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Whilst not a very old Town, Royal Leamington Spa has many connections with nobility, the famous and infamous, the talented and the courageous.
A group of voluntary and statutory bodies have come together to promote and fund the erection of "blue" plaques in the Town. To be considered for a plaque the person to be commemorated must have been deceased for a minimum of twenty years and must satisfy one or more of the following:-
- be seen as eminent by Members of their own profession or calling
- have made an important contribution to human welfare or happiness
- have made a significant contribution to, or impact on, the life or development of Royal Leamington Spa, or their activities must have been of national significance
- be recognisable to the well informed passer by, or deserve national recognition
- have distinguished themselves by significant public service, or an act of bravery, or committed a notorious act.
There are occasions where it may be more appropriate to commemorate an event rather than a single person - for example Leamington Spa has the distinction of being associated with the birth of Lawn Tennis. In such instances an Historic Interest Plaque will be considered.
Plaques have been erected to the following persons:-
| Name |
Occupation |
Address |
| William Denis Browne |
Organist, Composer & Writer |
23 Lillington Road (Lynwood House( |
| Rosa Harriet Newmarch |
Artist, musician, linguist, poet, author, music historian, critic, composer, housewife, mother |
52 Clarendon Avenue |
| Nathaniel Hawthorne |
Novelist |
10 Lansdowne Circus |
| William De Normanville |
Engineer |
6 Clarendon Crescent |
| Samuel Wackrill |
First Mayor of Leamington Spa |
28 Portland Street |
| Malcolm Sayer |
Designer of "E" Type Jaguar |
26 Portland Place West |
| Elizabeth and Frederick Whitehead |
Artists |
5 Willes Road |
| Randolph Turpin |
Boxer |
6 Willes Road |
| Sir Terry Frost |
Artist |
Stamford Gardens (Rugby Road) |
| Napoleon III |
Emperor of France |
6 Clarendon Square |
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Dr Henry Jephson
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Doctor/Philanthropist |
118 Parade |
| William and James Renshaw |
Tennis Players |
60 Holly Walk |
| John Ruskin |
Writer/Artist/Social Revolutionary/Conservationist |
8 Russell Terrace |
| Robert Simpson |
Composer and Writer |
Rosefield Street |
| Herbert Cox |
Watercolourist |
7 Manor Road, Lillington |
| Sidney Flavel |
Iron Founder and Businessman |
24 Newbold Terrace |
| Norman Painting |
Radio Personality, writer and Countryman |
28 Grove Street |
| Henry Tandey |
Holder of Victoria Cross and most decorated Private of World War 1 |
Angel Hotel, Kenilworth Street |
| Mary Dormer Harris |
Historian |
16 Gaveston Road |
| Thomas Baker |
Artist |
13 Church Street |
| Dr John Hitchman |
Doctor and Benefactor |
Boots, Warwick Street |
| Sir Frank Whittle |
Jet Engine Designer |
9 Victoria Street |
| John Wisden |
Cricketer and Almanac Compiler |
The Cricketers, Archery Road** |
| Benjamin Satchwell |
Philanthropist and pioneer of Leamington as a fashionable Town |
Satchwell Granary, 2 New Street |
| Samuel Lockhart |
Elephant Trainer |
1 Warwick New Road |
| William Amey |
Holder of the Victoria Cross |
13 Willes Road |
| Henry Peach Robinson |
Pioneer Photographer |
60-64 Parade |
| Bernard Spilsbury |
Groundbreaking Pathologist |
35 Bath Street |
| Frances Ridley Havergal |
Hymn Writer |
43 Binswood Avenue |
| John Cundall |
Architect |
37 Warwick Street |
| Henry Eric Maudslay |
Dambuster Pilot |
1 Vicarage Road, Lillington |
| William Gascoyne |
Stonemason, Builder and Politician |
12 Willes Road |
| Juan Bautista Augurio Perera |
Pioneer of Lawn Tennis |
33 Avenue Road |
| Major Thomas Henry Gem |
Pioneer of Lawn Tennis |
Bericote House 8 Hamilton Terrace |
| Eddie Hapgood |
England Football Captain |
44 Heath Terrace |
| Woodbine St Recording Studio |
Studio where, amongst many other bands and recording artists, The Specials recorded "Ghost Town" in 1981. Special Interest Plaque. |
27 Woodbine Street |
| Eleanor Doorly |
Head of King's High School 1922 - 1944, winner of the Carnegie Medal for children's literature |
23 St Mary's Crescent |
| Margaret Maitland Fowler OBE |
Recipient of the OBE for services to The Red Cross and owner of The Blue Cafe |
The Parthenon, 56 Bath Street |
| William Heynes CBE |
Chief Designer and later Vice Chair of Jaguar Cars |
11 Percy Terrace |
** This plaque is a special interest plaque and reflects the fact that the Cricketers Arms is near the site of one of the earliest Cricket Pitches, at which Wisden and his great contemporary George Parr played. If you wish to nominate someone to be recognised with a plaque, contact the Democratic Support Officer on 01926 450906.
You can now take part in our walks - there are three routes to choose from; each one reflecting the diversity of some of the famous people connected with the Town.
These are detailed here in our revamped and reissued walks leaflet. They are available as hard copies from the Town Hall and from the Tourist Information Centre in the Pump Rooms. (Please note that this document is subject to copyright and permission to reproduce it other than for individual use, is required from the Town Council. The Leamington Blue Plaque Group and the Town Council is grateful for the assistance of Robin Taylor in its composition).
A biography of each person commemorated including the four Plaques erected in 2021/22 can be found here: Biographies
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