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Leamington Spa

Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply Leamington (/ˈlɛmɪŋtən/ (listen)), is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Priors, it grew into a spa town in the 18th century following the popularisation of its water which was reputed to have medicinal qualities.[2] In the 19th century, the town experienced one of the most rapid expansions in England.[3] It is named after the River Leam, which flows through the town.

Royal Leamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa
Location within Warwickshire
Population50,923 (2021 census)[1]
OS grid referenceSP316660
Civil parish
  • Royal Leamington Spa
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLEAMINGTON SPA
Postcode districtCV31, CV32, CV33
Dialling code01926
PoliceWarwickshire
FireWarwickshire
AmbulanceWest Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Warwickshire
52°17′31″N 1°32′13″W / 52.292°N 1.537°W / 52.292; -1.537Coordinates: 52°17′31″N 1°32′13″W / 52.292°N 1.537°W / 52.292; -1.537

The town contains especially fine ensembles of Regency architecture,[4] particularly in parts of the Parade, Clarendon Square and Lansdowne Circus. The town also contains several large public parks, such as Jephson Gardens, the Royal Pump Room Gardens and Victoria Park.

Although originally founded around its spa industry, Leamington today has developed into a centre for retail, and digital industries, which has gained it the moniker "silicon spa". In 2023 The Sunday Times named Leamington as the best place to live in the Midlands.[5][6]

In the 2021 census Leamington had a population of 50,923.[1] Leamington is adjoined with the neighbouring towns of Warwick and Whitnash, and the village of Cubbington; together these form a conurbation known as the "Royal Leamington Spa Built-up area" which in 2011 had a population of 95,172.[7]

Leamington lies around 9 miles (14 km) south of Coventry, 20 miles (32 km) south-east of Birmingham, and 81 miles (130 km) north-west of London.

History

 
Lansdowne Crescent
 
The Victoria Bridge over the Leam

Formerly a small village known as Leamington Priors, Leamington began to develop as a town at the start of the 19th century. It was first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Lamintone. For 400 years, the settlement was under the control of Kenilworth Priory, from which the older suffix derived.[8][9] Its name came from Anglo-Saxon Leman-tūn or Lemen-tūn = "farm on the River Leam".[10] The spa waters had been known in Roman times, and their rediscovery in 1784 by William Abbotts and Benjamin Satchwell led to their commercialisation, with invalids beginning to resort here in 1786. Six of the seven wells were drilled for; only the original spring at the site of the Aylesford Well, adjacent to the Parish Church, occurred naturally.[8][11]

The old village of Leamington Priors was on the southern bank of the River Leam, and early development was based around this. During the early 19th century, developers began concentrating the town's expansion on the land north of the river. This resulted in the Georgian centre of New Town with the Leam flowing between the two.[11] By 1810, the town's existing bath houses could not cope with the increasing visitor numbers, and a syndicate was formed to build a new bath house north of the River Leam. A new saline spring was found on land close to the river, belonging to Bertie Greatheed, a wealthy plantation owner and landowner from Guys Cliffe, and a member of the syndicate.[12] In 1814, the Royal Pump Rooms and Baths were opened on the site, designed by C.S. Smith, who also designed The Regent Hotel and the Upper Assembly Rooms in the town. Spa water can still be sampled outside the building.

Leamington became a popular spa resort attracting the wealthy and famous, with numerous Georgian townhouses to accommodate visitors. Construction of what is now the Parade began in sections from 1808,[13] the Regent Hotel in 1818, a town hall in 1830.[14] and the Jephson Gardens in 1834. In 1838 Queen Victoria granted the town a 'Royal' prefix, and 'Leamington Priors' was renamed 'Royal Leamington Spa'. Queen Victoria had visited the town as a Princess in 1830 and as Queen in 1858.[8] In 1840 the Victoria Bridge was opened, connecting the old and new towns, replacing an old, narrow, and inconvenient bridge.[11]

The growth of Leamington was rapid; at the time of the first national census in 1801, Leamington had a population of just 315, by 1851 this had grown to 15,724,[11] and by 1901, the population had reached 26,888.[15][16]

The London and North Western Railway opened the first railway line into Leamington; a branch line from Coventry in 1844, followed by a branch to Rugby in 1851. In 1852 the Great Western Railway's main line between Birmingham, Oxford and London opened through Leamington, upon which the first railway station at the current location was opened.[17][18]

As the popularity of spa resorts declined towards the end of the 19th century, the focus of Leamington's economy shifted towards becoming a popular place of residence for retired people and for members of the middle class, many of whom relocated from Coventry and Birmingham. Its well off residents led to the development of Leamington as a popular place for shopping.[15]

In 1832 the town's main hospital, Warneford Hospital, opened, named after philanthropist Samuel Wilson Warneford. At first a semi-private affair it was taken over by the National Health Service after the Second World War, before succumbing to budget cuts and closing in 1993.

Leamington is closely associated with the founding of lawn tennis. The first tennis club in the world was formed in 1872 by Major Henry Gem and Augurio Pereira who had started playing tennis in the garden of Pereira.[19] It was located just behind the former Manor House Hotel and the modern rules of lawn tennis were drawn up in 1874 in Leamington Tennis Club.

During the Second World War, Leamington was bombed a number of times during The Blitz, although this caused substantial damage it caused relatively few casualties.[20] The town was also home to the Free Czechoslovak Army; a memorial in the Jephson Gardens commemorates the bravery of Czechoslovak parachutists from Warwickshire.[21]

Geography

 
Map of Leamington, Warwick and Whitnash

Leamington is divided by the River Leam running east to west, which is susceptible to flooding in extreme weather, with especially heavy floods in 1998 and 2007.[22][23]

The Leam is a tributary of the River Avon, which it joins just to the west of Leamington. The ancient town of Warwick lies adjoined directly to the west of Leamington, on the opposite bank of the Avon. Also contiguous with Leamington, directly to the south, with no natural border, is the smaller town of Whitnash. The village of Cubbington is adjoined to the north-east. Just outside the town lie the villages of Old Milverton to the north and Radford Semele 2.5 miles (4 km) to the east.

