Royal Leamington Spa

This article is about Leamington, Warwickshire. There is also a Leamington, Ontario

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Royal Leamington Spa, commonly shortened to Leamington or even Leam, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom. In 2001 it had a population of 42,304.

Table of contents 1 History 2 Leamington today 3 Nearby places 4 External links

History

Until the beginning of the nineteenth century, the town was actually little more than a village and went by the name of Leamington Priors. At the turn of that century the healing properties of a spa waters[?] were re-discovered (they had been known about since Roman times) and Leamington boasted such a spring. In 1814 the Royal Pump Rooms and Baths were opened close to the River Leam[?] running through centre of the town. This grand structure attracted many visitors to the town hoping to soothe various aches,pains and ailments by bathing in pools filled with the salty spa water.

The function of the Pump Rooms metamorphisised several times over the following years. From about the end of the Second World War until 1996 it served as a medical centre. In 1996 the local district council finally closed the facility and re-opened the building as a culture and heritage centre. It features the Leamington Art Gallery, a museum and library as well as a Tourist Information Centre[?] and cafe. Spa water can still be sampled at the museum.

Leamington today

Today Leamington is the most populous town in the southern half of Warwickshire (Warwickshire is almost split in two by virtue of the fact that Coventry is in the West Midlands, and so this fact is more significant that it might first appear) and as such has a more extensive set of shopping facilities and amentities than other towns of the same population. The town is being extended rapidly, particularly to the south. Industry in the town is light to medium and is located along the route to the M40 to the south of the town. Commuters from Leamington typically work in Coventry, 10 miles north and Birmingham, 25 miles northwest.

Nearby places

• Warwick - 1 mile west (the two towns have merged into one another through growth)
• Stratford-upon-Avon - 10 miles southwest
• Kenilworth - 6 miles north.
• Rugby 15 Miles northeast.

External links

• Homepage for Royal Leamington Spa Chamber of Trade web portal (http://www.royal-leamington-spa.co.uk/htmlfiles/frame.htm)