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Leamington History Group
We are dedicated to collecting and preserving the history of Leamington Spa (Warwickshire, England) and neighbouring districts. Membership of the group costs £15 per year and is open to everyone interested in the history of the town.
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Leamington at War
What was life like in Leamington Spa during World War 2 and how did the people of the town contribute to the war effort? These are the questions explored in Leamington at War, a new documentary created by Leamington History Group and local film maker Mark Ellis. With a mix of archive images, expert interviews, animation, and reconstructions of wartime life, specially shot at the Loft Theatre, Leamington at War will transport you back to this dramatic and poignant period of the town’s history.
Leamington Spa: University Town
Warwick University is located on the outskirts of Coventry. Yet over 5,000 students and around 500 staff choose to live in Leamington Spa, nearly ten miles away. How did Leamington become a ‘university town’, and what impact has this had on Leamington over the past 60 years? We explore these questions in this, the fifth in a series of videos created by Leamington History Group and local filmmaker Mark Ellis chronicling the history of the town.
Many Cultures, One Town
This is the fourth in a series of videos created by Leamington History Group and local filmmaker Mark Ellis chronicling the history of the town. It shows how Leamington recovered after 1945 to become a thriving industrial and tourist town. We also hear the stories of people who came from Poland, Ireland, India, Pakistan, Africa and the Caribbean to make Leamington their home – why they came and the challenges they sometimes faced building a new life here.
It’s a celebration, not only of Leamington’s diversity, but also of the contribution of these communities to the political, economic and cultural life of the town as a whole.
Life After Victoria
We’re happy to present our new film about the history of Leamington. Life After Victoria tells the story of the town in the early 20th century – its contribution to the First World War and the Votes for Women movement, the transformation in living conditions and workers’ rights, and the birth of some of Leamington’s most treasured cultural institutions. We also bring the long-lost Leamington and Warwick Tramway back to life!
Leamington’s Victorian Legacy
Our new short film about Leamington’s development during the Victorian Age, revealing how many of Leamington’s most famous landmarks – including Jephson Gardens, the Town Hall, the Mill Bridge and Victoria Park – came into being. It also explains the town’s connections to the history of lawn tennis, and why elephants are such a prominent symbol around the town.
Birth of a Spa Town
A short film about Leamington’s transformation from a small village to a thriving spa town in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the origins of Leamington’s spa industry, the creation of the Pump Rooms and the demise of the original baths in Old Town.
Join Leamington History Group Facebook Page
We share archive images, historical discussion and our latest events.
Now on Twitter too!
You can also follow Leamington History Group on Twitter for updates and discussion about the history of the Town. As ever, no political discussions allowed as we maintain a non-political stance.