Warwickshire News Mine

Warwickshire Library and Information Service will be hosting the book launch and author talk at 5.30pm on Wednesday 15 July. Tickets cost £4.00 each and are available from Leamington Spa Library, Royal Pump Rooms, The Parade, Telephone 01926 742721.

‘Royal Leamington Spa: A History’ follows the story of the spa town over two centuries, and considers how it survived all the difficulties that beset it. Leamington Spa retains many of its original qualities, including major buildings such as the Royal Pump Rooms and open spaces such as the famous Jephson Gardens. Lyndon Cave’s beautifully illustrated account pays tribute to the men and women who created the town and then ensured its safe passage down to the present.

Lesley Kirkwood, Senior Local Studies Librarian for Warwickshire County Council, said: “We are delighted to be able to host the talk and launch of this exceptional book at the site of the Royal Pump Rooms. Mr Cave is a highly respected author and historian and I am sure that everyone attending will enjoy this insight into our beautiful Warwickshire town. The Library service is committed to supporting the study of local history and we are pleased to provide information on our web pages http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/localstudies.”
The new town of Leamington Spa was established in 1808 but the village of Leamington Priors has existed since medieval times. Both communities took their names from the Leam, the river upon whose banks they grew up. This first full-length history of the town since 1903 traces the evolution of the village, through the spa resort which earned the right to use the prefix ‘Royal’ after the rare distinction was conferred by Queen Victoria in July 1838, to the thriving modern town of today.

The story of the development of the Spa is a fascinating one and it comprises the centrepiece of this new study. The book examines precisely how the fabric of the town was created and gives due consideration to the major buildings. The people responsible for the transformation of this corner of Warwickshire are introduced to us and the extent of their achievement acknowledged. It was certainly noted at the time by individual residents and visitors such as Charles Dickens, John Ruskin and Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Author Lyndon Cave is now retired but worked as an architect. His family first came to live in Royal Leamington Spa when his grandmother settled here in 1918 and he himself moved to Leamington over fifty years ago. His special interest is the conservation of historic buildings, particularly those of the Regency and Victorian periods. He is well known as a local historian and during his long connection with the Leamington Society has been chairman and secretary. He helped to form the Warwickshire Branch of the Council for the Protection of Rural England. He served on the national executive committee of the Ancient Monuments Society, and is now one of their Vice Presidents. He has also been elected an FSA (Fellow of the Society of Arts).

Link to WCC