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 | Towns of Warwickshire - Leamington Spa |
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Royal Leamington Spa is a fashionable and elegant regency town in the heart of Warwickshire. With Georgian and Victorian architecture, tree-lined avenues and squares, stunning parks and gardens, it offers a unique shopping, dining and cultural experience, making this a very popular place to live.
Leamington Spa is a fairly modern town, which before the 19th century was only a small village going by the name of Leamington Priors. It would have remained as a small village had it not been for the re-discovery of the healing properties of spa waters which had first been known during Roman times. The first spring was discovered in Leamington in 1784, and the town quickly developed afterwards, even earning a 'Royal' prefix (charter) due to the spa waters of which Queen Victoria was fond.
The town has a busy centre and is renowned for it's good night-life. There are cinemas and arts venues as well as a variety of good restaurants, lively pubs, bars and nightclubs in which to enjoy the evening and night time.
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Places of interest
In 1814 the Royal Pump Rooms and Baths were opened close to the River Leam, which runs through the centre of the town. This grand structure attracted many visitors, hoping to soothe various aches, pains and ailments by bathing in pools filled with the salty spa water. Leamington soon became a popular spa resort which attracted the wealthy and famous, and construction began of numerous Georgian townhouses to accommodate visitors.
Leamington's reputation spread and the town gained its "Royal" prefix in 1838, following a visit by Queen Victoria to the Spa. Queen Victoria's statue still stands in the town and was almost destroyed by a German bomb during World War II. It was actaully moved by two inches on its plinth in the blast and has yet to be returned to it's original position.
Today the pump rooms act as a culture and heritage centre, featuring the Leamington Art Gallery, a museum and library as well as a Tourist Information Centre and café. Spa water can still be sampled at the museum.
The town is noted for its parks and gardens, particularly the award winning Jephson Gardens, close to the Royal Pump Rooms alongside the River Leam. Go here for a quiet stroll or even to hire a boat from The Leam Boat Centre and have some fun!
The central part of the town is the Parade, a street which hosts Royal Priors shopping centre and a wide range of high street chains. This is the hub of the town and is always a lively street.
Leamington's main architectural characteristic is it's wide main streets, with elegant Georgian, Regency and Victorian townhouses, many lined with trees. Much of this architecture remains, giving Leamington a grand appearance.
The Royal Spa Centre is a lively entertainments venue right in the centre of town, that offers the best live performances from both comedians such as Jimmy Carr and musicians such as Van Morrison.
Just out of the town centre the Quarry Park Frisbee Disc Golf course offers an interesting and different sport to try and is well worth a visit.
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Shopping
Leamington’s range of bars and restaurants is always expanding but it is the shopping which really stands out, featuring both large department stores and many independent shops and boutiques.
For an up to date list of shops in Leamington Spa town centre see www.royal-leamington-spa.co.uk.
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Events
Annual events within the town include the popular Peace Festival, Food Festival, and Christmas Markets.
See the www.royal-leamington-spa.co.uk for further details on events in Leamington Spa.
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Tourist Information
Local tourist information tourist information within Leamington Spa is based at:
Leamington Visitor Information Centre
The Royal Pump Rooms
The Parade
Leamington Spa
CV32 4AA
Tel: 01926 742762
Email: vic@warwickdc.gov.uk
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For further information on Royal Leamington Spa see:
www.leamington-spa.co.uk
www.royal-leamington-spa.co.uk
www.leamington-guide.com
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