Leamington Spa
| Royal Leamington Spa | |
|---|---|
 Parade | |
| Population | 45,114 (2001 census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SP316660 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LEAMINGTON SPA |
| Postcode district | CV31, CV32, CV33 |
| Dialling code | 01926 |
| Police | Warwickshire |
| Fire | Warwickshire |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa and Leamington (Template:PronEng) or "Leam" to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr Lambe around 1797.[2] During the 19th century, the town experienced one of the most rapid expansions in England.[3]
The 2001 census reported a population of 45,114[1] making it the third largest town in the county after Nuneaton and Rugby. It is named after the River Leam which flows through the town.
History
Formerly 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.[4] Its name came from Anglo-Saxon Leman-tūn or Lemen-tūn = "farm on the River Leam".[5] The healing properties of the spa waters had been known in Roman times and their rediscovery in 1784 by William Abbotts and Benjamin Satchwell, led to their commercialisation.[4][failed verification]
Early development of the "Old Town" centre was on the southern bank of the River Leam. Later builders began concentrating the town's expansion on the land north of the river, resulting in the Georgian centre "New Town" with the Leam flowing through the centre of the modern town.[citation needed] In 1767 Parliament passed an Act, proposed by Edward Willes, a local landowner, for dividing and enclosing the open and common land on the south and west of the River Leam.[6] Following a survey of the area by John Tomlinson in 1768, the land was estimated to be 990 acres and was subsequently divided, and new public roads were laid out.[6] After the division on the south of the river most of the land east of the village was owned by the Willes family and to the west by Matthew Wise. To the north of the river most of the land was owned by the Willes family, the Earl of Warwick, and Bertie Greatheed.[6] The main landholders of the village and adjacent land were the Earl of Aylesford, and a number of smaller landowners such as Lord Sharma.[6] In the following decades some of the land was sold.[6] By 1901 the population of Leamington had grown from a few hundred to nearly 27,000.[7]
In 1814 the Royal Pump Rooms and Baths were opened close to the River Leam.[4] This grand structure attracted many visitors, expecting cures by bathing in pools of salty spa water. It also included the world's first gravity fed piped hot water system in modern times, which was designed and installed by the engineer William Murdoch. Leamington became a popular spa resort attracting the wealthy and famous, and construction began of numerous Georgian townhouses to accommodate visitors, and a town hall was built in 1830.[3]
With the spread of the town's popularity, Leamington was granted a "Royal" prefix in 1838 by Queen Victoria, who visited the town as a Princess in 1830 and as Queen in 1858.[4] A statue of the queen was almost destroyed by a German bomb during World War II, and was moved one inch on its plinth by the blast. The statue was not returned to its original position, and the incident is recorded on a plaque on its plinth.
The function of the Royal Pump Rooms changed several times over the following years. While retaining its assembly rooms and medical facilities, around 1863 it was extended to include a Turkish Bath and swimming pool, in 1875 the Royal Pump Room Gardens were opened to the public, and in 1890 a further swimming pool was added. The economy of Leamington decreased towards the end of the 19th century following the decline in popularity of spa towns, and it became a popular place of residence for retired people and for members of the middle-class who relocated from Coventry and Birmingham, and wealthy residents led to the development of Leamington as a popular place for shopping.[7] In 1997, the owners of the building, the district council, closed the facility for redevelopment, reopening it in 1999 as a culture centre. It now contains Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum, Library, a Tourist Information Centre, refurbished assembly rooms and a cafe. [citation needed] Spa water can still be sampled outside the building.
.
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.[8] 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 home to the Free Czechoslovak Army; a memorial in the Jephson Gardens commemorates the bravery of Czechoslovak parachutists from Warwickshire.
Governance
Leamington Spa is a town and civil parish in the Warwick District Council, an administrative division of the county of Warwickshire. Since 2002 the parish is represented at the lowest level of local government by its Town Council.[9] Between 1875 and 1974 Leamington was a municipal borough.[10] As part of the 1974 local government reform it was merged with Warwick, Kenilworth, and surrounding rural areas into the Warwick District, which has its offices in Leamington. Leamington is part of the parliamentary constituency of Warwick and Leamington. Since the 1997 general election the constituency has been represented in parliament by James Plaskitt (Labour). It had previously been a Conservative safe seat, including as its MP, Anthony Eden a former British prime minister. At the 2005 general election, James Plaskitt had a majority of just 266 votes, making it a marginal seat. In the 2010 general election the seat returned to the Conservative party, with Chris White winning the seat by 4,000 votes.
