Essential Hotels > England > Warwickshire > Leamington Spa

This attractive town boasts a handsome mixture of smart shops and Regency buildings. The Parade is undoubtedly one of the finest streets in Warwickshire. At the start of the 19th century very few people knew of the existence of Leamington but by 1838 all this had changed. By this time the famous waters were cascading expensively over the many ‘patients’ and the increasingly fashionable spa was given the title ‘royal’ by permission of the new Queen, Victoria.

The town’s Pump Rooms were opened in 1814 by Henry Jephson, a local doctor who was largely responsible for promoting the spa's medicinal properties. Immediately opposite the spa itself are Jephson's Gardens containing a Corinthian temple which houses a statue of him. The town's supply of saline water is vast and a wide range of ‘cures’ are available even today. It is evident from the settlement’s name and its history that its life has largely revolved around the presence of the spa.

The Art Gallery and Museum in Avenue Road has a lovely collection of pottery, ceramics and glass as well as some excellent British and Dutch paintings from the 16th century to the present. Around the traditional town centre there are a number of shops of varying kinds, while there are also plenty of bars, restaurants, cafes to choose from too. Leamington is known for its vast number of pubs meanwhile.

Royal Leamington Spa, with its Georgian-style centre, is conveniently placed near to the M40 and is virtually adjacent to the historic county town of Warwick, while a little further away are Stratford-upon-Avon, Kenilworth and Coventry in this Warwickshire enclave. Leamington Spa, formerly known as Leamington Priory, takes its name from the River Leam which runs through the region. It is thought there are approximately 45,000 people living in this, Warwickshire’s third largest county town.

In years gone by there have been several television programmes filmed in and around the Leamington area. Keeping up Appearances, featuring the inimitable Hyacinth Bucket, is one such example, while Dangerfield and Chucklevision have also featured the town.