Leamington has several suburbs; the town has encompassed the former village of Lillington, directly to the north of the town centre. Other suburbs include Milverton to the northwest, Campion Hills to the east, Sydenham to the east and the rapidly expanding Heathcote district to the southwest.

The main road running through the town centre is Parade (formerly Lillington Lane until 1860).[3] This shopping street contains high street chains and The Royal Priors shopping mall.

Governance

Leamington Spa is a town and civil parish in the Warwick District, an administrative division of the county of Warwickshire. Between 1875 and 1974 Leamington was a municipal borough.[24] As part of the 1974 local government reform it was merged with Warwick, Kenilworth and Whitnash, and surrounding rural areas into the Warwick District, which has its offices in Leamington. In 2002 Leamington Spa became a civil parish and gained a new Town (parish) Council.[25]

Leamington is part of the parliamentary constituency of Warwick and Leamington. From the 1997 general election until the 2010 general election the constituency was represented in parliament by James Plaskitt of the Labour Party; until then this had been a Conservative safe seat, counting former British prime minister Anthony Eden among its Members of Parliament (MPs). The seat became highly marginal at the 2005 general election, where James Plaskitt won with a majority of just 266 votes. In the 2010 general election the seat returned to the Conservative Party, with Chris White winning the seat by 3,513 votes. White remained the MP until the 2017 general election, when the seat was won by Matt Western of the Labour Party, which he retained at the 2019 general election with his majority reduced from 1,206 to 789.

Notable buildings

 
All Saints' Church

Buildings in the town include a variety of Georgian and early Victorian architecture, and listed buildings such as the Grade II listed Lansdowne Crescent in neo-classical style, designed by William Thomas between 1835 and 1838.[26]

Amongst the Anglican churches in Leamington is the Gothic parish church All Saints' Church, and St John the Baptist's Church.

St Mark's Church on Rugby Road was designed by George Gilbert Scott Jr. in 1879. It is a Gothic revival design, in red brick with stone dressings. It was endowed by the Carus-Wilson family, in memory of Frances Carus-Wilson (d.1872), wife of Sir Trevor Wheler.[27]

There is a Roman Catholic church, St Peter's Church, two United Reformed churches (one being in Lillington), a small mosque and a Hindu temple. In 2009, the Sikh community built the Gurdwara Sahib Leamington and Warwick in Warwick which also serves Leamington.[28][29] There are also Christadelphian and Jehovah's Witnesses meeting halls in the town.

Eden Court in Lillington is a residential tower block and one of several tall landmarks.[30] In December 2010, the Warwickshire Justice Centre was completed in Newbold Terrace. As well as a police station, the complex houses a magistrates' court, and the Crown Court, County Court, and other agencies such as the Probation Service and Victim Support.[31] It was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 4 March 2011.[32]

An oak tree just to the northeast of the town centre is marked by a plaque stating that it commemorates the Midland Oak, a tree that grew near the spot and was reputed to be at the centre of England.

 
St John the Baptist's Church (Church of England)

Demography

At the 2011 census, there were 49,491 residents in Leamington in 22,098 households, and the median age of Leamington residents was 34.[33] In terms of ethnicity:[33]

In terms of religion, 51.5% of Leamington residents identified as Christian, 32.1% said they had no religion, 7.5% did not state any religion, 5.1% were Sikh, 1.5% were Hindu, 1.3% were Muslim, 0.4% were Buddhists, 0.3% were Jewish and 0.5% were from another religion.[33]

Economy

 
Christmas Lights in Livery street

Tourism

The popularity of the town's waters in the 19th century led to the town's initial growth, making tourism Leamington's primary industry in the 19th century.[34]

Retail

In the town centre there are a variety of shops from high street chains to independent retailers, plus an indoor shopping centre, The Royal Priors. There is an out of town retail park called the Leamington Shopping Park (formerly The Shires Retail Park), even though it sits within the boundaries of Warwick.[35] It opened in 1989.[36]

Manufacturing

Tourism was initially driven by the spring waters. The arrival of the Warwick and Napton Canal (later amalgamated into the Grand Union Canal) officially opened in 1799 as the primary means of cargo transport and led to growth in other industries until rail gradually took over in the mid 19th century,[34] The canal supplied coal to the gasworks on Tachbrook Road, providing gas to light the town from 1835. Pig iron, coke and limestone were delivered by canal, allowing a number of foundries to be established in Leamington, specialising in cast iron stoves. Today the Eagle Foundry, dating from at least 1851, continues to manufacture Rangemaster Aga stoves. The Imperial Foundry, dating from around 1925, was subsequently taken over by Ford, casting engine blocks until its closure in 2008.[34]

The prominent car parts manufacturer Automotive Products based in the south of the town grew from a small garage to occupy a large site. Throughout the 20th century, while tourism took a downturn, Automotive Products expanded and built a factory in the South of the town in 1928 that is still operative in 2009, although on a much smaller scale.[34] Karobes Limited, with its headquarters in Queensway, was one of Britain's major suppliers of accessories for cars between World War II and the 1970s.

Commercial parks for service providers and light industry and offices are primarily located to the south of the town: Althorpe Street Industrial Estate, Queensway Trading Estate, Shires Gate Trading Estate and Sydenham Industrial Estate.

In June 2014, Detroit Electric announced that they would be building their SP.01 all-electric roadster in Leamington Spa.[37]

Digital media and the video game industry

Leamington Spa and the surrounding area, known as Silicon Spa,[38][39] is a significant global centre for the video game industry,[40] with a higher than average proportion of digital media companies involved in games development, digital design and publishing,[41][42] and over a thousand employed directly in game development.[38] Companies based in or around the town include Third Kind Games, Super Spline Studios, Lab42, Sumo Leamington, Caperfly, Widgit Software,[38] DNA Interactive, Fish in a Bottle, Ubisoft Leamington, Unit 2, Electric Square, Full Fat, Kwalee, Pixel Toys,[38] Playground Games, Red Chain Games,[43] Stickman Studios,[44] Supersonic Software and Midoki.[45] Codemasters are based at Southam near Leamington and were the initial impetus behind the cluster, providing many of the staff for the companies in Leamington.[46] In 2013, Sega's mobile platform studio Hardlight Studio[47] set up in Leamington, and Exient[48] opened a satellite studio. Former companies were Blitz Games Studios, FreeStyleGames, Bigbig Studios and Titus Software UK Limited.[49]

