Royal Pump Room And Baths

ROYAL PUMP ROOM AND BATHS, PARADE, ROYAL LEAMINGTON SPA

A spa pump room and swimming baths built between 1813 and 1814, designed by C.S. Smith of Warwick, a pupil of Sir Jeffry Wyatville, and financed by a syndicate. The building has undergone substantial additions and alterations throughout its history: a ladies' pool was added around 1870; further significant changes occurred in 1885, 1889, 1910, 1926–27 (probably including side pavilions), around 1948 (including window remodelling), and 1956. The 1870 additions were designed by J. Cundall of Leamington. The 1885 rebuilding of the pump room and 1899 extension to the baths were carried out by W. de Normanville, the Borough Engineer. Of the original 1813–14 structure, only the colonnade remains.

The building is constructed in sandstone ashlar with red sandstone columns and a dark grey brick plinth, with slate and glass roofs. It is late Classical in style, though the interior incorporates Turkish-style decoration.

The exterior features a main range of two storeys with nine first-floor windows. The outer bays project slightly to full height and are separated by single-storey, three-window pavilions. Additional ranges extend to the rear. The ground floor features a Doric colonnade with a dodecastyle (twelve-column) centre flanked by distyle (two-column) ranges with antae. The colonnade has a full entablature with triglyphs and a balustraded parapet with panels and vase-shaped balusters. The portico has a patterned tile floor and plinth. Entrances to the outer bays are double four-fielded-panel doors, while the centre has a shallow recess with double part-glazed doors and an overlight. The remaining openings are 1/1 sashes with plain reveals. A cornice runs across the first floor, where the outer bays have broad pilasters with horizontal rustication at the angles. The remaining first-floor windows are 8/8 sashes with tooled surrounds. A continuous frieze, cornice and blocking course complete this level.

The side ranges are identical, featuring Doric pilasters between bays and at angles. Each has three 8/12 sashes with fanlights with radial glazing—the left-centre light includes stained glass—and pilastered surrounds with tooled round-arches and central keystones. The sills are tooled and chamfered with aprons. A balustrade of panels and vase balusters continues around the returns. The ranges have hipped roofs. Pilasters and fenestration continue for a six-window bay to the left return.

A further range projecting to the left at the rear has Tuscan pilasters clasping the angles and an elliptically-arched entrance to the left with a board door. The right return features a similar four-bay arcade, of which the first two bays are blind; the remaining two bays have 2/2 sashes with horns. An additional range has three 2/2 sashes and three 1/1 sashes with tooled sills and plain reveals. Above these are two round-arched openings, the left with twelve-pane round-arched windows and the right blind. A modillion cornice and continuous balustrade complete this range.

The interior features a late Neo-Classical pump room running the full width of the front and extending two storeys in height, decorated in seven bays with balconies and three ceiling roses. Behind this are Turkish-style rooms including an octagonal domed room with Islamic arches, a dome with stained glass and two rose windows. The ladies' pool is distinguished by red and yellow decorative brickwork, elliptically-arched arcades, modillion cornices and an open trussed iron roof.