In 1818 the only places of worship in Leamington Priors were the parish church of All Saints (see article) and the non-conformist Congregationalist chapel in Clemens Street. A few Methodists did establish a place of worship in a loft in Barnacle’s Yard, Satchwell Street, in 1817, but did not establish a permanent home in Leamington … Read more
St Mark’s Church is a Church of England establishment which is on the north-east corner where St Mark’s Road leaves Rugby Road. Rugby Road was a turnpike road running from Warwick to Rugby and several cottages and houses were in existence along parts of it for many years before the church was built. In the early … Read more
The project to build a church in Tachbrook Street was inspired by Mrs. Matthew Wise of Shrubland Hall in 1874 whilst she was making alterations to her will. She donated £1,000 for the purpose. A Committee, including Lord Leigh of Stoneleigh and Canon Young, Rector of Whitnash, was formed and a meeting was held in the … Read more
Following the end of the First World War David Lloyd George’s Government passed the 1919 Housing Act (the Addison Act, named after the then Minister of Health.) This permittedlocal authorities to build Council Houses and use the General Rate Fund to finance the building of them. There was some reluctance on the part of some of … Read more
Leamington is justly renowned for its Regency elegance, its squares, crescents and the Parade. However, after the glamorous early days of the spa town, it settled into middle-class respectability and residential life. The coming of the railway in the 1840s supported both visitors to the town and an increasing number of commuters, wealthy manufacturers and … Read more
The Royal Spa Centre, designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd and Partners, was officially opened on 15th June 1972, the foundation stone having been laid on 16th November 1970. Sir Frederick was at the time the consultant architect-planner for the Borough of Royal Leamington Spa. The town had never had a theatre venue provided from the public purse. … Read more
Despite the fact that there were five baths in the town already, one man was desperate to find a spring or well of saline water on his land north of the river. That man was Bertie Greatheed (later Greatheed Bertie Percy) of Guy’s Cliffe House and indeed a well was found on his land just to … Read more
From the Portobello Bridge between Warwick and Leamington can be seen an intriguing group of old brick riverside buildings. The Rock Mill, a watermill built in 1792, is the most prominent; this stands next to a substantial Georgian house. Both of these have been redeveloped in recent years, with a row of modern town houses … Read more
The Regent Hotel opened on 19th August 1819, – amongst the earliest of the buildings erected north of the River Leam as the Spa expanded. On a triangular plot, it was wedged between Regent Street, the Parade, and what later became Regent Grove and the site of the new Town Hall. The land had once belonged … Read more
The main cinema in Leamington Spa in 2018 is the Vue which was originally named the Regal and has also been the Apollo. It is on the corner of Portland Place West with Augusta Place. It was opened in September 1931 and is in Art Deco style designed by Horace G Bradley of Birmingham. It is on the site … Read more
This railway station is the sole survivor of the four railway stations that served the town at some time. Two earlier stations not on this site were constructed: one off Rugby Road for the London and Birmingham Railway Company in 1844 (see article) and the other off Avenue Road was opened in 1854 for the London … Read more
The expansion in the population of Leamington Spa brought with it the challenge of treating sewage, a subject not often recognised. It was common practice in the 1850s to allow such effluent to be discharged into the nearest watercourse or river, with the attendant risk of spreading infectious diseases. Other sources of contamination were from … Read more
Contact the Secretary, Margaret Rushton: secretary@leamingtonhistory.co.uk
September 9, 2026
August 12, 2026
August 8, 2026