New Street burial ground was opened once the graveyard at the Parish Church was deemed to be full. The ground, an area of 2154 square yards in the historic centre of the (then) new Leamington, was presented to the parish by Mrs Wise and her son Matthew Wise of Shrubland Hall. It was consecrated on … Read more
The Wise Hall St John’s Parochial Hall (aka ‘The Wise Hall’) was built originally by Dr. John Hitchman. It was used by him as a place of worship for people connected with his Arboretum Hydropathic Hospital which opened close by in 1862. After the formation of St. John’s Parish in 1875, it was given by Mrs. … Read more
The project to build a church for the spiritual welfare of the residents of South Leamington first occurred to 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 Crown Hotel on 5th September 1875. In … Read more
Thomas Dawkes, parish clerk of the original All Saints church during the early nineteenth century was a close neighbour of Benjamin Satchwell and witnessed first hand the metamorphosis of Leamington from a small village into a town. His real importance to the researcher lies in the fact that he made copious notes on what he … Read more
I was recently in Clarendon Street watching the demolition of the old chapel, originally known as the Free Baptist Chapel. The construction came about when a group broke away from the Warwick Street chapel, ostensibly over the lack of provision of a school. The new chapel cost some £2, 098 and was opened in June … Read more
James Brown, (1804-1854) Parish Clerk and Builder James Brown was one of the group of builders active in the first half of the nineteenth century who together developed the rapidly growing town of Leamington, shaping the town we know today. Alongside contemporaries in the trade Brown benefitted greatly from the sheer scale of the population … Read more
A presentation by Alan Griffin of Leamington History Group, about burial grounds in Leamington Spa. Click on the forward and back arrows to navigate through the presentation. Click on the two-headed arrow symbol in the bottom right to enter full-screen mode.
Leamington had many chapels, some are long gone, others have been put to alternative uses, and some lie empty, probably damp and derelict, awaiting their fate. The ex- Baptist chapel on Clarendon Street is one such, being proposed currently for demolition and replacement by housing. There are two chapels however that seem unlikely to face … Read more
From its earliest days as a Spa town, Leamington has always hosted bands and their music. There used to be military bands playing in the Pump Room Gardens every morning in the summer season, – an unwelcome distraction in the early years of the 20th century, for the girls at the Grammar School, sitting examinations … Read more
In the early years of the 19th century the new town of Leamington Priors was seen as a fashionable place for well-connected members of society to settle. Few families who came to live here had a more aristocratic ancestry than the five Manners-Sutton sisters who came to Leamington sometime in the 1830’s. The sisters were … Read more
A presentation by Alan Griffin, Chair of Leamington History Group, about the history of Leamington’s Parish Church. Click on the forward and back arrows to navigate through the presentation. Click on the two-headed arrow symbol in the bottom right to enter full-screen mode.
Portland Street Wesleyan Chapel This was the original purpose built home of Methodism in Leamington. ‘The earliest Leamington Methodists went over to Warwick to worship’, by 1817 William Scott and his wife had founded a place of worship in ‘Barnacle’s Yard, Satchwell St., they later moved to Brunswick St. The next move was to purchase … Read more
Contact the Secretary, Margaret Rushton: secretary@leamingtonhistory.co.uk
November 7, 2026
November 6, 2026
November 6, 2026