Leamington Spa Borough Police Special Constabulary Special Constables are not the relatively new institution that many people suppose. They date back as far as Anglo-Saxon times, when communities policed themselves, hundreds of years before the Police Force that we know. The modern Special Constabulary was created by Act of Parliament in 1673, but in … Read more
Harry Herbert Clarke B Squadron 6th (Iniskilling) Dragoons 7th Cavalry Brigade, 3rd Cavalry Division “A particularly fine and dashing soldier” Harry Herbert Clarke was born in Canterbury in 1872, and enlisted in 1st (Canterbury) Troop, A Squadron, Royal East Kent (Yeomanry) Mounted Rifles at the outbreak of the 2nd South African [Boer] War in October … Read more
Francis Stenton was the Master of Ceremonies at the Upper Assembly Rooms from 1821 to 1830, resigning in mysterious circumstances having been absent for a while. In an address to the subscribers at the election of his successor, Dr Amos Middleton said: “I must ever lament the necessity that has placed Capt. Stenton in a … Read more
Newbold Beeches was an imposing mansion built on a hilltop site overlooking the Leam and most parts of North Leamington. The house was sited on a parcel of land acquired from Lady Willes, on the side of a steep hill. To create a sufficiently large flat site some quite serious engineering work was required. … Read more
Lieutenant General Charles Augustus Goodfellow V.C., C.B., Victoria Cross and Companion – Order of the Bath was born in Essex on 29th November 1836 . At the height of his military service Charles Goodfellow was Colonel Commandant of the Royal Engineers; in fact he was the third member of his family to be appointed Commandant of the … Read more
This is a long story and is told in three parts – 1. Coventry to Leamington and then to Rugby on the LNWR 2. Leamington to London and Birmingham on the GWR 3. “Merger” by Nationalisation and Beyond Part Two – Leamington to London and Birmingham on the GWR This GWR line through Leamington … Read more
This is a long story and is told in three parts – 1. Coventry to Leamington and then to Rugby on the LNWR 2. Leamington to London and Birmingham on the GWR 3. “Merger” by Nationalisation and Beyond Part One – Coventry to Leamington and then to Rugby on the LNWR … Read more
A presentation by Alan Griffin of Leamington History Group, about Eliza Scarlett – Leamington widow and Jamaican slave owner. Click on the forward and back arrows to navigate through the presentation. Click on the four-headed arrow symbol in the bottom right to enter full-screen mode.
Memories of a long-vanished trade A trawl through Leamington Street Directories of the past shows an interesting pattern in the growth and later demise of the family bakery. In 1832, there were only seven shops in the whole of the town, – two butchers, two fish shops and three mercers. Leamington families – or if … 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
Mary Cordelia Emily Leigh was born in 1866 at Stoneleigh Abbey, the youngest child of William Henry, 2nd Baron Leigh. Her family were among the wealthiest and most influential landowners in Warwickshire, with an estate of nearly 15,000 acres. Despite his great wealth, Cordelia’s father proved a benevolent head of the Leigh estate, with a … Read more
The Dell is a small public open space below street level in the Leamington suburb of Milverton. It is bounded by Warwick Terrace, Beauchamp Hill, the rear of Albany Terrace and Warwick Street / Warwick Place, opposite the venerable Star and Garter public house. It was originally a steep-sided brook valley through farmland. Before the … Read more
Contact the Secretary, Margaret Rushton: secretary@leamingtonhistory.co.uk
September 9, 2026
August 12, 2026