Geography
Leamington is divided from north to south by the River Leam, which is susceptible to flooding, with especially heavy floods in 1998 and 2007.[citation needed] The town is expanding, particularly to the south, due its being within commuter distance of Coventry (10 miles) and Birmingham (25 miles).[citation needed]
The town has several parks and gardens,[11] 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 a 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.[12] Other parks are the Mill Gardens on the opposite bank of the river to Jephson Gardens, Victoria Park, the Royal Pump Room Gardens, Newbold Comyn, The Dell and Welsh’s Meadow nature reserve. The central part of the town is the Parade, a renaming of Lillington Lane in 1860.[3] The shopping street contains high street chains and the Royal Priors covered shopping centre.
Buildings in the town include a variety of Georgian and early Victorian architecture, and listed buildings such as the Grade II Lansdowne Crescent in neo-classical style, designed by William Thomas between 1835 and 1838 [citation needed].
A young tree called the Midland Oak, at Lillington, just to the northeast of the town centre, is marked by a plaque stating that it is at the very centre of the country, although there may be little evidence to support this claim.
Suburbs and Neighbouring Areas
Population growth has led to Leamington forming a conurbation of around 85,000 inhabitants with other nearby towns and satellite villages [citation needed]. The town has enveloped the old village of Lillington. Other suburbs include New Milverton, and Sydenham to the south-east which contains Campion School and Community College[13][14] and Sydenham Industrial Estate.[13] A French Quarter is populated by a small French community, and is characterised by a cluster of French restaurants and bistros frequented by University of Warwick students.[citation needed] Whitnash is a small town which merges with Leamington directly to the south. Cubbington to the north east comprises the old village of Cubbington and New Cubbington. Just outside the urban spread lie the villages of Old Milverton to the north and Radford Semele 2.5 miles (4 km) to the east.
The ancient town of Warwick lies directly to the west of Leamington, on the opposite bank of the river Avon.
Compass
Destinations from Leamington Spa | ||||||||||||||||
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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 |
| Mean daily maximum °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) |
| Mean daily minimum °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: [15] | |||||||||||||
Economy
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[16] – until the growth of passenger rail made other destinations more accessible.
Retail
Leamington Spa offers a variety of shops from some of the more common high street stores to the independent retailers. The Royal Priors is the only indoor shopping centre in the town centre and the(former) Shires Retail Park offers out of town shopping.
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,[16] 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 stoves. The Imperial Foundry, dating from around 1925, was subsequently taken over by Ford, casting engine blocks until its closure in 2008.[16]
The prominent car parts manufacturer Automotive Products also grew from a small garage in the south of the town to occupy a large site in the south of the town. 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.[16]
Commercial parks for service providers and light industry and offices are primarily located to the south of the town.
Video game industry
Leamington plays host to a large number of game developers, with well-known studios including Blitz Games, Bigbig Studios, FreeStyleGames, Supersonic Software and Aqua Pacific all in the town itself. Very close to Leamington are Codemasters, CustomPlay Games and Fishinabottle.[17]
Education
Schools include the state secondary schools of North Leamington Community School and Arts College, Campion School, Trinity Catholic Technology College and Myton School, and the independent schools of Arnold Lodge School, a co educational school from Kindergarten to GCSE, and Kingsley School, a school for girls, Warwick School, a boys school, one of the oldest in England, and Warwick School's partner girl's school The King's High School for Girls.
Leamington is home to the first of Warwickshire College's five campuses, and nearby Warwick University.
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.
Rail
Leamington railway station is served by the Chiltern Main Line, which links London (Marylebone) to Birmingham (Snow Hill). Fast train services on this route are operated by Chiltern Railways. London Midland operate local services to Birmingham and onwards to Worcester. A line connecting Leamington Spa to Coventry used by Arriva CrossCountry provides services to Reading, Oxford and Bournemouth to the south, and to Coventry, Birmingham (New Street), Manchester, Newcastle and Edinburgh to the north.
