ueen Victoria sits on her throne on top of a stone plinth with a stern expression synonymous with her famous Q phrase “we are not amused.” But then I wouldn’t be amused either if a bomb had shifted me on my plinth during the war. I have chosen to focus on HRH as she is a very significant figure to Royal and the reason it can use its regal title. There are only two other towns allowed to use a Royal prefix - Royal Tunbridge Wells and Royal Wootton Bassett. Leamington earned her ‘Royal’ because the young Victoria, then a Princess, enjoyed staying here on her first overnight trip away from home in 1830. But my reference to a bomb shunting a statue of her a few inches during World War Leamington Food & Drink Festival II is also key. As war was declared in 1939, Leamington became the main base for the Restaurant, history walks, community thrilled to be part of the first ever festival of Government’s Directorate of Camouflage. It murals, music and performance events, this kind. brought together 250 artists, designers and school projects and a camouflage trail. “The heritage we’re celebrating is technicians who secretly worked on Already knitting workshops have started important and exciting, and brings out a designing military and civilian camouflage at The Woolpack to create knitted graffiti wonderful sense of historical continuity to for strategically important installations, artwork to yarn bomb and camouflage two our community. A festival that brings including factories, power stations and columns of the . One together history, the arts and education is airfields. will feature white, blue and grey shades to just the kind of thing Leamington needs,” Whilst there is a serious aspect to this represent naval camouflage and River he says. important role, Leamington is celebrating her Leam; the other will have earth tones to “Gigs in secret venues, yarn-bombing camouflage connections in a playful way, signify Northern European camouflage and public buildings, art installations on bringing a splash of colour to the town the Pump Room Gardens. Yarn bombing drones, historical walks - the breadth of the between now and October. Concealment and will also take place in festival is amazing, and a credit to the Deception: The Art of Camoufleurs of between August 5 and August 19 involving fantastic talent in Leamington.” Leamington Spa in World War 2 is the name size-eight needles, garter stitch and some Collaborative is a vital word in of the exhibition on show at Leamington Spa very colourful wool. Leamington’s vocabulary. The day I visit, I Art Gallery from July 22 until October 16. In the same way camouflage was a meet Stephanie Kerr, executive director of In collaboration with this, the role of collaborative effort with art, design, BID Leamington, (Business Improvement camouflage will be celebrated through art, science, military, and local Leamington District) which partners with businesses to food, performance and education. Known people, the town’s first Camo Festival is a promote the town’s unique selling points. as Leamington Camouflage 2016 (Camo collaborative team between community, She informs me that the coming months Festival), a group of organisations is business, and education. Camouflage have been declared collectively as ‘the working together to recreate the British Festival committee member Pip Burley, is summer of fun’, which kicked off in June The big with Leamington Peace Festival, a vibrant Park gardens in Leamington two day event celebrating a diverse mix of causes, entertainers and traders. This continues in July with Leamington Carnival Festival - a tradition which goes back to the early 1900s - successfully reintroduced to the town’s social calendar in 2014. This will cover-up Spa BID Leamington by Photo involve a procession of decorated floats embracing this year’s theme of gaming and technology, and festival activities in the Royal Leamington Spa is celebrating its part in Pump Room Gardens on Saturday, July 9. A giant fun fair, live entertainment and over World War II with a series of events based around 50 trade stalls will add to the event which aims to raise funds for local charities. the theme of camouflage and concealment “Leamington Carnival is one of biggest moving processions. WORDS BY: TRACY SPIERS The procession this year will include around 16 organisations raising money for their chosen charity,” explains event chairman Jamie Walker. BID started in 2008 with a mandate to

