This building stands on the corner of Pound Lane and Cubbington Road. It was designed by John Cundall in 1882 as the Local Board of Health Offices for Lillington, before Lillington was incorporated into the Borough of Royal Leamington Spa. An early postcard describes it as Corporation House. The Local Board represented an early form … Read more
Samuel Shepheard Stanley was one of four sons and four daughters of John and Sarah Stanley of Sydenham Farm. He was born in 1848 and with his siblings was taught at home by a governess. His older brother Joseph later became the farm manager, and eventually took over from their father. Another brother ran The … Read more
“Binsbrook and the quaint little Alpine Bridge by which it was crossed in Portland Place have both passed away, but the sylvan loveliness of this silver streak may be easily imagined by the observer who will glance at its deep delved bed still extant at the east end of old Comber House, Milverton, facing the … Read more
In response to an increasing demand for school places in the locality, Clapham Terrace School was commissioned by the Leamington School Board. The Leamington Spa Courier of the day reported that “ To all appearances the schools are built as public buildings should be – substantially and well – and the School Board are to … Read more
In early Victorian England very few children from ordinary families attended school. For lots of parents, with many mouths to feed, it was not a priority. In village communities such as Lillington, where the majority of the men were employed as agricultural labourers, many parents themselves could not read or write. A Gloucester philanthropist, Robert … Read more
The Regency grandeur of the “Old Bank House”, a 4 storey, double-fronted building of about 1822, has long dominated Leamington banking and the Parade, at “Cross Street and Upper Union Parade” on land owned by William Pratt. Originally, a residential building, it was known as “Union House” in its early days, receiving a steady flow … Read more
Lillington Parish Church is Anglo-Saxon in origin, and though the present building dates mainly from the 1480s and up to the Victorian period, there is probable Saxon work still to be seen in the south wall of the chancel, and a Saxon doorway in the Lady Chapel. Settlers from East Anglia reached this place between … Read more
Lansdowne Circus has access from Upper Holly Walk, Willes Road and Thomas Street but still retains the atmosphere of a quiet, sedate cul-de-sac to this day. This Circus was built between 1836 and 1840; the first mention of the street in the Leamington Courier was in 1835 and two newly-built houses were for sale in … Read more
In a Spa of fashionable, Regency buildings, Lansdowne Crescent is a remarkable architectural feat in the east of town, in an area “most improving and picturesque.” It provided 21 classy homes and lodging houses, to which the gentry flocked, attracted by the Spa, the hunting and the abundant entertainment. “Without compare,” Leamington offered “superior … Read more
In 1814 Michael Thomas Copps arrived from Cheltenham and took over the Old Greyhound Inn (latterly the Black Dog) from Thomas Sinker. In 1814 the population of Leamington Priors had risen to 1800 and there was a need for good hotel accommodation in the town. Copps also acquired the nearby Fishers Boarding house and set … Read more
This was opened on 16th October 1825, the first of the proprietary chapels or chapel of ease built in Leamington. The chosen site across the top of the Parade was at the opposite end of the town from All Saints the parish church. It was built on open land, which soon became the centre of … Read more
Burgis & Colbourne, also known as The Bedford Stores, was founded by Charles Richard Burgis in 1855, at the age of 24. He broke away from his Oxfordshire family to set up on his own in fashionable Royal Leamington Spa, opening his first shop in Regent Street, followed by a branch in Brunswick Street (later … Read more
Contact the Secretary, Margaret Rushton: secretary@leamingtonhistory.co.uk
November 7, 2026
November 6, 2026
November 6, 2026