Bus
Regular bus services to Kenilworth, the University of Warwick and Coventry are operated competitively by Stagecoach in Warwickshire and National Express Coventry. Services to Warwick, Banbury, Stratford Upon Avon and Rugby are operated by Stagecoach in Warwickshire and other independent companies.
Air
Leamington's nearest commercial airport is Birmingham International. Coventry Airport, a former hub for tourist charter firms, currently (2009) offers no scheduled passenger services.
People
- John Betjeman's poem "Death in Leamington" portrays one view of Leamington's ambience in the 1920s
- Aleister Crowley, occultist, poet and mountaineer was born in Leamington in 1875.[18]
- Charles Dickens set a scene in his novel Dombey and Son, and gave readings from his work there in 1855 and 1862.[4]
- Sir Terry Frost R.A. was born in the town in 1915.
- Nathaniel Hawthorne lived in the town, in Lansdowne Circus.[4]
- Leonard Hodgson, theologian, lived in Leamington.
- Christian Horner, team principal of Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team and former driver in F3000, born in Royal Leamington Spa.
- Antonin Petrak MBE, a Czechoslovakian who served in the SOE on the plot to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich, lived in Leamington Spa after he escaped Nazi occupied Europe in 1940-41.[19]
- Howard Skempton, minimalist composer lives in Leamington.[20]
- Lytton Strachey, biographer, attended Leamington College for Boys in Binswood Avenue[4]
- Randolph Turpin, boxer, was born in Leamington. He defeated Sugar Ray Robinson to become world middleweight champion in 1951.[4]
- Frank Whittle, inventor of the jet engine, attended Leamington College for Boys in Binswood Avenue[4]
- Erwin Schrödinger's maternal family was from Leamington Spa; the physicist visited the family there
- Sir Arthur Young, police chief and police reformer, was Chief Constable of Leamington Spa from 1938 to 1941.
- Russell Howard, comedian and performer lives in town
- Association football managers Chris Coleman and Roberto Di Matteo live in the town.
- Ben Foster, Birmingham City F.C. Goalkeeper
- Annie Butler, supercentenarian, who was Britain's second oldest person when she died in 2009 at the age of 112. [2]
Television
Leamington has been featured in a number of television series, including the 1990s BBC situation comedy Keeping Up Appearances – filmed in and around the area. Notable episodes included one with Walton Hall which had footage of the actual town in them, including the River Leam being featured as a fishing and boating spot. Other series include the drama Dangerfield, BBC's comedy children's show on CBBC ChuckleVision, Broke starring Timothy Spall, and comedy detective series Mayo.
Culture
A Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum, maintained by the Warwick District Council, and with free admission, is located in the Royal Pump Rooms, in The Parade.[21]
Peace Festival
Leamington has held an annual Peace Festival since 1978, a celebration of alternative culture, at the Pump Room Gardens.[22][citation needed]
The performers at the festival in 2009 included 3 Daft Monkeys, Attila the Stockbroker, the Swanvesta Social Club, and Rory McLeod.[22]
Music
Bars in the town offer music programmes with live performing local bands.
War Festival, an experimental music event, is held annually at the Robbin's Well bar and was established in 2008.[23]
In December 2005 the band Nizlopi from Leamington, reached Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart with The JCB Song.[24]
The Woodbine Street Recording Studios has been used by several well-known music acts such as Paul Weller, Ocean Colour Scene and The Specials.[25]
Leamington Music organises 35 to 40 classical music concerts a year in the Leamington and Warwick area, including the International String Quartet series at the Royal Pump Rooms.
The Assembly, a 1,000 capacity music venue attracting national and international artists opened in August 2008[26] and was awarded 'Live Music Venue of the Year' at the 2010 Music Week Awards.[27]
The Leamington Spa Competitive Festival for Music Dance and Drama,has been staged annually since 1910.[citation needed]
Theatre & Cinema
Two theatres are located in Leamington: the Spa Centre and The Loft, with outdoor productions throughout the summer in the Jephson Gardens. Leamington also has two cinemas: the Spa Centre cinema and the multiplex Apollo Cinema.