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Royal Leamington Spa

work in partnership with organisations and the town’s artistic heart in all its brilliance. novels; eight local groups will be businesses to help improve the town by “What it does it gives a focal point for yarnbombing eight trees with stripes organising new initiatives, networking and everybody to come together. It really is a made from wool and textile artist Chrissie supporting existing events. way of showcasing the wonderful talent Markham has created a series of panels “I have been working all my life in town and diverse amount of artists we have in for people to decorate with leaves over centres and for me it is a real treat to work this area and by doing so celebrating and the weekend. It is a tribute to the seven in such a beautiful town. There is such a cherishing them. It also gives the 120 artists Czechoslovakian soldiers who are strong sense that people here want to work an opportunity to show their work, some commemorated by a memorial together to make Leamington a nice place for the first time,” says Carole. parachute-shaped fountain in Jephson to live and to keep it vibrant and lively,” Artist Bronia Sawyer will be upcycling Gardens. This will be camouflaged with admits Stephanie. with paper and creating birds out of old Chrissie’s symbolic panels, which will be One event BID supports is the Art in the fixed to a specially designed frame by Park Festival, a weekend of creativity Tracy enjoys a Armando Magnino. Workshops in slab taking place in Jephson Gardens on sun spot outside pottery, needle felting; a dance Saturday, August 6 and Sunday, August 7 the Aviary Cafe performance entitled Lost by Motion bringing together over 100 exhibiting House Theatre Company and an outdoor artists, music and dance workshops, showing of David Walliams Ratburger by demonstrations, pottery, painting, printing, Heartbreak Productions are just some of woodwork and jewellery. It was the vision the highlights. of artist Mo Finnesey, a member of the And of course with any big festival Leamington Studio Artists (now based at comes the inevitable food and drink East Lodge in Jephson Gardens), who delights - something Leamington is also wanted to bring all the arts of Leamington particularly good at. Warwickshire Ale together in an open space. The Mo Tent will be at hand with its special Finnesey Cup will be awarded to the best Photo by Jan Baker Shakespeare celebratory brew, Ye Bard presented stall or gazebo. and a pop-up gin palace, also serving Music, arts and creativity are very much summer wines, will be available courtesy a part of Leamington’s DNA and festival of Leamington Wine Company. organiser Carole Sleight believes it captures Based in Street, this popular

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Royal Pump Rooms The Clock Tower, Leamington

Mecca for wine connoisseurs, hosts a independent shops and restaurants having relate to Frank Whittle, who spent hours summer Ginfest at the Masonic Rooms opened across the town centre in the past with his father in an engineering studio and Victoria Hall on Friday, June 24 and a six months. later went on to invent the turbojet engine French red wine-tasting session in store on “I love being here. Leamington really while another Leamington son, English July 7. A winemakers’ dinner is also taking supports the independent shops and by abstract artist Sir Terry Frost, one of the place at The Tame Hare, a popular new having events such as Art in the Park, it leading artists in the St Ives School, has restaurant, the wine company’s next door makes us feel like a small community. It is work permanently displayed at neighbour. big town with a village community feel Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum. Rob Patchett, manager of Leamington about it. Leamington’s spa waters, which so say Wine Company speaks highly of the “The taster sessions we are doing sets cured rabies was also good for making support given to individual shops. people up for the summer, and then once bread and preserving meat; the first lawn Leamington is well known for its unique September arrives they are ready for the tennis club started here in 1872 and the retail and dining offering – with around 14 Leamington Food & Drink Festival, which town was also home to the young Napolean attracts over 25,000 to Leamington. We III. Festival fever has also been ingrained in Leamington Food have a cocktail demonstration on stage and Leamington life for decades. Back in 1951 & Drink Festival a gin and wine bar,” he adds. festivals of illuminations and concerts were Based at the Pump Rooms, the festival held in Jephson Gardens, but came to a halt organisers team up with award-winning in 1961 due to noise complaints. Thankfully Aubrey Allen to host a Home Cook of the the spirit of celebration is very much alive Year contest but other events include The in 2016. Leamington Bake Off, a live cookery As I leave Royal Leamington Spa to enjoy school, a children’s make and bake cookery its season of summer fun, I can’t help but school and more than 150 food stalls and glance up at Queen Victoria as she stands exhibitors. watching over the town in haughty Festivals aside, I am fascinated by other grandeur. I could have sworn she winked at interesting nuggets of information I glean me. Somehow I think she is amused by the about Leamington - especially relating to joyful antics her Royal town is up to. But it elephants. Apparently ’s first may not be such a good idea to yarn-bomb elephant trainer, Sam Lockhart was based her - just in case. ■ in Leamington, and after acquiring three elephants from Ceylon, kept them in the www.royal-leamington-spa.co.uk town and walked them down to the River www.leamingtoncarnival.org.uk Leam to bathe. His circus was apparently a www.artinpark.co.uk grand building where the Loft Theatre is www.leamingtonfoodfestival.co.uk

Photo by BID Leamington Spa BID Leamington by Photo now. Other facts relevant to Leamington www.peacefestival.org.uk

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