The large tracts of permanent pasture to the west and south of the new town of Leamington, formerly given over to sheep and cattle grazing since medieval times, were prime fox hunting country. Writing in 1841 the distinguished travel writer Dr Augustus Granville had this to say about Leamington … “The neighbourhood may be of … Read more
Kinmond Court There is a substantial building with a certain ‘presence’ on the east side of Kenilworth Street which is now the home of many retired people. At its heart is a Victorian building enlivened with patterns of different colours of bricks. Many will recall that in the 1960s part of it was the home … Read more
In 1782, Ben Satchwell with his friend William Abbotts found the second mineral spring in Leamington Priors ( the first had been discovered at least two hundred years earlier, but never exploited) and the Abbotts Original Baths opened a couple of years later in 1784. This coincided with a nineteenth century trend for “taking the … 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
In common with all the other spa towns that existed in the first decades of the nineteenth century, visitors came to Leamington only during the summer months. The so-called ‘season’ lasted from April through to September. The reason for this is simply that most of the buildings at that period had no means of heating … Read more
Ranelagh Gardens, “The Vauxhall of Leamington,” 1811-1846 Leamington’s ten acre Ranelagh Gardens were situated in old town over the canal bridge in Brunswick Street. No doubt named in imitation of the famous Ranelagh Gardens in London, Leamington’s gardens were created at a time when leisure for most people was scarce, when a holiday was … Read more
A NEW METHOD OF ADMINISTERING THE MINERAL WATER OF THE ROYAL LEAMINGTON SPA. By JAMES THOMPSON, M.B. In April 1874, in an effort to promote the health-giving benefits of English mineral water and to defend English Spas against a popular perception that those of Germany were more beneficial, Dr James Thompson wrote to the British Medical Journal in … Read more
Francis Stenton was the Master of Ceremonies at the Upper Assembly Rooms from 1821 to 1830, resigning in mysterious circumstances having been absent for a while. In an address to the subscribers at the election of his successor, Dr Amos Middleton said: “I must ever lament the necessity that has placed Capt. Stenton in a … Read more
Two hundred years ago, Leamington grew and prospered as wealthy visitors arrived for the health benefits of the spa waters. But what of those many people who couldn’t afford to pay medical fees? The building shown offers some fascinating clues to this story. This building in Holly Walk, now offices, was built in the early … Read more
Few towns can claim as a resident someone whose portrait would later appear on postage stamps and on his country’s coinage. There can be little doubt that Prince Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, the Pretender to the throne of France was the most illustrious of Leamington’s erstwhile residents. Louis, the nephew of Napoléon Bonaparte, had, like all members of the Bonaparte … Read more
The Leamington Priors mineral springs had been exploited by local physicians from the early eighteenth century but it wasn’t until the start of the nineteenth century that they were promoted on a commercial basis. Drinking health-giving mineral waters and regular bathing in them was a well established custom widely practised and known as ‘taking the … Read more
Thomas William Bone was born in Warwick on the 15th November 1850 and lived with his parents Thomas William Bromidge and Maria Bone and an elder brother Albert Robert, born in 1849, at 124 Parkes Street, Saltisford Warwick. Early Life His father had also been born in Saltisford Warwick in 1828 and was living in … Read more
Contact the Secretary, Margaret Rushton: secretary@leamingtonhistory.co.uk
November 6, 2026
November 6, 2026
November 6, 2026