ROYAL PUMP ROOMS

'The Royal Pump Rooms' is a building in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, UK. It was once the most famous building in town and was where people would travel from throughout the country, and indeed Europe, to benefit from treatment using the town's healing waters. When spa town tourism became less fashionable the Pump Rooms primary use was that of a public swimming pool. The building is now used for a variety of purposes including a library, art gallery and function rooms.

Contents

Background and Beginnings

Hard Times, Development & Modernisation

Background and Beginnings

By the time that a spring had been found at the site of the rooms in 1811 Leamington already had a name as an up and coming spa town. Five wells had been discovered south of the River Leam in and around the village. The influx of tourists to bath in these springs and 'take the water' had lead to speculators developing land to the north of the river. It was decided by these men that a spring needed to be found their side of the river and a suitablely grand building erected to match the dwelling they were developing. Thus the sixth spring was found in 1811 on the land of Mr Bertie Greatheed and the building, named ''The New Pump Rooms and Baths'' was opened three years later in July 1814. Within months of opening however the baths proved so popular that the building needed to be extended. The building was finally complete two years later in 1816. Including the wings at the north and south end the building was 166 feet long with 17 hot baths and 3 cold baths. The total development cost was a fraction under £18,000. One of the main interesting, although not at the time most famous or notable, part of the development were the pumps which were manufacturer by the engineering giants Boulton and Watt of Smethwick, Birmingham. Although some individuals expressed reservations about the baths, most notably a doctor who claimed that the healing waters could be contaminated by soiled river water, the baths were a huge success with the noble visitors to the town and quickly became the most popular.

Hard Times, Development & Modernisation

From the 1840s onwards however the British spa town tourist industry began to wane thanks to the growing popularity of spas in continental Europe, notably Belgium and France. Therefore the decision was made in 1860 to close the Pump Rooms with a view to demolising them and selling the land. However a group of local made clubbed together and bought the baths in October 1861, saving them from ruin. After spending £17,000 refurbishing it they realised they had bitten off more than they could chew and sold it to the Local Board of Health in 1868. Since that time the building has been under the control of the public sector. In 1885 further renovations were carried out including the building of more baths and the addition of a tower at the north end of the building. A few years later the swimming pool was added. An annexe was added in 1910 and this became the last addition to the building of note for over 80 years. During the Second World War the rooms were used by the government to work on camouflage techniques. In 1950 the tower of 1885 was demolished. By the 1980s, now under the control of Warwick District Council, the baths again faced an uncertain future. Plans to build over the public gardens and expand them were quickly rejected after public protest from locals so a new solution had to be found.
In 1997 work began to totally change the face of the Pump Rooms. After two years of work and a partnership between the District Council, the County Council and the local tourist board the new facilities opened. The main change was filling in the swimming pool and using the space as the town's public library. The town's Tourist Information Centre was moved from over the road by the Jephson Gardens into the building and a museum and art gallery were opened. There is also a cafe. The rooms that used to be used for treatment are now used for local interest groups and conferences. A tap was installed outside the building so that passersby could taste the spa waters. This however stopped working in 2003 and has not been fixed. In all the most recent redevelopments cost £7.1 million.