Eighty years ago, a German bomb moved Queen Victoria off her plinth outside Royal Leamington Spa’s impressive town hall by an inch. She was shifted but she didn’t fall. The year 2020 will go down in history as a year when COVID19 caused a shift in society on all levels. Whilst we continue to fight the war against this deadly virus, and life is not quite as it was, the social and economic health of this Warwickshire spa town is strong. And yes, it may take a while for this community to adjust to this shift but, like its prominent statue, it will recover from the shock.
Like many towns, the election of Royal Leamington Spa’s mayor had to take place virtually. There were no formal celebrations, no social gatherings and no key festivals or events to open. But as lockdown lifted, I had the privilege of meeting with Leamington’s new mayor Susan Rasmussen face to face – well at a safe distance. For more than two hours she kindly took me on a tour of her town so I could meet some of the independent businesses and find out how they were doing.
Needing a change from Stroud, my husband and four of our daughters decided to join me so, before I met Susan, I took them to Jephson Gardens. This is a beautiful formal Victorian park full of colourful flowerbeds and interesting sculptures named after Dr Henry Jephson, a famous doctor who promoted the town as a spa. As we walked past a number of elephant sculptures, I told them all about England’s first elephant trainer, Sam Lockhart, born to a circus family in Leamington in 1850. He brought three elephants back from Ceylon, taught them tricks and bathed them in the River Leam near the main Post Office. His elephant wash can still be seen.
Denne historien er fra September 2020-utgaven av Cotswold Life.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra September 2020-utgaven av Cotswold Life.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Gloucestershire After The War
Discovering the county’s Arts and Crafts memorials of the First World War
THE WILD SIDE OF Moreton-in-Marsh
The days are getting shorter but there’s plenty of reasons to be cheerful, says Sue Bradley, who discovers how a Cotswolds town is becoming more wildlife-friendly and pots up some bulbs for an insect-friendly spring display
Mr Ashbee would approve
In the true spirit of the Arts & Crafts Movement, creativity has kept the Chipping Campden community ticking over during lockdown
The Cotswolds at war
These might be peaceful hills and vales, but our contribution to the war effort was considerable
Trust in good, local food
‘I’ve been following The Country Food Trust’s activities with admiration since it was founded’
Why Cath is an open book
Cath Kidston has opened up almost every nook and cranny of her Cotswold idyll in a new book, A Place Called Home. Katie Jarvis spoke to Cath ahead of her appearance at this year’s Stroud Book Festival STROUD BOOK FESTIVAL – THIS YEAR FREE AND ONLINE: NOVEMBER 4-8
From the Cotswolds to the world
Most people know that the Cotswolds have featured in a fair few Hollywood movies and TV series.
The Wild Hunt
In search of the legendary King Herla in the Malvern Hills
Fighting spirit amid the flowers
Tracy Spiers visits Warwick, a beautiful town that is open for business and ready to welcome visitors
Final journey
Cheltenham author and volunteer on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR), Nicolas Wheatley, recounts the fascinating story of funeral trains