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2 Leamington today 3 Nearby places 4 External links |
Until the beginning of the nineteenth century, the town was actually little more than a village and went by the name of Leamington Priors. At the turn of that century the healing properties of a spa waters were re-discovered (they had been known about since Roman times) and Leamington boasted such a spring. In 1814 the Royal Pump Rooms and Baths were opened close to the River Leam running through centre of the town. This grand structure attracted many visitors to the town hoping to soothe various aches,pains and ailments by bathing in pools filled with the salty spa water. The town gained the "Royal" prefix to it's name in 1838, following a visit by Queen Victoria (of whom there is still a statue in the town). It now consists of the subsumed areas of the villages Lillington and New Milverton (though the village of Old Milverton still exists just outside of the town) to the North, and the area of modern and somewhat more run-down housing, Sydenham to the South.
The function of the Pump Rooms metamorphisised several times over the following years. From about the end of the Second World War until 1996 it served as a medical centre. In 1996 the local district council finally closed the facility and re-opened the building as a culture and heritage centre. It features the Leamington Art Gallery, a museum and library as well as a Tourist Information Centre and café. Spa water can still be sampled at the museum.
Today Leamington is the most populous town in the southern half of Warwickshire (Warwickshire is almost split in two by virtue of the fact that Coventry is in the West Midlands, and so this fact is more significant that it might first appear) and as such has a more extensive set of shopping facilities and amentities than other towns of the same population. The town is being extended rapidly, particularly to the south. Industry in the town is light to medium and is located along the route to the M40 to the south of the town. Commuters from Leamington typically work in Coventry, 10 miles north and Birmingham, 25 miles northwest.
The University of Warwick is situated nearby (20-40 minutes by bus, or 15 minutes by car), and a large number of it's students and staff reside in Leamington; there is a vibrant nightlife. Leamington has a wide range of restaurants and bars, ranging from student cheap to professorial extravagance.
Leamington is a prosperous town, although there is a slight feeling of faded glory to the place. There is much Georgian and early Victorian architecture, including numerous Georgian townhouses. This gives Leamington a somewhat grand appearance.
The town is colloquially referred to as Leam by some locals.
History
Leamington today
Nearby places
External links