20th Century

Burlington Motor Company of Leamington Spa

A brief history of Burlington Motor Company of Leamington Spa written by its founder Haydn Davies I have always had an interest in home-built cars and in the mid/late 1970s there was an upsurge in companies building kits for such things and, the more I looked at the available kits, the more I thought “I … Read more

The 80th Anniversary Commemoration of D-Day at the war memorial.

On the 6th June 2024 representatives of the Leamington History Group, the Vicar of All Saints Church, Father Christopher Wilson, the Mayor, Councillor Judith Clarke , Matt Western M.P. , the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire, other dignitaries and members of the public attended a short service at Leamington’s War memorial to remember all these … Read more

William Charles Denis Browne

Composer, Conductor, Pianist, Organist and Music Critic (aka The Man Who Buried Rupert Brooke) We are pleased to announce that a Blue Plaque remembering William Browne was unveiled in June 2024 at 23 Lillington Road. Images are at the end of this article. Born in Leamington in 1888 to distinguished Anglo-Irish parents, William was educated … Read more

Some famous ‘old boys’ of Leamington College

Leamington College has long produced a well-known list of scientists, doctors, academic scholars, inventors and national-level sportsmen, but there are still one or two unsung heroes. Alongside luminaries such as Lytton Strachey, cricketer and biographer of Queen Victoria, Sir Bernard Spilsbury, Sir Frank Whittle, Dennis Enright, poet and academic, Keith Savage, England Rugby Union player, … Read more

Anyone for Tennis?

Now Royal Leamington Spa is well known for where Tennis was started and developed on the lawns of the Manor House Hotel, but how about this for a bit of history that few people appreciate took place. If you were to enter the Jephson Gardens through the main side gates on Newbold Terrace, and turn … Read more

Fred Mulley

Frederick William Mulley, Baron Mulley of Sheffield Park 1918-1995 Fred Mulley was a prominent post-war Labour politician, life-long Trade Union member, Barrister and Economist. He was born in Leamington at the end of the Great War to a family whose maternal ancestors were all involved in farming. Fred’s grandfather Boiles was a waggoner on farms … Read more

Memories of Archery Road

My memories of living in Archery Road I lived in Archery Road from 1945-1965.  My parents were stationed at RAF Gaydon during the Second World War and they married in 1944 in London (they were both Londoners).  I was born in February 1945.  After renting in Leamington (there were no married quarters in those days), … Read more

Jephson Gardens, 1991

This article is based upon an interview with Mr Harold Wragg, Nursery Manager, by Nicola Brooks in 1991. Nicola Brooks interviewed Harold Wragg, nursery manager, in 1991 as part of her studies for a Teaching Diploma in Museum and Gallery Education at Warwick University. This article reviews the issues raised during the conversation. Harold said … Read more

Robert (Bob) Lee

Robert (known as Bob) Lee was born on 16th January 1938.  He became a pupil of Leamington College for Boys, from 1949-1956, although he lived at Finham on the outskirts of Coventry. Norman Painting, (aka ‘Phil Archer’ of radio fame) was also a pupil at the College just before Bob was born. In his foreword … Read more