Nightlife
As well as being one of the largest towns in the county, Leamington Spa is home to a large number of students due to its close proximity to Warwick University. Therefore a variety of pubs and bars can be found in the town centre.
Sport and leisure
There are a number of sports clubs and leisure facilities in Leamington Spa, including 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 and Hockey Club, municipal tennis courts, and an Ultimate Frisbee Team the Leamington Lemmings.[citation needed]
Twin towns
Leamington is twinned with:[citation needed]
Leamington has friendship agreements with:
- Leamington, Ontario, Canada
- Bo, Sierra Leone, through One World Link (OWL)
References
- ^ a b "2001 Census: Key Statistics: Parish Headcounts: Area: Royal Leamington Spa CP (Parish)". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
- ^ "The Penny Magazine 1833–1848". Extracted and digitized by The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
- ^ a b c "Leamington Spa Courier". The Courier. Johnston Press Digital Publishing. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Allen, Geoff (2000). Warwickshire Towns & Villages. ISBN 1-85058-642-X.
- ^ Shuckburgh, Sarah (15 March 2004). "Leamington Spa: Weekend to remember". Telegraph.co.uk. London: Telegraph Media Group Limited. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Cave, Lyndon Fraser (1988). Royal Leamington Spa: Its History and Development. Phillimore & Co Ltd. p. 44. ISBN 0850335205.
- ^ a b Slater, Terry (1981) A History of Warwickshire, ISBN 0-85033-416-0
- ^ Tennis Club history Retrieved 9 August 2009
- ^ Leamington Town Council
- ^ Vision of Britain, citing: Young's, Local Administrative Units: Northern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1991), p. 751 Retrieved 8 August 2009
- ^ "Judgement day as Leamington goes for gold again - Leamington Spa Today - Back to Home Page". Leamingtoncourier.co.uk. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
- ^ Warwick District Council website (PDF) Retrieved 8 August 2009
- ^ a b A-Z Street Atlas, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick & Royal Leamington Spa (Map) ((2000). First edition ed.). Geographers' A-Z Map Company Limited, Kent, England. pp. 22–23. ISBN 1843480883.
{{cite map}}:|edition=has extra text (help) - ^ "Campion School and Community College: Contact details". Official website.[dead link]
- ^ "Leamington Spa historic weather averages in the United Kingdom". Intellicast. Retrieved 28 March 2009.
- ^ a b c d Trinder, Barry, (2003) The Godfrey Edition Old Ordnance Survey Maps: Leamington Spa (South) 1923, ISBN 9 781841 515175
- ^ [1] "Computer Games Still Booming", The Birmingham Post, 22 March 2007.
- ^ The Magical Diaries of Aleister Crowley (Tunisia 1923) : Edited by Stephen Skinner; p. 10
- ^ The Telegraph Retrieved 8 August 2009
- ^ http://www.musicnow.co.uk/composers/skempton.html
- ^ Warwick District Council press release Retrieved 8 August 2009
- ^ a b http://www.peacefestival.org.uk/
- ^ http://drownedinsound.com/community/boards/20/3423115
- ^ "Nizlopi's 'JCB Song' Goes Straight In At Number 1 - Music News, Photos, Gig Tickets, Videos, Forum, Reviews, Features, Festivals". Gigwise. 18 December 2005. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
- ^ "Woodbine Street Recording Studio - Home". Woodbinestreet.com. 20 February 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
- ^ "The Assembly "about venue" page". leamingtonassembly.com. Retrieved 27 September 2009.
- ^ "Music Week Awards winners 2010 page".
Further reading
Storrie, Janet (1990) Elephants in Royal Leamington Spa Weir Books ISBN 0-9514433-1-3, ISBN 978-0-9514433-1-6
External links
- Leamington Spa Town Council
- Bath Place Community Venture
- Sydni Community Centre
- Brunswick Healthy Living Centre
- Lillington Community & Children's Centre
- The Courier A local newspaper
- Leamington Observer A local newspaper
- The Leamington Times A local newspaper
- History of Leamington
- Royal Pump Rooms
