When researching the Jensen brothers, I discovered that their second design, after the one based on the Austin Seven, used a Standard 9 chassis and running gear. This was later ...
Grays Garage was formed in 1948 by Ken and Dorothy Gray. Ken had just left the Army where he served as a Sergeant Vehicle Technician. The foundation of Grays Garage ...
Like many other counties during World War Two, Warwickshire rallied around its wounded soldiers, holding large parties and shows in an effort to keep their spirits up.1 Entertainment at these events could ...
When you hear someone mention ‘The Warwick Pageant’, you might assume that they were referring to the pageant of 1906. However, while this was the first such event, it was ...
Today we may be more familiar with the concept of a drag queen, but drag kings (or ‘male impersonators’) have a history dating back over the centuries. Performers such as ...
Pub signs are well-known and well documented; pub murals may have been painted by the same sort of artist but are often less well-known, and sadly more ephemeral. Here are ...
In the early 1980s I was working in Royal Leamington Spa. My work brought me into contact with many people who had diverse professions and around that time, I was ...
Since finding out about the local connection of my wireless I started to research the Eagle Engineering Company Ltd, the wireless sets they made, and the people involved.
Here is a ...
These keys were “rescued” by my father when the Workhouse, by this time renamed Lakin House, was demolished in September 1974. Although I have no recollection of the workhouse its ...
The early museum
A museum has existed at Market Hall since 1836, when the Warwickshire Natural History and Archaeological Society hired some rooms in the centre of Warwick. Expanding rapidly, by ...
This famous Hospital was founded by Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, a favourite of Queen Elizabeth the First (who gave him Kenilworth Castle). The magnificent buildings were in fact not ...
One of our contributors, Christine Hodgetts, was moved to write this interesting article about the Autumn Crocus, in response to Mark Smith’s original article, A Splash of Autumn Colour.
The autumn ...
Charlie wrote many letters home to his family. In this letter he talks wistfully of coming home. He died in action in November 1917.
The letter is performed by Kieron Attwood, ...
When I am not working at Warwickshire County Record Office I have to admit to an obsession about chairs!
When did my obsession start?
This started about eight years ago, when I ...
Opening
Come the mid 19th century there were repeated complaints by visiting justices, who remarked that the Warwick gaol on Barrack Street, and the Bridewell were unfit for purpose, suffering from ...
I was still at school in Warwick when World War 2 was declared. At first it didn’t make much difference, except having to carry our gas-masks and putting the black-out ...
The founder
Nicholas Eyffler was a glass maker from Germany who worked at Charlecote and Kenilworth Castle. Warwickshire County Record Office has a fine collection of documents about him; including his ...
The almshouses were founded in the 1570s by Thomas Oken, who has been called ‘Warwick’s most famous son’. He was a silk merchant – a self-made man without children who ...
The fight for votes for women involved militants who were prepared to break the law – often called ‘suffragettes’ – in contrast to the law-abiding suffragists. Most suffragettes belonged to ...
The war went rolling on and by the start of 1944, things were getting tight. I never remember being hungry, but I certainly remembered being cold. My grandmother used to ...
My wartime memories start rather in Coventry round about 1939, when I would have been five years old. We got bombed out of Coventry after the 14th November Coventry blitz and ...
I eventually left the King’s High School Kindergarten and landed up in the Prep department at Warwick School, but after a while I had to leave for being disruptive and ...
On the evening of January 3rd 1916, a curious accident happened at the Castle Arms pub in Warwick. As happened on any night, Nora Phipps was serving behind the bar ...