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
It is likely that Sydenham Farm came into being following the Enclosure Act of 1768 when common land went into private ownership. Fields were divided by fences and hedges and farms were developed. Matthew Wise of Shrubland Hall was awarded “Sydenham Fields and Sydenham Meadowe”. The exact date that the farmhouse was built is unclear but the … Read more
Manor Farm was the largest of the three Lillington village farms, extending over 230 acres to the Cubbington boundary. At the turn of the 19th century, all three farms were owned by local landowner Matthew Wise, whose family had owned the land since it was divided into fields almost a hundred years before at the … 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
A Pigman, Policeman and Publican, the story of Gilbert Hopkins Forest The author, Martin Harrison, is an Ordecomedologist (collector and researcher of Orders, Decorations and Medals). As most British medals are named to the recipient it makes specific research possible, often with interesting results. One such story is that of Gilbert Hopkins Forest whose 1914-18 British War … Read more
This Show was held at Victoria Park in 1899 The photograph was taken from the railway embankment before Park Drive was built. The show took place on the 19th & 20th of July as was reported in the Leamington Spa Courier of 22nd July (the Courier was published on a Saturday then). This was the … Read more
Mary Beamish. 1791 – 1876 From her marriage in 1815 until 1836, Mary Beamish was the farmer’s wife, at Manor Farm Lillington, where her father in law had first become the Wise family’s tenant in 1805. With the help of a housemaid and a dairy maid, she was responsible for the farmhouse, an extensive … Read more
The present field pattern in almost every village in central England is the result of an Enclosure Award at some time in the distant past. Prior to Enclosure, each village would have had two, three or possibly four large open fields, farmed on a communal system, with the good and not-so-good fields being divided equally … Read more
Contact the Secretary, Margaret Rushton: secretary@leamingtonhistory.co.uk
August 12, 2026
August 8, 2026