Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum
Free art gallery and museum in the Regency Royal Pump Rooms with local history, fine art and a preserved Turkish bath cooling room.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Royal Pump Rooms were built after a mineral spring was found in Leamington in the early nineteenth century. The classical building by the architect Charles S. Smith opened in 1814 as the New Pump Rooms and Baths and was extended two years later, giving the town a spa for hot and cold bathing at the height of its popularity.
By 1860 the baths were facing closure, but local investors bought the building in 1861 and reopened it in 1863 with new Turkish baths and a swimming pool. In 1868 it passed to the local board of health and has stayed in public ownership ever since. The swimming pool closed in 1989.
Between 1997 and 1999 Warwick District Council and partners converted the building. The larger pool hall became the public library, while the smaller pool hall and the Turkish baths became the Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum. The building also holds a visitor information centre, a box office and a café.
The museum cares for more than 14,000 objects covering art, crafts, sculpture, local and social history, archaeology and ethnography. The art gallery fills the former hydrotherapy pool hall, and the local history gallery follows Leamington from a small village to a fashionable spa town and a modern town, including the restored Hammam cooling room of the original Turkish baths.
Highlights
- Art gallery in the former pool hall with paintings, ceramics, sculpture and glass
- Local history gallery on Leamington's growth as a spa town
- Preserved Hammam cooling room of the Victorian Turkish baths
- Temporary exhibitions of contemporary and historic art
- Free family trail and audio guide
Permanent exhibitions
- Art Gallery – Fine and decorative art from the museum's collection in the former hydrotherapy pool hall; the display changes every two years.
- Local History Gallery – How Leamington grew from a rural village into a spa resort and a modern town, with the preserved Hammam cooling room of the Turkish baths.
- Operated by
- Warwick District Council
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Admission is free.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The front entrance is step-free and the internal museum entrance is ramped. The reception desk has no hearing assistance system. Parking for disabled visitors is about 10 metres from the entrance.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Hands-on stations
Interactive displays, a free family treasure trail, children's events and creative workshops in the gallery.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Leamington Spa station · 10-min walk
About a 10 minute walk from Leamington Spa railway station, with direct trains from London Marylebone, Birmingham, Oxford and Coventry.
By car
Parking available
Limited parking directly outside the building, with disabled parking about 10 metres from the entrance. St Peter's car park is about a 5 minute walk away. Coaches can drop off on Newbold Terrace. Bicycle racks are at the front of the building.
- Accessible parking
The building is opposite Jephson Gardens on The Parade. By car leave the M40 at junction 13 and follow the A452 into Leamington Spa.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Museum shop
A café and a visitor information centre with a retail area are in the Royal Pump Rooms building.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Audio guide | yes (EN) |
|---|---|
| Good to know | A self-guided audio tour is available. |
