Oct 8, 2014 | People, Places
In common with all the other spa towns that existed in the first decades of the nineteenth century, visitors came to Leamington only during the summer months. The so-called ‘season’ lasted from April through to September. The reason for this is simply that most of the...
Sep 15, 2014 | People, Places
The Early Years William Thomas was born the second of four sons in 1799 in Suffolk. In about 1805, the family moved to Gloucestershire. William was apprenticed to the local builder as a a carpenter and joiner, and skills he learned then came in useful in his later...
Aug 23, 2014 | People, Places
Beech Lawn, “Dr Jephson’s splendid mansion” once stood at the corner of Warwick Street and Dale Street. Designed by a local architect, William Startin, it was built by a workforce of 140 in 1830-31 for the Leamington doctor, whose advocacy of a plain diet, exercise...
Aug 20, 2014 | Memories, Places
Peter and Sally Lee have lived in Leamington for over 45 years, and in retirement from their lives in business, developed a hobby that has led to TV and radio interviews, a DVD of their work, and the visit of a film company all the way from Los Angeles. Peter, born...
Aug 13, 2014 | Memories, Places
“Don’t touch it with a barge pole!” A piece of advice that the Hampson family did not heed when purchasing no 8 Lansdowne Circus in 1966. Its bulging gable end wall, run down condition and an elegant two-storey staircase painted ‘fire-engine’ red did...
Aug 13, 2014 | Memories, Places
I was recently in Clarendon Street watching the demolition of the old chapel, originally known as the Free Baptist Chapel. The construction came about when a group broke away from the Warwick Street chapel, ostensibly over the lack of provision of a school. The new...