Healthcare

Local hospitals include the Leamington Spa Hospital[50] and the Warwickshire Nuffield Hospital.[51] On 13 July 2021 a coronavirus "mega lab" was opened in the town. Named after English chemist Rosalind Franklin, the laboratory is intended to be capable of processing hundreds of thousands of samples a day, making it the largest of its kind in the UK. It is expected to create up to 1,500 jobs.[52]

Education

There are a number of schools either located within Leamington, or which include Leamington in their priority (catchment) area. Those within Leamington include the state secondary schools of North Leamington School, Campion School, Trinity Catholic School, and the independent schools of Arnold Lodge School, a co-educational school for pupils aged 3 to 18, and Kingsley School, a school for girls. Myton School in Warwick, although located just outside Leamington, includes parts of Leamington as being within its priority area.[53]

As well as these schools, Leamington children can attend Stratford-upon-Avon Grammar School for Girls, a state run selective school, Warwick School, an independent school for boys, the King's High School for Girls, Warwick's twin school and Princethorpe College, a mixed independent school in the nearby village of Princethorpe.

Leamington is the location of the first of Warwickshire College's six sites, and additionally another site is located just outside the town. The closest higher education institutions are the University of Warwick, in southwestern Coventry, and Coventry University.

Leamington is also home to two national educational charities – The Smallpeice Trust and The Arkwright Scholarships Trust. They specialise in making young people aware of how STEM fields studied in school can lead to fulfilling and exciting careers in science and engineering sectors of industry.

Culture

Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum

Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum is located in the Royal Pump Rooms, on the Parade. It holds a collection of over 12,000 objects, including fine and decorative arts, as well as items relating to local and social history.[54] It provides exhibitions in the visual arts and about the history of the town, supported by workshops, talks and other events.

Community centres

There are several local community centres.

Peace Festival

Since 1978, the annual free festival and celebration of alternative culture called the Peace Festival has been held in the Pump Room Gardens,[55] however the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and not been held since 2019.[56]

Music

Live music is provided by local bands in a variety of venues. In December 2005 the band Nizlopi from Leamington, reached Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart with The JCB Song.[57] The Woodbine Street Recording Studios has been used by several well-known music acts such as local band The Shapes, whose single "Batman in the Launderette" charted first in 1979, Paul Weller, Ocean Colour Scene, Felt and The Specials.[58] Classical music concerts are organised throughout the year in the Leamington and Warwick area, including the International String Quartet series at the Royal Pump Rooms.[59] The Assembly, is a 1,000 capacity music venue attracting national and international artists,[60] and was awarded 'Live Music Venue of the Year' at the 2010 Music Week Awards.[61] and the Leamington Spa Competitive Festival for Music Dance and Drama is staged annually.[citation needed]

Theatre and cinema

Two theatres are located in Leamington: the Spa Centre and the amateur The Loft, with outdoor summer productions in Jephson Gardens. Leamington also has two cinemas: the Spa Centre and a multiplex.

Sport and leisure

There are a number of sports clubs and leisure facilities in Leamington Spa, including the oldest purpose built Real Tennis court in the world at Leamington Tennis Court Club, the football club Leamington F.C., a disc golf course Quarry Park, a leisure centre including swimming pool Newbold Comyn Leisure Centre, rugby grounds Leamington Rugby Union Football Club, Leamington Rugby Club – Youth Section and Old Leamingtonians Rugby Football Club, Leamington Cricket, Khalsa Leamington Hockey Club, Leamington Cycling club, Leamington Athletics club, Spa Striders Running Club, Royal Leamington Spa Canoe Club, Leamington Chess Club, formed in 1851, and municipal tennis courts. The Royal Leamington Spa Bowling Club in Victoria Park hosts the annual National Lawn Bowls Championships.[62][63]

Parks and gardens

The town has several parks and gardens,[64] including the Jephson Gardens, close to the Royal Pump Rooms and next to the River Leam. These were seriously damaged in the floods of 1998, but have been restored and improved with funding from the National Lottery. The other side of the River Leam, on Priory Terrace features the "Elephant Walk" 19th-century slipway down to the river located near the suspension bridge in Jephson Gardens. It was specifically constructed so that circus elephants in winter quarters in Leamington could be watered.[65] Other parks are the Mill Gardens on the opposite bank of the river to Jephson Gardens, Victoria Park, the Royal Pump Room Gardens, The Dell and Newbold Comyn which includes the nature reserves Welches Meadow and Leam Valley.[66]

Popular culture

The cover of the Ocean Colour Scene album Moseley Shoals features the Jephson Memorial in Jephson Gardens.[67] The town has been used as a filming location in various television series. BBC's Upstairs Downstairs used the Georgian terrace at Clarendon Square as a main exterior location.[68] ITV's Sherlock Holmes episode 'The Last Vampyre' featured Guy's Cliffe House, which was severely damaged in a fire during production.[69] Leamington also appeared as a location in ChuckleVision,[70] and Keeping Up Appearances.[71]

Transport

Road

From Leamington's centre, it is 3 miles (5 km) to the M40 motorway which links it to Birmingham and London. It is also served by the A46, which links it to Coventry and Stratford-upon-Avon

Rail

Leamington Spa railway station is served by the Chiltern Main Line, which links London Marylebone to Birmingham Snow Hill and onwards to Kidderminster. Fast train services on this route are operated by Chiltern Railways. Chiltern Railways also run trains via Warwick to Stratford-upon-Avon. West Midlands Trains operate local services to Birmingham and onwards to Worcester Shrub Hill. A line connecting Leamington Spa to Coventry is used by a West Midlands Trains local service to Nuneaton, as well as CrossCountry who provide services to Banbury, Oxford, Reading and Bournemouth to the south; and to Coventry, Birmingham (New Street), Manchester, Newcastle and Edinburgh to the north.

Bus and coach

Regular bus services to Kenilworth, the University of Warwick and Coventry are operated by Stagecoach in Warwickshire and National Express Coventry. Services to Warwick, Banbury, Stratford-upon-Avon and Rugby are operated by Stagecoach in Warwickshire and by other independent companies. Coaches to locations nationally and internationally are available.

