpublished postwar carte de visite of Confederate President Jefferson F. Davis (1808 to 1889). Initially the connection with our town is obscure, but the CDV bears the … Read more

Daniel Goodman Squirhill, Architect, 1809-1863

It is almost certain that Daniel Goodman Squirhill was born in 1809 in (Fenny) Stratford in Buckinghamshire, although he was recorded as being born a year earlier in the village of Nobottle in Northamptonshire by Toby Cave. His father, Charles, is said to have designed parts of Lighthorne church in 1808. He studied at the … Read more

William Thomas, Architect, 1799-1860

The Early Years. William Thomas was born the second of four sons in 1799 in Nacton, Suffolk where his father was an innkeeper. In about 1805, the family moved a considerable distance to Chalford, near Stroud in Gloucestershire. His father kept the Valley Inn which was later renamed The Clothiers Arms. It appears that the … Read more