BowBelle

By BowBelle

Who put the 'Royal' in Royal Leamington Spa?

Early trip to Leamington Spa this morning to buy a present for a friend's birthday. Drove through pouring rain first and then on in to bright sunshine.
The town used to be called 'Leamington Priors' but as the spa town grew in popularity it was given its 'Royal' prefix in 1838, by Queen Victoria. As a result it was renamed 'Royal Leamington Spa'. Victoria visited the town as a Princess in 1830 and as the Queen in 1858. This statue of her, which stands on The Parade, was almost destroyed by a German bomb during World War 2 and the force of the blast moved it an inch. The statue was never returned to its original position and the story is now told on a plaque on its plinth.

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