Air

Leamington's nearest international passenger airport is Birmingham Airport. Coventry Airport is a nearby general aviation airport and former tourist charter hub. It currently (2018) has no scheduled passenger services.

Waterways

The Grand Union Canal is used for recreation. This crosses the River Avon between Leamington and Warwick, and then passes the town to the south, parallel to the River Leam to the north. The rivers are not used for transportation, but there are proposals to render them navigable.[citation needed]

Cycleways

There are national and local cycleways into and around Leamington.

Trams

Between 1881 and 1930, Leamington & Warwick Tramways & Omnibus Company operated trams between the two towns.

Notable residents

Famous people who were born in Leamington include the world champion boxer Randolph Turpin (1928–1966),[72] the poet, mountaineer, magician, and occultist Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), the pathologist Sir Bernard Spilsbury (1877–1947),[73] the artist Sir Terry Frost (1915-2003), the actor, broadcaster and writer Norman Painting (1924–2009), and professional footballer Ben Foster.

Other famous people to live or have lived in Leamington include the inventor of the jet engine Frank Whittle (1907–1996) who lived in Leamington as a child,[74] the television presenter Anne Diamond, the comedian Russell Howard.[73] Grime artist Stormzy lived in Leamington while studying for an apprenticeship.[75][76]

Twin towns – sister cities

Royal Leamington Spa is twinned with:[77]

Friendship

Royal Leamington Spa has friendship agreements with:[77]

  •   Leamington, Canada – which was named after Royal Leamington Spa
  •   Bo, Sierra Leone

Climate

Leamington Spa experiences the oceanic climate which covers most of the United Kingdom.

Climate data for Leamington Spa
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 6.0
(42.8)
6.2
(43.2)
8.9
(48.0)
11.9
(53.4)
15.3
(59.5)
18.8
(65.8)
20.6
(69.1)
20.1
(68.2)
17.6
(63.7)
13.8
(56.8)
9.2
(48.6)
7.1
(44.8)
12.9
(55.3)
Average low °C (°F) 0.3
(32.5)
0.1
(32.2)
1.5
(34.7)
3.3
(37.9)
6.0
(42.8)
9.2
(48.6)
11.1
(52.0)
10.8
(51.4)
8.8
(47.8)
6.2
(43.2)
2.9
(37.2)
1.3
(34.3)
5.1
(41.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 53
(2.1)
48
(1.9)
51
(2.0)
48
(1.9)
56
(2.2)
56
(2.2)
46
(1.8)
66
(2.6)
53
(2.1)
53
(2.1)
58
(2.3)
66
(2.6)
660
(25.9)
Source: [78]

See also

References

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Further reading

External links

  •   Royal Leamington Spa travel guide from Wikivoyage
  • Royal Leamington Spa Town Council

