In 1851 at the Great Exhibition Sidney Flavel of Leamington was awarded a medal for his Kitchener cooking range. There is much confusion over this medal, modern descriptions claim it was one of seventeen ‘gold’ medals awarded. However, contemporary accounts only claim “a medal” and suggest a bronze medal, similar to all the other medals … Read more
William Bradley was born into a family of Leamington basket makers, who grew their own osiers on a small island in the River Leam, adjoining Welch’s Meadow. Both Kit Smith and Eva Sabin remember a smallish, kindly man, working on his little patch in the river. Kit’s father, the boot-maker from Bath Street, had a small boat which … 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
A NEW METHOD OF ADMINISTERING THE MINERAL WATER OF THE ROYAL LEAMINGTON SPA. By JAMES THOMPSON, M.B. In April 1874, in an effort to promote the health-giving benefits of English mineral water and to defend English Spas against a popular perception that those of Germany were more beneficial, Dr James Thompson wrote to the British Medical Journal in … 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
Built in 1875, at the instigation of Henry Bright, backed by Aldermen Wackrill (then Mayor), Bishop and Bradshaw, Campion Terrace Water Works were the first publicly owned waterworks in the country to supply a whole town – Leamington Spa – and the surrounding area with potable (drinking) water. When Mayor Henry Bright laid the Foundation … Read more
Two hundred years ago, Leamington grew and prospered as wealthy visitors arrived for the health benefits of the spa waters. But what of those many people who couldn’t afford to pay medical fees? The building shown offers some fascinating clues to this story. This building in Holly Walk, now offices, was built in the early … Read more
After the First World War, following the policy of Homes for Heroes under the Housing Act 1919 and assisted by Government grants, councils began major house building initiatives. The tenants who occupied the first such houses in Leamington, at Leicester St, Bury Road estate and the Rushmore estate, were able to pay the economic … Read more
The Leamington Business Directory for 1899 lists many hundreds of small businesses at a period that was arguably the heyday of the independent trader in Leamington Spa. Many of the entries relate to what we would today call service industries. Whether you wanted a paper hanger, a bill poster, a bone setter or a laundress … Read more
William Gascoyne (1827 – 1902) – A Nineteenth Century Leamington Builder. A stonemason by training, William Gascoyne came to dominate the building industry in late 19th Century Royal Leamington Spa. He undertook a variety of projects, in public, commercial and domestic buildings, playing a prominent and important role in the local building industry, and contributing significantly to … Read more
Alexander and May Wilkinson moved to Leamington from Birmingham in 1946, to open a garden and flower shop at No 9 Spencer Street. Birmingham, 1900-1946 May had always loved working with flowers, having started at the age of 12 helping in her auntie’s florist’s shop in Birmingham. It was hard work. Saturday meant starting at … Read more
Thomas William Bone was born in Warwick on the 15th November 1850 and lived with his parents Thomas William Bromidge and Maria Bone and an elder brother Albert Robert, born in 1849, at 124 Parkes Street, Saltisford Warwick. Early Life His father had also been born in Saltisford Warwick in 1828 and was living in … Read more
Contact the Secretary, Margaret Rushton: secretary@leamingtonhistory.co.uk
November 7, 2026
November 6, 2026
November 6, 2026