August 2023. Royal Leamington Spa.
One should always respect UK towns with a “Royal” prefix. Royal Tunbridge Wells, Royal Wootton Bassett, Royal Reading…
Leamington’s football team dispensed with Royal, and the Spa, meaning they didn’t get a visit by Prince William at their historic victory over Stourbridge in the 2022 Birmingham Cup Final.
Of course, Leamington has a limited football heritage, being better known for sports such as curtseying and bowls.
I turned up on Day 7 of the National Finals, played just over the river from car park for the night, and was mightily tempted to pay a fiver to catch the Women’s Triples, I can tll you.
But I was here to finish Warwickshire GBG entries for 2023 (top), and one the few lessons I have for younger tickers is “Do your tick early, lest it decide to close early for a private party/arrival of a baby/lack of custom”.
So, with barely a halt to catch the Spa town in the late afternoon sun,
I headed across the Pump Room Gardens towards the Baths,
and the Boiler Room.
It couldn’t be more central, and opens 7 days a week, so you’d expect it to be open, I guess, but the relief at finishing Warwicks rather clouded my judgement as I went straight for a pint of Halton Turner Stout.
I mean; can you make head or tail of that price list (big and prominent as it is).
Yes, keg priced in two-thirds, so £7.50 a pint. I only paid £7 to park my car for 24 hours.
Never mind, nice staff who call you “Bud”, a soulful soundtrack,
and a decent pint. But as the Old Boys switched from cask to keg,
I did the reverse and a half of Alpha Delta (decanted into th kg pint glass obvs), which was rather gorgeous in a understated way (3.5).
Unlike the decor.
And did I mention the cushions….
retiredmartin 
Hi Martin – well done on completing Warwickshire (again!), your post brings back memories of me and Nick sitting on inadvisable stools in the Boiler Room front window peoplewatching as a cast of characters trooped along Victoria Terrace. You’re getting towards the earthier side of Leamington there and might have missed out on the delights of Kelsey’s Bar or the Big Cat Coma. Sadly the Apehangers Bar – where you have to walk through a Smeg fridge to get to the cellar bar below – only seems to open for private functions these days, and that’s if it is still going at all. Cheers, Paul
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Thanks Paul, I DID miss out on Big Cat Coma (!) but made a night of it as you’ll see.
How long would it take you to reach Leam on the train ? Is it perceived anywhere as a decent night out ?
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Hi Martin – if I make the direct train, I can get to Leamington in about an hour from Wolverhampton. Nick has made it his mission to introduce me to every pub in the area, so we keep chipping away year after year (in fact, we’re in Warwick this coming Wednesday for more discoveries – we’ve got our eye on Ronnie’s Bar with its montages of famous Ronnies). Leamington seems to have developed quite a student vibe in the streets either side of the Parade, and I do like Old Town for the more earthy haunts! Cheers, Paul
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That’s not bad. Actually, I was contemplating a trip to Cannock via New Street but I, er, fell asleep.
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There is a white feather outside the Boiler Room photo.
Your guardian angel is close.
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