leamington, leamington, warwickshire, redirects, here, village, leamington, hastings, royal, commonly, known, simply, leamington, listen, town, civil, parish, warwickshire, england, originally, small, village, called, leamington, priors, grew, into, town, 18th. Leamington Warwickshire redirects here For the village see Leamington Hastings Royal Leamington Spa commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply Leamington ˈ l ɛ m ɪ ŋ t en listen is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire England Originally a small village called Leamington Priors it grew into a spa town in the 18th century following the popularisation of its water which was reputed to have medicinal qualities 2 In the 19th century the town experienced one of the most rapid expansions in England 3 It is named after the River Leam which flows through the town Royal Leamington SpaClockwise from top The Parade Royal Pump Rooms Leamington Spa Town Hall Leamington Spa railway station and looking across River Leam towards All Saints ChurchRoyal Leamington SpaLocation within WarwickshirePopulation50 923 2021 census 1 OS grid referenceSP316660Civil parishRoyal Leamington SpaDistrictWarwickShire countyWarwickshireRegionWest MidlandsCountryEnglandSovereign stateUnited KingdomPost townLEAMINGTON SPAPostcode districtCV31 CV32 CV33Dialling code01926PoliceWarwickshireFireWarwickshireAmbulanceWest MidlandsUK ParliamentWarwick and LeamingtonList of places UK England Warwickshire 52 17 31 N 1 32 13 W 52 292 N 1 537 W 52 292 1 537 Coordinates 52 17 31 N 1 32 13 W 52 292 N 1 537 W 52 292 1 537The town contains especially fine ensembles of Regency architecture 4 particularly in parts of the Parade Clarendon Square and Lansdowne Circus The town also contains several large public parks such as Jephson Gardens the Royal Pump Room Gardens and Victoria Park Although originally founded around its spa industry Leamington today has developed into a centre for retail and digital industries which has gained it the moniker silicon spa In 2023 The Sunday Times named Leamington as the best place to live in the Midlands 5 6 In the 2021 census Leamington had a population of 50 923 1 Leamington is adjoined with the neighbouring towns of Warwick and Whitnash and the village of Cubbington together these form a conurbation known as the Royal Leamington Spa Built up area which in 2011 had a population of 95 172 7 Leamington lies around 9 miles 14 km south of Coventry 20 miles 32 km south east of Birmingham and 81 miles 130 km north west of London Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Governance 4 Notable buildings 5 Demography 6 Economy 6 1 Tourism 6 2 Retail 6 3 Manufacturing 6 4 Digital media and the video game industry 6 5 Healthcare 7 Education 8 Culture 8 1 Leamington Spa Art Gallery amp Museum 8 2 Community centres 8 3 Peace Festival 8 4 Music 8 5 Theatre and cinema 8 6 Sport and leisure 8 6 1 Parks and gardens 8 7 Popular culture 9 Transport 9 1 Road 9 2 Rail 9 3 Bus and coach 9 4 Air 9 5 Waterways 9 6 Cycleways 9 7 Trams 10 Notable residents 11 Twin towns sister cities 11 1 Friendship 11 2 Climate 12 See also 13 References 14 Further reading 15 External linksHistory Edit Lansdowne Crescent Royal Pump Rooms and Baths The Victoria Bridge over the Leam Formerly a small village known as Leamington Priors Leamington began to develop as a town at the start of the 19th century It was first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Lamintone For 400 years the settlement was under the control of Kenilworth Priory from which the older suffix derived 8 9 Its name came from Anglo Saxon Leman tun or Lemen tun farm on the River Leam 10 The spa waters had been known in Roman times and their rediscovery in 1784 by William Abbotts and Benjamin Satchwell led to their commercialisation with invalids beginning to resort here in 1786 Six of the seven wells were drilled for only the original spring at the site of the Aylesford Well adjacent to the Parish Church occurred naturally 8 11 The old village of Leamington Priors was on the southern bank of the River Leam and early development was based around this During the early 19th century developers began concentrating the town s expansion on the land north of the river This resulted in the Georgian centre of New Town with the Leam flowing between the two 11 By 1810 the town s existing bath houses could not cope with the increasing visitor numbers and a syndicate was formed to build a new bath house north of the River Leam A new saline spring was found on land close to the river belonging to Bertie Greatheed a wealthy plantation owner and landowner from Guys Cliffe and a member of the syndicate 12 In 1814 the Royal Pump Rooms and Baths were opened on the site designed by C S Smith who also designed The Regent Hotel and the Upper Assembly Rooms in the town Spa water can still be sampled outside the building Leamington became a popular spa resort attracting the wealthy and famous with numerous Georgian townhouses to accommodate visitors Construction of what is now the Parade began in sections from 1808 13 the Regent Hotel in 1818 a town hall in 1830 14 and the Jephson Gardens in 1834 In 1838 Queen Victoria granted the town a Royal prefix and Leamington Priors was renamed Royal Leamington Spa Queen Victoria had visited the town as a Princess in 1830 and as Queen in 1858 8 In 1840 the Victoria Bridge was opened connecting the old and new towns replacing an old narrow and inconvenient bridge 11 The growth of Leamington was rapid at the time of the first national census in 1801 Leamington had a population of just 315 by 1851 this had grown to 15 724 11 and by 1901 the population had reached 26 888 15 16 The London and North Western Railway opened the first railway line into Leamington a branch line from Coventry in 1844 followed by a branch to Rugby in 1851 In 1852 the Great Western Railway s main line between Birmingham Oxford and London opened through Leamington upon which the first railway station at the current location was opened 17 18 As the popularity of spa resorts declined towards the end of the 19th century the focus of Leamington s economy shifted towards becoming a popular place of residence for retired people and for members of the middle class many of whom relocated from Coventry and Birmingham Its well off residents led to the development of Leamington as a popular place for shopping 15 In 1832 the town s main hospital Warneford Hospital opened named after philanthropist Samuel Wilson Warneford At first a semi private affair it was taken over by the National Health Service after the Second World War before succumbing to budget cuts and closing in 1993 Leamington is closely associated with the founding of lawn tennis The first tennis club in the world was formed in 1872 by Major Henry Gem and Augurio Pereira who had started playing tennis in the garden of Pereira 19 It was located just behind the former Manor House Hotel and the modern rules of lawn tennis were drawn up in 1874 in Leamington Tennis Club During the Second World War Leamington was bombed a number of times during The Blitz although this caused substantial damage it caused relatively few casualties 20 The town was also home to the Free Czechoslovak Army a memorial in the Jephson Gardens commemorates the bravery of Czechoslovak parachutists from Warwickshire 21 Geography Edit Map of Leamington Warwick and Whitnash Leamington is divided by the River Leam running east to west which is susceptible to flooding in extreme weather with especially heavy floods in 1998 and 2007 22 23 The Leam is a tributary of the River Avon which it joins just to the west of Leamington The ancient town of Warwick lies adjoined directly to the west of