What to See in Leamington Spa - Top Sights and Attractions

Tourist attraction in Leamington Spa, England. Foundry Wood is a small triangular woodland located in Leamington Spa, England. Proposals to turn the wild woodland area to a usable public space began in 2011 as part of a larger scheme to re-develop the surrounding area, following the demolition of the nearby Ford Motor Company foundry. Work began in March 2012, spearheaded by a community interest company named ARC and the woodland opened to the public in summer 2013. As well as wheelchair accessible paths being laid out there is a compost toilet, a newly created wildlife pond and an outdoor classroom for education and conservation purposes on the site. There are regular events held at the woods including art and craft sessions, nature talks, music gigs and environmental themed films.

The 2-acre (0.81 ha) wood is between two railway lines (the Chiltern Main Line and the Manchester to Bournemouth line) and is now maintained by ARC and a voluntary organisation Friends of Foundry Wood. At present there are no set opening times for the woods as the one exit and entrance is opened by volunteers, although it is open most days and times can be found on the website. In 2017 the wood was given a Green Flag Community Award which it has been awarded each year since.^[4]

The Royal Pump Rooms is a cultural centre on the Parade in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England. It was the most famous of several spa baths opened in Leamington between the late-18th and mid-19th centuries. People would travel from throughout the country, and indeed Europe, to benefit from treatments using the town's healing waters. When 'taking the waters' became less fashionable after the mid-19th century the Pump Rooms became Leamington's only surviving spa facility, later also being extended to include the town's public swimming pool. After a major redevelopment in 1997-99 the building now houses Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum, a public library, a Tourist Information Centre, cafe and assembly rooms. It is a Grade II listed building.^[6]

Garden in Leamington Spa, England. The Royal Pump Room Gardens is a popular open space found in the centre of Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England, next to the Royal Pump Rooms and just north of the River Leam. Despite being named "gardens" there is only one 5.4-acre area divided by footpaths with an ironwork bandstand in the centre.

Opened in 1814 with the Pump Rooms themselves, to begin with the gardens were only for the use of patrons of the Pump Rooms "to afford them pleasant promenades." The original bandstand was later erected and bands played in the afternoon and evening during the summer (and other public holidays) for those paying to use the baths. During these early days the famed tightrope walker Charles Blondin crossed the area in July 1851. However in 1875 the gardens were opened to the public. In 1881 plans were made to build the town hall on the gardens but at the last minute a change of site was agreed and it was built further north near The Regent Hotel. In 1893 a pedestrian bridge called York Bridge was built over the river. The second bandstand was designed by Walter MacFarlane & Co and founded in Glasgow. It was installed in 1896. Also the only remaining examples of the original Leamington cast iron gas lamps can be found alongside the south side of the gardens.

The gardens originally contained decorative flower beds but with the decline in fortunes of the Pump Rooms themselves these have been grassed over. Bands still play in the bandstand, although very infrequently but the gardens host the annual Leamington Peace Festival, a fun fair once a year and farmers markets once a month. It is also a popular place for young people, especially those from the nearby Warwick University to sunbathe and play football. As it lies so close to the river it is part of the town that is most frequently flooded. The last two times such floods occurred were at Easter 1998 and in the summer of 2007.

In March 2012 new lights in iron arches (commonly known as the Linden Arches) were erected along the pathway furthest from the river. They were officially unveiled by Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester. This is the first major alteration to the park's superficial appearance since 1896. This was followed later in the decade when the bandstand was removed in autumn 2018 and returned re-furbished and painted different colours in spring 2019. The paths were slightly re-routed and totally re-paved and a new seating area with rock features and a small pond was constructed at the western end of the gardens. The £1.4 million project also included new railings and new trees being planted.^[8]