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Rosefield Street, LEAMINGTON SPA, CV32 4HF

These villas once stood as individual buildings in their own grounds in Newbold Terrace, Leamington Spa (and may have been designed by famous architect John Nash). After falling on hard times in the late 20th century they were converted into offices with link blocks connecting them. At least they survive although much period detail seems to have been removed.

Offices viewed across Newbold Terrace.

This squat building replaced a marvellous Victorian gothic villa designed by the son of the famous A.W. Pugin. It was one of the few such gothic buildings in Leamington and photographs can be seen on the Windows on Warwickshire website run by the local museum service. It was demolished in 1970 so the Spa Centre could be built. Whatever its merits as a civic centre no one can really claim it adds much architecturally to the area.

Anyone who serves on a jury in Leamington's new Justice Centre may admire this piece in the jurors' waiting room. It is an etched and enamelled sheet of polished stainless steel, one of the few items saved from the unloved and dysfunctional 1970s magistrates' courts that until recently occupied part of the site. The photo was taken with permission, in less than ideal conditions, during a conducted tour of the building. In the panel to the right the Arms and the Crest are described in the language of heraldry. The motto SOLA BONA QUÆ HONESTA (only those things that are honourable are good) was granted to the Royal Leamington Spa Borough Council on 6th November 1876. The interpretation continues: “The division of the shield horizontally into gold and silver symbolises the manors of Leamington Priors and Newbold Comyn, which together formed the Borough of Royal Leamington Spa. The red mullets are from the arms of Willes, who held the Newbold Comyn estate, part of the original manor of Newbold Comyn. Edward Willes, who inherited the estate in 1820, was very largely responsible for the development of Leamington in its early days. The green lion comes from the arms of Ambrose Dudley, Earl of Warwick, to whom Queen Elizabeth I granted the manors of Leamington Priors and Newbold Comyn in 1563. The lion covers both divisions of the shield to indicate that he held both manors. The chevron is from the arms of the Fishers of Packington, who inherited much of the property of Ambrose Dudley when he died without issue in 1589. The golden fleurs-de-lys on the border are derived from the arms of the Clinton family, one of whose members, Geoffrey de Clinton, founder of Kenilworth Castle and Priory, gave the manor of Leamington to the Priors of Kenilworth. The ragged staff of the Earls of Warwick refers to Warwickshire, and the rod of Aesculapius denotes the health-giving qualities of the Spa. The forget-me-nots are supposed by the designer to be the badge of the Lords of Kenilworth when Leamington was under control of Leamington* Priory. There is a legend of the forget-me-not, attributing it as a badge to Henry, Duke of Hereford, later King Henry IV, however there is no evidence that either Henry IV or any other member of the House of Lancaster ever used the plant as a badge.” * An error in the original: Kenilworth Priory is meant.

The cream-painted buildings are Rossmore House, an office development from the 1960s or 1970s that linked and refurbished three derelict Victorian villas Image Towards the end of the street is the complex bulk of the Justice Centre Image It occupies the site of the unloved magistrates' courts Image and Jephson House, former Inland Revenue offices Image The postbox has the ID CV32 14D.

Leamington Spa's new court complex under construction in Newbold Terrace. Two particularly ugly modern concrete buildings were demolished to make way for this new development, which is the good news. Quite how the new building will blend in to what is a prominent central site is another question.

Viewed across Newbold Terrace. The Centre is a theatre which was officially opened in June 1972 by Anthony Eden (1st Earl of Avon), a former Member of Parliament for the Warwick and Leamington constituency and a former Prime Minister of the UK.

Closed. They were designed by Frederick Gibberd and Partners, who were consultant architects to Leamington Corporation, probably in the early 1970s. Gibberd designed Harlow New Town and Didcot Power Station, amongst many other works. In Leamington the firm also designed the Royal Spa Centre up the road, and prepared a master plan for Newbold Comyn Park and Golf Course. These courts were closed in 2007 to provide the site for a new Justice Centre. As architecture, in the heart of Regency Leamington, I sense that they were not particularly loved.

Located within the Jephson Gardens in Royal Leamington Spa

A late afternoon view of the southwest side of the building, fronting Rosefield Place, with the clocktower of Leamington Town Hall in the distance. In similar fashion to the centre in Nuneaton that serves north Warwickshire [SP36559181, no photo], the Leamington Justice Centre houses all justice-related agencies under one roof — police, Crown Prosecution Service, Probation Service, Victim Support, judges' chambers etc. It houses the Magistrates' and Crown Courts, as well as the County Court for civil cases, replacing Leamington's Magistrates' Courts and the thrillingly intimate Georgian courts in Warwick. It is claimed that this innovation speeds the administration of justice and reduces costs. Within the building different circulation systems segregate people until they all meet in court — the accused, the judiciary, vulnerable witnesses, the professionals and the public. See also Image Image Image Image and Image