On August 2 and 3, during the Leamington Studio Arts in the Park festival, 2014, Wood carver and sculptor, Graham Jones, was seen at work in Jephson Gardens. In 2013 Graham was commissioned by Warwick District Council to create a number of wood sculptures from sections of trunk taken from an old diseased beech tree. … Read more
The world’s foremost elephant trainer began his working life as a circus acrobat and when he died was described by the Leamington Courier newspaper as a ‘retired giant of the entertainment industry’. The dapper little man with the magnificent white moustache was one of Leamington’s most recognisable residents in the years between the two world … Read more
Born in Warwick in August 1871, small in stature (5ft 4½ in) and slender in build (9st 3lb), Henri Lawton nonetheless became a renowned gymnastic, boxing and fencing instructor, the author of 2 small books on exercise and fitness, and in 1895, World Champion Indian club swinger. To claim the title, which had almost always gone to an American before this, Henri … Read more
Leamington artist & photographer James Edward Duggins was born on 27th March, 1881, the son of a Cubbington watchmaker. He studied under Algernon Talmage with the Newlyn School. In St Ives, Duggins became friends with John Anthony Park whose marine pictures were a big source of inspiration to him. He met Edward Stott and Sir George Clausen who had a profound … Read more
Back in the mid – 1950s, following my success in passing the eleven plus examination, I was offered a place at the Hugh Clopton School for Girls at Stratford upon Avon (later The Stratford upon Avon Grammar School for Girls at Shottery Manor). When I first started there a lot of Leamington girls chose to travel by train, … Read more
William Bradley was born into a family of Leamington basket makers, who grew their own osiers on a small island in the River Leam, adjoining Welch’s Meadow. Both Kit Smith and Eva Sabin remember a smallish, kindly man, working on his little patch in the river. Kit’s father, the boot-maker from Bath Street, had a small boat which … Read more
Local residents Graham Cooper, Michael Wills and Mr Murray all have memories of a Military Camp on the site of the present North Leamington School playing fields, between Kenilworth Road and Cloister Crofts. Access to the camp was by gates on Kenilworth Road, where until recently traces of the gateways could still be seen in the hedgerows … Read more
Lyndon F (Toby) Cave, Dip Arch. M Phil. FSA. (1923 -2014) The Leamington History Group is saddened to hear that our President, Toby, passed away on 12th May 2014. We are grateful that his son has allowed us to reproduce this tribute to his father. Lyndon F Cave, known to his family and friends as Toby, … Read more
In 1962 my family were packed off to 19 Waverley Road on the Rushmore Estate, a modern area built on the old Rushmore Farm land in the mid 1920s and early 30s. For us there was a new life to be made and a wealth of new discoveries to be made, starting with the Eagle … Read more
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 … Read more
George Edward Stowe was born in 1891 in Leamington, where his father was a builder and joiner. He too became a carpenter and joiner and at the end of the Great War, Cecil Smith of 58 Bath Street lent George £50 to start his own building business. By the 1930s, George Stowe’s business was considered … Read more
Following the Festival of Britain in 1951, for a whole decade, Royal Leamington Spa and Jephson Gardens became THE autumn venue for hundreds of people from all over Britain. Thousands of coloured electric lights transformed the Gardens into a wonderland for both children and adults. In August and September each year, the streets of the … Read more
Contact the Secretary, Margaret Rushton: secretary@leamingtonhistory.co.uk
November 6, 2026
November 6, 2026
November 6, 2026