In 1858 Royal Leamington Spa was graced with a visit by Queen Victoria on 16th June. I came across an unexpected aspect of this visit whilst looking into the history of the builders of the town.
Two of the builders had built stands for the local people to have an optimum view of the monarch and her entourage. William Ballard built a stand for 1,500 people in Kenilworth Road and T Mason built another for 1,200 people near Trinity Church. It was reassuring to read that these structures were independently inspected to ensure that they were safe.
On a similar theme, seven builders, William Brown, Buddle & Son, Edward Clarke, John Barnwell, John Toone, Edward Treadgold and William Watkin provided tables for a celebration of Princess Victoria’s birthday in 1837.
Michael Jeffs
This article is from an LHG Newsletter in 2024