Leamington on the opposite bank of the Avon Also contiguous with Leamington directly to the south with no natural border is the smaller town of Whitnash The village of Cubbington is adjoined to the north east Just outside the town lie the villages of Old Milverton to the north and Radford Semele 2 5 miles 4 km to the east Leamington has several suburbs the town has encompassed the former village of Lillington directly to the north of the town centre Other suburbs include Milverton to the northwest Campion Hills to the east Sydenham to the east and the rapidly expanding Heathcote district to the southwest The main road running through the town centre is Parade formerly Lillington Lane until 1860 3 This shopping street contains high street chains and The Royal Priors shopping mall Governance Edit Leamington Spa Town Hall 1884 with Queen Victoria s statue Leamington Spa is a town and civil parish in the Warwick District an administrative division of the county of Warwickshire Between 1875 and 1974 Leamington was a municipal borough 24 As part of the 1974 local government reform it was merged with Warwick Kenilworth and Whitnash and surrounding rural areas into the Warwick District which has its offices in Leamington In 2002 Leamington Spa became a civil parish and gained a new Town parish Council 25 Leamington is part of the parliamentary constituency of Warwick and Leamington From the 1997 general election until the 2010 general election the constituency was represented in parliament by James Plaskitt of the Labour Party until then this had been a Conservative safe seat counting former British prime minister Anthony Eden among its Members of Parliament MPs The seat became highly marginal at the 2005 general election where James Plaskitt won with a majority of just 266 votes In the 2010 general election the seat returned to the Conservative Party with Chris White winning the seat by 3 513 votes White remained the MP until the 2017 general election when the seat was won by Matt Western of the Labour Party which he retained at the 2019 general election with his majority reduced from 1 206 to 789 Notable buildings Edit All Saints Church Buildings in the town include a variety of Georgian and early Victorian architecture and listed buildings such as the Grade II listed Lansdowne Crescent in neo classical style designed by William Thomas between 1835 and 1838 26 Amongst the Anglican churches in Leamington is the Gothic parish church All Saints Church and St John the Baptist s Church St Mark s Church on Rugby Road was designed by George Gilbert Scott Jr in 1879 It is a Gothic revival design in red brick with stone dressings It was endowed by the Carus Wilson family in memory of Frances Carus Wilson d 1872 wife of Sir Trevor Wheler 27 There is a Roman Catholic church St Peter s Church two United Reformed churches one being in Lillington a small mosque and a Hindu temple In 2009 the Sikh community built the Gurdwara Sahib Leamington and Warwick in Warwick which also serves Leamington 28 29 There are also Christadelphian and Jehovah s Witnesses meeting halls in the town Eden Court in Lillington is a residential tower block and one of several tall landmarks 30 In December 2010 the Warwickshire Justice Centre was completed in Newbold Terrace As well as a police station the complex houses a magistrates court and the Crown Court County Court and other agencies such as the Probation Service and Victim Support 31 It was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 4 March 2011 32 An oak tree just to the northeast of the town centre is marked by a plaque stating that it commemorates the Midland Oak a tree that grew near the spot and was reputed to be at the centre of England St John the Baptist s Church Church of England Demography EditAt the 2011 census there were 49 491 residents in Leamington in 22 098 households and the median age of Leamington residents was 34 33 In terms of ethnicity 33 86 of Leamington residents were White Comprising 77 2 White British 6 7 Other White and 2 1 Irish 9 2 were Asian Comprising 6 4 Indian 0 8 Chinese 0 5 Pakistani 0 1 Bangladeshi and 0 8 from another Asian background 1 1 were Black Comprising 0 5 African 0 5 Caribbean and 0 1 other Black 2 7 were Mixed 0 2 were Arab and 0 9 were from another ethnic group In terms of religion 51 5 of Leamington residents identified as Christian 32 1 said they had no religion 7 5 did not state any religion 5 1 were Sikh 1 5 were Hindu 1 3 were Muslim 0 4 were Buddhists 0 3 were Jewish and 0 5 were from another religion 33 Economy Edit Christmas Lights in Livery street Tourism Edit The popularity of the town s waters in the 19th century led to the town s initial growth making tourism Leamington s primary industry in the 19th century 34 Retail Edit In the town centre there are a variety of shops from high street chains to independent retailers plus an indoor shopping centre The Royal Priors There is an out of town retail park called the Leamington Shopping Park formerly The Shires Retail Park even though it sits within the boundaries of Warwick 35 It opened in 1989 36 Manufacturing Edit Tourism was initially driven by the spring waters The arrival of the Warwick and Napton Canal later amalgamated into the Grand Union Canal officially opened in 1799 as the primary means of cargo transport and led to growth in other industries until rail gradually took over in the mid 19th century 34 The canal supplied coal to the gasworks on Tachbrook Road providing gas to light the town from 1835 Pig iron coke and limestone were delivered by canal allowing a number of foundries to be established in Leamington specialising in cast iron stoves Today the Eagle Foundry dating from at least 1851 continues to manufacture Rangemaster Aga stoves The Imperial Foundry dating from around 1925 was subsequently taken over by Ford casting engine blocks until its closure in 2008 34 The prominent car parts manufacturer Automotive Products based in the south of the town grew from a small garage to occupy a large site Throughout the 20th century while tourism took a downturn Automotive Products expanded and built a factory in the South of the town in 1928 that is still operative in 2009 although on a much smaller scale 34 Karobes Limited with its headquarters in Queensway was one of Britain s major suppliers of accessories for cars between World War II and the 1970s Commercial parks for service providers and light industry and offices are primarily located to the south of the town Althorpe Street Industrial Estate Queensway Trading Estate Shires Gate Trading Estate and Sydenham Industrial Estate In June 2014 Detroit Electric announced that they would be building their SP 01 all electric roadster in Leamington Spa 37 Digital media and the video game industry Edit Leamington Spa and the surrounding area known as Silicon Spa 38 39 is a significant global centre for the video game industry 40 with a higher than average proportion of digital media companies involved in games development digital design and publishing 41 42 and over a thousand employed directly in game development 38 Companies based in or around the town include Third Kind Games Super Spline Studios Lab42 Sumo Leamington Caperfly Widgit Software 38 DNA Interactive Fish in a Bottle Ubisoft Leamington Unit 2 Electric Square Full Fat Kwalee Pixel Toys 38 Playground Games Red Chain Games 43 Stickman Studios 44 Supersonic Software and Midoki 45 Codemasters are based at Southam near Leamington and were the initial impetus behind the cluster providing many of the staff for the companies in Leamington 46 In 2013 Sega s mobile platform studio Hardlight Studio 47 set up in Leamington and Exient 48 opened a satellite studio Former companies