Originally a small village called Leamington Priors, it grew into a spa town in the 18th century following the popularisation of its water which was reputed to have medicinal qualities.

The town contains especially fine examples of Regency architecture,[4] particularly in parts of the Parade, Clarendon Square and Lansdowne Circus.

[9][11] The old village of Leamington Priors was on the southern bank of the River Leam, and early development was based around this.

During the early 19th century, developers began concentrating the town's expansion on the land north of the river.

A new saline spring was found on land close to the river, belonging to Bertie Greatheed, a wealthy plantation owner and landowner from Guy's Cliffe, and a member of the syndicate.

Leamington became a popular spa resort attracting the wealthy and famous, with numerous Georgian townhouses to accommodate visitors.

In 1838 Queen Victoria granted the town a 'Royal' prefix, and 'Leamington Priors' was renamed 'Royal Leamington Spa'.

At first a semi-private affair it was taken over by the National Health Service after the Second World War, before succumbing to budget cuts and closing in 1993.

Just outside the town lie the villages of Old Milverton to the north and Radford Semele 2.5 miles (4 km) to the east.

The main road running through the town centre is the Parade (called Lillington Lane until 1860).

From the 1997 general election until the 2010 general election the constituency was represented in parliament by James Plaskitt of the Labour Party; until then this had been a Conservative safe seat, counting former British prime minister Anthony Eden among its Members of Parliament (MPs).

The seat became highly marginal at the 2005 general election, where James Plaskitt won with a majority of just 266 votes.

[35] In the 1950s, the Lights of Leamington Festival held in Jephson Gardens drew large crowds.

[35] The prominent car parts manufacturer Automotive Products based in the south of the town grew from a small garage to occupy a large site.

Throughout the 20th century, while tourism took a downturn, Automotive Products expanded and built a factory in the South of the town in 1928 that is still operative in 2009, although on a much smaller scale.

[35] Karobes Limited, with its headquarters in Queensway, was one of Britain's major suppliers of accessories for cars between World War II and the 1970s.

[40] Companies based in or around the town include Third Kind Games, Super Spline Studios, Lab42, Sumo Leamington, Caperfly, Widgit Software,[40] DNA Interactive, Fish in a Bottle, Ubisoft Leamington, Unit 2, Electric Square, Full Fat, Kwalee, Pixel Toys,[40] Playground Games, Red Chain Games,[45] Stickman Studios,[46] Supersonic Software and Midoki.

Named after English chemist Rosalind Franklin, the laboratory is intended to be capable of processing hundreds of thousands of samples a day, making it the largest of its kind in the UK.

They specialise in making young people aware of how STEM fields studied in school can lead to fulfilling and exciting careers in science and engineering sectors of industry.

Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum is located in the Royal Pump Rooms, on the Parade.

It holds a collection of over 12,000 objects, including fine and decorative arts, as well as items relating to local and social history.

[56] It provides exhibitions in the visual arts and about the history of the town, supported by workshops, talks and other events.

In December 2005 the band Nizlopi from Leamington, reached Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart with "JCB".

[59] The Woodbine Street Recording Studios has been used by several well-known music acts such as Paul Weller, Ocean Colour Scene, Felt, The Specials, and local band The Shapes, whose single "Batman in the Launderette" charted first in 1979.

[60] Classical music concerts are organised throughout the year in the Leamington and Warwick area, including the International String Quartet series at the Royal Pump Rooms.

[63] and the Leamington Spa Competitive Festival for Music Dance and Drama is staged annually.

[citation needed] Two theatres are located in Leamington: the Spa Centre and the amateur The Loft, with outdoor summer productions in Jephson Gardens.

BBC's Upstairs Downstairs used the Georgian terrace at Clarendon Square as a main exterior location.

[72] ITV's Sherlock Holmes episode 'The Last Vampyre' featured Guy's Cliffe House, which was severely damaged in a fire during production.

Famous people who were born in Leamington include the world champion boxer Randolph Turpin (1928–1966),[82] the poet, mountaineer, magician, and occultist Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), the pathologist Sir Bernard Spilsbury (1877–1947),[83] the artist Sir Terry Frost (1915–2003), the actor, broadcaster and writer Norman Painting (1924–2009), actor and casting director Leon Vitali, and professional footballer and YouTuber Ben Foster.