Putting the ‘Spa’ in Leamington: A Brief Town History

Beloved by many Warwick students, Royal Leamington Spa is a beautiful town in Warwickshire, characterised by grandiose Regency buildings, particularly those on the half-mile-long Parade, as well as the Royal Pump Rooms. Yet, until the 19th century, ‘Leamington Priors’ was little more than a small village south of the River Leam. This article traces the story of how this changed, and how the ‘Spa’ in Leamington Spa came to be.

Leamington’s mineral springs had been known since the Middle Ages. The first recording of these was in 1480, and a century later in 1586, Robert Camden identified the water of one of these springs to be beneficial to health. However, the springs remained largely local knowledge until 1784, when one was rediscovered on Bath Lane (now Bath Street).

The land belonged to William Abbotts, who, along with his friend Benjamin Satchwell, saw an opportunity to exploit the healing properties of the spring. Together, they opened the first commercial baths in the town’s history, Abbotts’ Baths, in 1786. While the first public bath house had opened in 1803, known as Aylesford’s Well, the owner had refused to sell the water. However, after the opening of Abbotts’ Baths, a series of commercial bath houses were opened, turning Leamington from a small village into a fashionable spa resort.

As a result of the success of these establishments, planning began for expansion of the town north of the river, which was to become the place to be. At the centre of this ‘new’ Leamington was the Pump Rooms and Assembly Rooms, which opened in 1814. Houses followed, and the town’s population tripled between 1828 and 1851, reaching 15,724. It was around this time that Leamington Priors began to be known as Leamington Spa, and the town was driven by its now renowned mineral springs, with tourists coming from all over the UK, and even from Europe. 

The Royal Pump Room and Baths, as it was known upon its opening, was something which had never been attempted before, and was truly ambitious in its nature. The cost to design and open this new establishment was around £30,000, which would be in excess of £2 million today. It was believed to cure or relieve a range of disorders, from stiffness and rigidity in the joints and tendons, to the effects of gout and paralytic conditions. It became a destination for the affluent classes, and offered a sense of luxury, with gardens for pleasant promenades after treatment, and even a bandstand, where military bands would perform in the summer months. Yet, it was not until 1875 that the gardens would be available for the public to enjoy.

However, by 1848, the fashion of attending such spas began to decrease, and the Pump Rooms suffered losses. They were sold to a local businessman, who eventually in 1860 announced his intention to close the Rooms and put them up for sale. Fortunately, the new owner decided to refurbish the Rooms and keep their important historical legacy alive. 

And so, as a spa town, Leamington had a rather short lived, albeit very successful run, and the legacy of this success is still to be seen in the modern town. The Regency architecture of the ‘new’ town north of the river has been maintained and remains uniform. Benjamin Satchwell and William Abbotts are both commemorated with various street names around the town, with Satchwell’s name notably adorning the local Wetherspoon’s. The town continues to be known as Leamington Spa, and the Pump Rooms today stand as a museum and public space, open to all. In fact, you can even sample the saline water from a drinking fountain outside them.

Bibliography

Cullen, Mick, ‘Leamington’s Lost Towers’, Leamington History, 2011 <https://leamingtonhistory.co.uk/leamingtons-lost-towers/>

Jeffs, Michael, ‘Abbotts’ Baths’, Leamington History, 2025 <https://leamingtonhistory.co.uk/abbotts-baths/>

Leamington History Group, ‘A Brief History of Leamington Spa’, Leamington History <https://leamingtonhistory.co.uk/leamington-history/>

‘The Town’s History’, The Leamington Society <https://leamingtonsociety.org/leamington-today/the-towns-history/>

‘Visiting: A Brief History’, Royal Leamington Spa <https://royal-leamington-spa.co.uk/visit/a-brief-history-of-royal-leamington-spa/>