Celebrate 200 years of history at Leamington’s Pump Room

Leamington Baths by J Fuller (1816). Picture submitted.

A First Class Watering Place at the Pump Room gallery takes visitors through its role at the heart of the town since the building was opened in 1814 - with a focus on the years 1814, 1864, 1914, 1964 and 2014.

Curated by the gallery’s senior curator Vicki Slade - with an additional display of ultra violet light therapy equipment curated by Dr Tania Woloshyn of Warwick University - the exhibition takes a look at the people who built the Royal Pump Room, its role during the First World War and the impact the introduction of the NHS had on the building.

Visitors will also learn about the venue’s more recent tranformation into the cultural attraction it is today.

Royal Baths and Pump Rooms (1822). Picture submitted.

Objects on display come from the gallery and mussum’s collections, including costume, decorative arts and items on local history - all used to illustrate what life was like in Leamington during each key period.

Included are a Regency dress, a letter written by Dr Henry Jephson about the building and Private Henry Tandey’s Freedom of the Borough and a film created by Campion School pupils about Victorians of the town.

Vicki Slade said: “It is a privilege to be celebrating the bicentenary of the opening of the Royal Pump Room. The building is a landmark in Royal Leamington Spa and its history is entwined with that of the spa town.

“A First Class Watering Place brings together some wonderful artefacts from across the collections to tell this fascinating story.”

The exhibition, to which entry is free, is open until August 25. It is accompanied by a programme of events, including a Regency Ball on June 27. To find out more, call 742700.