Unveiling of the Blue Plaque for Benjamin Satchwell
June 10, 2015
The Leamington History Group is pleased that our members have helped to sponsor the mounting of a Blue Plaque on Satchwell Granary at No 1 New Street which was unveiled on 10th June 2015. This is the site of the cottage where Benjamin Satchwell lived for at least 45 years. The plaque was organised by the Historic Plaques Committee
Tomes Printers of Leamington
June 6, 2015
Alfred Tomes was born on 4th October 1853 at Rouse Lench, Worcestershire. He was apprenticed in his teens to printer and stationer, Edward Adams of Stratford upon Avon, then worked as a printer in Oxford. By the age of 37 he was married and living in Grove Street, Leamington and in partnership with
Christmas Island
May 16, 2015
I was posted to Christmas Island in the territory of Australia in 1957, from RAF Wyton in Huntingdonshire, just after getting engaged to my future wife, Evelynn. Plans for marriage were put on hold, and my fiancée and her cousin Doreen spent the time while I was away making a wedding dress and preparing for
Charlie Johnson Payne (Snaffles), equestrian & country sports artist, 1884 – 1967
May 7, 2015
Charlie Johnson Payne never had any formal training in art nor did he ever exhibit a painting at the Royal Academy. That said, he was blessed with natural artistic ability and was described by his biographer as one of the leading equestrian artists of the first half of the twentieth century alongside such eminent practitioners
Basil James Nightingale, Hunting and Racing Artist (1864 – 1940)
April 22, 2015
Basil Nightingale was the youngest of the ten children of Elizabeth and Robert Nightingale R A, a reputed animal painter of Maldon, Essex. Nightingale is thought to have been trained by his father and worked with him on known pictures. He certainly showed early promise: at the age of twelve he produced a copy in
Mary Dormer Harris, 1867 – 1936
April 11, 2015
Mary Dormer Harris was a remarkable woman. Multi-talented, hard-working, an enthusiastic party-giver with a great zest for life, she had a wide circle of friends young and old. She wrote and published books and plays, lectured in local history at the University of Birmingham and was Vice-President of the Workers’ Education Association and an associate of the Dugdale
Flavel’s Part One of two
April 6, 2015
Part One, 1777 to about 1875 [Note – A version of these articles in a different format is available HERE] This follows the firm from some early members of the Flavel family to the time when Sidney Flavel junior took the reins from Sidney senior. The history of the Flavel family in manufacturing has been
Flavel’s Part Two of two
April 6, 2015
Part Two, about 1875 to 2015. [Note – A version of these articles in a different format is available HERE] This follows the firm from the moment when Sidney Flavel junior took the reins to the present day. Sidney Flavel junior (1847 to 1931) was educated at Warwick School and was later a governor of
Archives of Leamington History Group
April 6, 2015
Digital Archives Leamington History Group are now in a position to start arranging for the Archive, containing over 5000 Photos, documents and maps, to be attached to this web site to enable anyone to access this fabulous collection which is growing monthly. Not only will the Archive cover all aspects of Leamington life but will
Ernest and William Renshaw, Wimbledon Champions
April 3, 2015
The twins Ernest (1861 – 1899) and William Renshaw (1861 – 1904) were the tennis players of their age. They were born at Brandon Lodge, Brandon Parade, Leamington, and baptised at Saint Mary’s Church. When the twins were only a few months old, the family moved to Cheltenham, where eventually they built their own tennis