were Blitz Games Studios FreeStyleGames Bigbig Studios and Titus Software UK Limited 49 Healthcare Edit Local hospitals include the Leamington Spa Hospital 50 and the Warwickshire Nuffield Hospital 51 On 13 July 2021 a coronavirus mega lab was opened in the town Named after English chemist Rosalind Franklin the laboratory is intended to be capable of processing hundreds of thousands of samples a day making it the largest of its kind in the UK It is expected to create up to 1 500 jobs 52 Education EditThere are a number of schools either located within Leamington or which include Leamington in their priority catchment area Those within Leamington include the state secondary schools of North Leamington School Campion School Trinity Catholic School and the independent schools of Arnold Lodge School a co educational school for pupils aged 3 to 18 and Kingsley School a school for girls Myton School in Warwick although located just outside Leamington includes parts of Leamington as being within its priority area 53 As well as these schools Leamington children can attend Stratford upon Avon Grammar School for Girls a state run selective school Warwick School an independent school for boys the King s High School for Girls Warwick s twin school and Princethorpe College a mixed independent school in the nearby village of Princethorpe Leamington is the location of the first of Warwickshire College s six sites and additionally another site is located just outside the town The closest higher education institutions are the University of Warwick in southwestern Coventry and Coventry University Leamington is also home to two national educational charities The Smallpeice Trust and The Arkwright Scholarships Trust They specialise in making young people aware of how STEM fields studied in school can lead to fulfilling and exciting careers in science and engineering sectors of industry Culture EditLeamington Spa Art Gallery amp Museum Edit Leamington Spa Art Gallery amp Museum is located in the Royal Pump Rooms on the Parade It holds a collection of over 12 000 objects including fine and decorative arts as well as items relating to local and social history 54 It provides exhibitions in the visual arts and about the history of the town supported by workshops talks and other events Community centres Edit There are several local community centres Peace Festival Edit Since 1978 the annual free festival and celebration of alternative culture called the Peace Festival has been held in the Pump Room Gardens 55 however the event was cancelled due to the COVID 19 pandemic and not been held since 2019 56 Music Edit Live music is provided by local bands in a variety of venues In December 2005 the band Nizlopi from Leamington reached Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart with The JCB Song 57 The Woodbine Street Recording Studios has been used by several well known music acts such as local band The Shapes whose single Batman in the Launderette charted first in 1979 Paul Weller Ocean Colour Scene Felt and The Specials 58 Classical music concerts are organised throughout the year in the Leamington and Warwick area including the International String Quartet series at the Royal Pump Rooms 59 The Assembly is a 1 000 capacity music venue attracting national and international artists 60 and was awarded Live Music Venue of the Year at the 2010 Music Week Awards 61 and the Leamington Spa Competitive Festival for Music Dance and Drama is staged annually citation needed Theatre and cinema Edit Two theatres are located in Leamington the Spa Centre and the amateur The Loft with outdoor summer productions in Jephson Gardens Leamington also has two cinemas the Spa Centre and a multiplex Sport and leisure Edit There are a number of sports clubs and leisure facilities in Leamington Spa including the oldest purpose built Real Tennis court in the world at Leamington Tennis Court Club the football club Leamington F C a disc golf course Quarry Park a leisure centre including swimming pool Newbold Comyn Leisure Centre rugby grounds Leamington Rugby Union Football Club Leamington Rugby Club Youth Section and Old Leamingtonians Rugby Football Club Leamington Cricket Khalsa Leamington Hockey Club Leamington Cycling club Leamington Athletics club Spa Striders Running Club Royal Leamington Spa Canoe Club Leamington Chess Club formed in 1851 and municipal tennis courts The Royal Leamington Spa Bowling Club in Victoria Park hosts the annual National Lawn Bowls Championships 62 63 Parks and gardens Edit The town has several parks and gardens 64 including the Jephson Gardens close to the Royal Pump Rooms and next to the River Leam These were seriously damaged in the floods of 1998 but have been restored and improved with funding from the National Lottery The other side of the River Leam on Priory Terrace features the Elephant Walk 19th century slipway down to the river located near the suspension bridge in Jephson Gardens It was specifically constructed so that circus elephants in winter quarters in Leamington could be watered 65 Other parks are the Mill Gardens on the opposite bank of the river to Jephson Gardens Victoria Park the Royal Pump Room Gardens The Dell and Newbold Comyn which includes the nature reserves Welches Meadow and Leam Valley 66 Popular culture Edit The cover of the Ocean Colour Scene album Moseley Shoals features the Jephson Memorial in Jephson Gardens 67 The town has been used as a filming location in various television series BBC s Upstairs Downstairs used the Georgian terrace at Clarendon Square as a main exterior location 68 ITV s Sherlock Holmes episode The Last Vampyre featured Guy s Cliffe House which was severely damaged in a fire during production 69 Leamington also appeared as a location in ChuckleVision 70 and Keeping Up Appearances 71 Transport EditRoad Edit From Leamington s centre it is 3 miles 5 km to the M40 motorway which links it to Birmingham and London It is also served by the A46 which links it to Coventry and Stratford upon Avon Rail Edit Leamington Spa railway station Leamington Spa railway station is served by the Chiltern Main Line which links London Marylebone to Birmingham Snow Hill and onwards to Kidderminster Fast train services on this route are operated by Chiltern Railways Chiltern Railways also run trains via Warwick to Stratford upon Avon West Midlands Trains operate local services to Birmingham and onwards to Worcester Shrub Hill A line connecting Leamington Spa to Coventry is used by a West Midlands Trains local service to Nuneaton as well as CrossCountry who provide services to Banbury Oxford Reading and Bournemouth to the south and to Coventry Birmingham New Street Manchester Newcastle and Edinburgh to the north Bus and coach Edit Regular bus services to Kenilworth the University of Warwick and Coventry are operated by Stagecoach in Warwickshire and National Express Coventry Services to Warwick Banbury Stratford upon Avon and Rugby are operated by Stagecoach in Warwickshire and by other independent companies Coaches to locations nationally and internationally are available Air Edit Leamington s nearest international passenger airport is Birmingham Airport Coventry Airport is a nearby general aviation airport and former tourist charter hub It currently 2018 has no scheduled passenger services Waterways Edit The Grand Union Canal is used for recreation This crosses the River Avon between Leamington and Warwick and then passes the town to the south parallel to the River Leam to the north The rivers are not used for transportation but there are proposals to render them navigable citation needed Cycleways Edit There are national and local cycleways into and around Leamington Trams Edit Between 