20th Century
The Parthenon
As the village of Leamington Priors rapidly developed into a fashionable spa, the increasing number of visitors and residents required distractions other than simply taking the waters. Bath Street was at the hub of the initial development since most of the springs and the bath houses built around them were in that vicinity. By 1813 … Read more
Nelly Thornton, Blue Plaque
Nelly (later known as Eleanor Velasco) Thornton was born in Stockwell, London, on 15th April 1880 to Frederick and Sarah Ann Thornton, who was also known as ‘Nellie’. They had a son, Frederick William, four years later. By September 1887 when their daughter Rose was born, the family were living in Leamington. Frederick Thornton, father … Read more
Jephson Gardens’ Floral Clock
Many Leamington people, and people from further afield, look back with fond memories of the floral clock that was in the Jephson Gardens from 1951 until, as far as I know, the mid 1990s. Below is the Leamington Spa Courier report of the handover and a number of images of the clock itself.The handing over … Read more
Whitnash Estate
In post-war Britain there was a push to build more Council Housing. Leamington Borough Council targeted an area of land outside the Leamington Parish that was part of Whitnash in the area of Warwick Rural District Council but the Council was not happy about this and refused to negotiate with Leamington. In January 1950 Leamington … Read more
Village Farm
This page is one of several pages which are based on articles in our book entitled Royal Leamington Spa, A History in 100 Buildings which was published in 2018 and is no longer in print. The demise of public houses in the local area has prompted a phase of demolition with replacement by housing; not … Read more
Theatre Royal
The name ‘Theatre Royal’ has been used for at least two theatres in the town and it may have occasionally also been applied to another. The first incarnation with the name was the theatre built in Bath Street in 1813. This stood on the east side of the street and was near to the church just … Read more
The Holt and the Windmill Estate
Following the First World War local authorities were encouraged by the government to build Council Housing to replace the very poor properties lived in by some of their residents. In Leamington the Borough Council showed some reluctance to comply with this. People were living in sub-standard accommodation in courts of houses where as many as … Read more
Southlands School
Jane Elizabeth Tolson was born in Yorkshire in 1879 and followed her older brother, John Edwin, into the teaching profession. A qualified teacher, geography specialist, member of the Royal Geographical Society, able linguist and inveterate traveller, Miss Tolson held a series of teaching posts, becoming a head teacher for Staffordshire County Council by 1911. It was … Read more
South Parade
South Parade was the name of a row of eight houses on the north side of Charlotte Street towards the west end of the street. There was some confusion with the name South Parade because Clarendon Avenue was also known as South Parade until 1881. The name South Parade does not appear to have been used for the … Read more
Shrubland Street School
In 1884 the Leamington School Board’s first triennial report stated that they had great difficulty in securing suitable sites for two much-needed new schools to be built. In the south, after trying for land in the Ranelagh District, the only land available was in Shrubland Street, which was bought for £1,422.6s.0d It was said that … Read more
Shrubland Hall
When the provisions of the Leamington Priors Enclosure Act were implemented in 1768, of the 867 acres allotted by the commissioners, over half of it was awarded to Mr Matthew Wise. The Wise allotment of 472 acres made Matthew Wise the largest land owner in the parish with a holding marginally larger than that of … Read more
