Burgis & Colbourne, also known as The Bedford Stores, was founded by Charles Richard Burgis in 1855, at the age of 24. He broke away from his Oxfordshire family to set up on his own in fashionable Royal Leamington Spa, opening his first shop in Regent Street, followed by a branch in Brunswick Street (later … Read more
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. The Grade II* listed building at No 27 Binswood Avenue, which was known as Binswood Hall when it was part … Read more
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. Beech Lawn, “Dr Henry Jephson’s splendid mansion” once stood at the south-west corner of the crossing of Warwick Street and … Read more
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. No 6 Beauchamp Avenue – originally No.2 Beauchamp Walk – was erected as part of a long-drawn-out speculative development undertaken … Read more
(Some titles have been amended so that useful words appear first in this alphabetical list)
Abbotts’ Baths (or Well) were a key factor in the step-change in the fortunes and growth of Leamington Priors. The man they were named for was William Abbotts who ran The Dog Inn (sometimes the Black Dog) on the south side of High Street from 1776 to 1793. This inn was to the east of … Read more
The Rear-Admiral who came to town. Contribution by David G.P. Morse Vice Chair and Archivist Leamington History Group Being involved with the Group’s website means that you get asked interesting questions and in some cases very interesting ones. One question that caused me to rush to the National Newspaper Archives was regarding one Rear-Admiral Sir … Read more
Since 2020 we have produced five films about the history of Leamington Spa spanning in excess of two centuries. We are grateful to our members and others who were closely involved with the creation, development, research and writing of these films; their names appear in each film. We are also especially grateful to Mark Ellis, … Read more
A brief history of Burlington Motor Company of Leamington Spa written by its founder Haydn Davies I have always had an interest in home-built cars and in the mid/late 1970s there was an upsurge in companies building kits for such things and, the more I looked at the available kits, the more I thought “I … Read more
A short film telling the story of Leamington’s transformation from a small village to a thriving spa town in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the origins of Leamington’s spa industry, the creation of the Pump Rooms and the demise of the original baths in Old Town.
Now Royal Leamington Spa is well known for where Tennis was started and developed on the lawns of the Manor House Hotel, but how about this for a bit of history that few people appreciate took place. If you were to enter the Jephson Gardens through the main side gates on Newbold Terrace, and turn … Read more
Contact the Secretary, Margaret Rushton: secretary@leamingtonhistory.co.uk
June 9, 2026
May 26, 2026