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Until the first part of the 19th century Leamington Priors, as the town was then known, was a small village, of equal size with the nearby village of Lillington. The southern part of what is now Parade was part of Lillington Lane which connected the two settlements. Between 1808 and 1860 Leamington developed rapidly northwards away from its village origins meaning Lillington Lane was extended to the length of the current Parade and named "Lower Union Parade", "Upper Union Parade" and "Lansdowne Place" in sections from south to north. In 1860 the street took on its current name.
The name Parade itself came partly from the fact that so many of the facilities that made Leamington as a spa town famous lined the street. The Royal Pump Rooms were opened in 1814, the Regent Hotel in 1818 and the
mile
The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of distance; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 Engli ...
(0.825 kilometre
The kilometre ( SI symbol: km; or ), spelt kilometer in American English, is a unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), equal to one thousand metres (kilo- being the SI prefix for ). It is now the measurement unit used for ...
) long street in the town of Royal Leamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply Leamington (), is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Priors, it grew into a spa town in the 18th century following ...
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avo ...
, England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
. Running in a north-south direction, it forms part of the longer B4087 which runs from the A445 in Leamington to the B4086 in Wellesbourne
Wellesbourne is a large village in the civil parish of Wellesbourne and Walton, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of the UK. In the 2021 census the parish, which also includes the hamlet of Walton, had a population o ...
. The road is the central shopping hub of the town, and upon it sit many of the town’s high street stores, as well as some of the best examples of Regency architecture
Regency architecture encompasses classical buildings built in the United Kingdom during the Regency era in the early 19th century when George IV was Prince Regent, and also to earlier and later buildings following the same style. The period co ...
, for which the town is known. It is often erroneously called "The Parade", and spoken of as such, but all maps and resources such as the Royal Mail's postcode database simply have "Parade".
History
Until the first part of the 19th century Leamington Priors, as the town was then known, was a small village, of equal size with the nearby village of Lillington. The southern part of what is now Parade was part of Lillington Lane which connected the two settlements. Between 1808 and 1860 Leamington developed rapidly northwards away from its village origins meaning Lillington Lane was extended to the length of the current Parade and named "Lower Union Parade", "Upper Union Parade" and "Lansdowne Place" in sections from south to north. In 1860 the street took on its current name.
The name Parade itself came partly from the fact that so many of the facilities that made Leamington as a spa town famous lined the street. The Royal Pump Rooms were opened in 1814, the Regent Hotel in 1818 and the Jephson Gardens
The Jephson Gardens are formal gardens, together with a grassed park, in the town of Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. The gardens, once a place for the wealthy to 'take the air' and 'be seen', are found in the centre of the town on the Parade, wi ...
in 1834. Most of the fashionable housing in the town was found north of the river as well as the main library
A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vi ...
and the theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...
. Later Victorian buildings of note include an obelisk
An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by An ...
/drinking fountain dedicated to local politician and philanthropist
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...
Henry Bright (1880)Nicholson, Jean et al: ''The Obelisks of Warwickshire'', page 45. Brewin Books, 2013 and the large Town Hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
with tower (1884).
In 1988 the towns main shopping precinct, the Royal Priors Shopping Centre
Royal Priors Shopping Centre is a two-storey shopping precinct located in the town of Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England.
It in located in the centre of the town on the main street, The Parade. Opened in 1988 by Queen Elizabeth II at a cost ...
, opened. For a short period of time there was a second precinct, the Regency Arcade, but this is now closed and has been converted into a shop and hotel.
Misconceptions
Many visitors would assume that the continuation of Parade on the south side of the River Leam is part of the same street. However it is named Bath Street and was never part of it. Also, although many people would term Parade the town'shigh street
High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...
, High Street itself is the major road of the original village, found south of and parallel to the river. Today it is still a major through road for traffic and part of the A425.
References