I remember as child travelling from Banbury to Jephson Gardens in about 1950 to see the famous illuminations. Each year’s illumination had a different theme, the theme for my visit ...
Products of the Jewel Factory
Although gone, “The Jewel Factory” is certainly not forgotten. Its memory lives on not only through the happy memories of us ex-employees, but also through the ...
The Jewel Factory was based on Tachbrook Road, Royal Leamington Spa, where all kinds of jewellery and other items made of precious metal were manufactured.
Moving to Leamington
The firm was established ...
Elephant Wash
The wonderful picture of elephants outside Woolworths in Nuneaton (on the home page of ‘Our Warwickshire’) reminds me of the connection between Leamington and elephants. Did you know that ...
The Regent Hotel was officially opened on 19th August 1819. Proving itself to be a popular place for visitors taking the Spa waters, the Regent saw a number of celebrities ...
All over the county there are many beautiful gardens and parks. For example, you may know of the famous Jephson Gardens in Leamington Spa, and the charming grounds at Charlecote ...
This modest building was erected in 1819 by James Bisset to display his museum of curiosities (moved with him from his former museum in Birmingham).
Death
Bisset died in 1832 and the ...
As part of a volunteer research project for Warwickshire County Record Office, I’ve been looking through back copies of the Rugby Advertiser to look for items, 100 years since women achieved the ...
(Continued from part one)
Prison life
On the night of Tuesday 1st July, Agnes Lake was re-arrested and was once again taken to Warwick Prison. She was forbidden to write to her ...
The Regent Mews were originally built as stabling for the guests of John William’s Bedford Hotel – purposefully built opposite, rather than next to, the hotel. The mews provided stabling ...
The 1950s brought about some changes for the burgeoning Regent Garage business in Leamington. More space was needed to accommodate both cars for sale and for repair and maintenance. The ...
In October 1965, the garage opened a showroom on the Parade, the first model on show being the newly launched Wolseley 1100. The showroom had space for six to eight ...
Elsie Jakeman was born in Lower Cape, Warwick and cleaned at many places during her life including the Pump Rooms where, with her mother, had to scrub the mosaic tiles ...
During the war the pupils had to go over the Ladder Bridge to Shrubland Street for cookery and woodwork.
All railings were removed to be melted down for ammunitions. Some householders ...
My father loved to round off Assembly with a song or two, such as Strawberry Fair or Shenandoah, in which everyone joined. But he had to give up Strawberry Fair ...
As far as I can recall, I was never met from school. I found my own way home at lunchtime and after school in the afternoon, a distance of about ...
When I was in Class 2 we were based in St Mary’s schoolroom in New Street, and our teacher was Mr Binks. This was great for me as our back ...
Does anyone else remember looking over the Mill Suspension Bridge at all the money that had been thrown on to the steps of the weir below?
A pre-decimal practice
This was in ...
This document records the visit of Charles Dickens to the Regent Hotel in 1858, as part of a reading tour. There is nothing particularly significant about the entry, Dickens sits ...
So it’s Christmas time, the shops are busy, it’s all about buying stuff, right? What’s happened to the true meaning of Christmas, I hear you cry!
Well, the December 27th edition ...
I am lucky enough to live near Victoria Park, and also as a child my Nan lived in the house I now own, so I have visited the park nearly ...
When Leamington Spa Town Hall is mentioned, most of us probably think about the current premises on the Parade. However from 1854 until its demolition and replacement there was a ...
I was born and brought up in Clapham Square, one of ten children. Sadly, one of my brothers George was drowned in the canal with a friend when he was ...