1881 and 1930 Leamington amp Warwick Tramways amp Omnibus Company operated trams between the two towns Notable residents EditFurther information Category People from Leamington Spa Famous people who were born in Leamington include the world champion boxer Randolph Turpin 1928 1966 72 the poet mountaineer magician and occultist Aleister Crowley 1875 1947 the pathologist Sir Bernard Spilsbury 1877 1947 73 the artist Sir Terry Frost 1915 2003 the actor broadcaster and writer Norman Painting 1924 2009 and professional footballer Ben Foster Other famous people to live or have lived in Leamington include the inventor of the jet engine Frank Whittle 1907 1996 who lived in Leamington as a child 74 the television presenter Anne Diamond the comedian Russell Howard 73 Grime artist Stormzy lived in Leamington while studying for an apprenticeship 75 76 Twin towns sister cities EditSee also List of twin towns and sister cities in England Royal Leamington Spa is twinned with 77 Sceaux France since 1969 Bruhl North Rhine Westphalia Germany since 1973 Heemstede Netherlands since 1987 Friendship Edit Royal Leamington Spa has friendship agreements with 77 Leamington Canada which was named after Royal Leamington Spa Bo Sierra LeoneClimate Edit Leamington Spa experiences the oceanic climate which covers most of the United Kingdom Climate data for Leamington SpaMonth Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec YearAverage high C F 6 0 42 8 6 2 43 2 8 9 48 0 11 9 53 4 15 3 59 5 18 8 65 8 20 6 69 1 20 1 68 2 17 6 63 7 13 8 56 8 9 2 48 6 7 1 44 8 12 9 55 3 Average low C F 0 3 32 5 0 1 32 2 1 5 34 7 3 3 37 9 6 0 42 8 9 2 48 6 11 1 52 0 10 8 51 4 8 8 47 8 6 2 43 2 2 9 37 2 1 3 34 3 5 1 41 2 Average precipitation mm inches 53 2 1 48 1 9 51 2 0 48 1 9 56 2 2 56 2 2 46 1 8 66 2 6 53 2 1 53 2 1 58 2 3 66 2 6 660 25 9 Source 78 See also Edit England portalList of spa towns in the United Kingdom Listed buildings in WarwickshireReferences Edit a b ROYAL LEAMINGTON SPA Parish in West Midlands City Population Retrieved 2 December 2022 The Penny Magazine 1833 1848 Extracted and digitised by The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge Archived from the original on 27 September 2011 Retrieved 9 August 2009 a b Leamington Spa Courier The Courier Johnston Press Digital Publishing Archived from the original on 28 September 2009 Retrieved 9 August 2009 Strong Roy The Spirit of Britain p 503 1999 Hutchison London ISBN 185681534X Warwickshire town named best place to live in Midlands in Sunday Times list Coventry Telegraph Retrieved 25 March 2023 Leamington named best placed to live in Midlands by The Sunday Times Warwickshire World Retrieved 25 March 2023 UK Census 2011 Local Area Report Royal Leamington Spa Built up area E34004841 Nomis Office for National Statistics Retrieved 11 April 2021 a b c Allen Geoff 2000 Warwickshire Towns amp Villages pp 111 112 ISBN 978 1 85058 642 5 LEAMINGTON PRIORY PART ONE Our Warwickshire Retrieved 28 August 2020 J E B Gover A Mawer and F M Stenton in collaboration with F T S Houghton The Place 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Archive sainsburyarchive org uk Retrieved 2 December 2020 Brad Anderson 30 June 2014 Detroit Electric Confirms U K Production for SP 01 www gtspirit com GTspirit Archived from the original on 14 July 2014 Retrieved 1 July 2014 a b c d Lee Aaron 12 September 2013 Region Focus Midlands UK Games industry press releases Develop MCV Develop online net Archived from the original on 19 January 2014 Retrieved 15 January 2014 Guthrie Jonathan 27 December 2009 Silicon Spa spots opportunity to get serious FT com Archived from the original on 24 September 2015 Retrieved 15 January 2014 Silicon Spa is UK s 3rd Largest Gaming Cluster Invest Warwickshire Invest warwickshire gov uk 12 August 2013 Archived from the original on 17 October 2013 Retrieved 15 January 2014 Leamington Spa the Capital of Digital Creativity www campbellmarsh com 18 March 2014 Archived from the original on 22 March 2014 Still Booming Archived 1 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine The Leamington Observer 5 July 2012 Official 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opens to speed up testing BBC News 13 July 2021 Retrieved 13 July 2021 Secondary school priority areas Central area PDF Warwickshire County Council Archived from the original PDF on 13 September 2011 Royal Pump Rooms Collections and research www warwickdc gov uk Retrieved 19 November 2020 Leamington Peace Festival Peacefestival org uk Archived from the original on 16 May 2014 Retrieved 15 January 2014 Leamington Peace Festival cancelled for third year running Leamington Observer Retrieved 16 June 2022 Nizlopi s JCB Song Goes Straight In At Number 1 Gigwise 18 December 2005 Archived from the original on 18 September 2012 Retrieved 27 May 2009 Woodbine Street Recording Studio Home Woodbinestreet com 20 February 2009 Archived from the original on 5 May 2009 Retrieved 27 May 2009 International String Quartet Archived 16 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine The Assembly about venue page leamingtonassembly com Archived from the original on 31 August 2009 Retrieved 27 September 2009 Music Week Awards winners 2010 page Archived from the original on 23 June 2011 Royal Leamington Spa Bowling Club RLSBC Archived from the original on 26 August 2017 National Events Portal Bowls England Archived from the original on 26 August 2017 Judgement day as Leamington goes for gold again Leamington Spa Today Back to Home Page Leamingtoncourier co uk Archived from the original on 4 August 2012 Retrieved 27 May 2009 Warwick District Council website PDF Archived 27 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 8 August 2009 Nature reserves Warwick District Council Archived from the original on 1 September 2012 Retrieved 20 June 2012 Smith Oliver 3 October 2017 54 locations that defined Britpop The Telegraph ISSN 0307 1235 Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 Retrieved 11 June 2021 Filming in Leamington for new series of BBC s Upstairs Downstairs Coventry Telegraph 27 October 2011 Retrieved 9 July 2022 Freemasons and fire at Guy s Cliffe 18 August 2013 Retrieved 9 July 2022 When Chucklevision was filmed at Coventry Airport 6 August 2018 Retrieved 9 July 2022 Keeping Up Appearances Filming Locations All About The Cast amp Characters 16 March 2022 Retrieved 9 July 2022 Tribute to boxing s Leamington Licker BBC News 10 July 2001 Retrieved 31 March 2019 a b 30 celebrities you probably didn t know were from Warwickshire Coventry Telegraph 17 March 2014 Retrieved 31 March 2019 Sir Frank Whittle s workshop is saved from demolition BBC News 9 November 2014 Retrieved 31 March 2019 Smyth David 10 April 2015 Stormzy Kanye West endorsed South London rapper is the new king of grime Evening Standard Retrieved 29 May 2021 Jaswal Rohini June 2019 Stormzy reveals he once lived in Leamington and even got into a fight at SMACK The Tab Warwick Retrieved 29 May 2021 a b Town twinning and friendship leamingtonspatowncouncil gov uk Royal Leamington Spa Town Council Retrieved 26 April 2020 Leamington Spa historic weather averages in the United Kingdom Intellicast Archived from the original on 1 March 2012 Retrieved 28 March 2009 Further reading EditStorrie Janet 1990 Elephants in Royal Leamington Spa Weir Books ISBN 0 9514433 1 3 ISBN 978 0 9514433 1 6External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Royal Leamington Spa Royal Leamington Spa travel guide from Wikivoyage Royal Leamington Spa Town Council Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Leamington Spa amp oldid 1153950157, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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