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The beautiful Regency town of Leamington Spa is famous for its parks and gardens. Of these the jewel in the crown is the Jephson Gardens located opposite the Royal Pump Rooms and bordering the River Leam. They originated in the 1940's when a movement to extend and improve the town gardens was combined with a need to create a testimonial to Dr. Henry Jephson, who was a leading figure in the town's early 19th Century expansion as a health spa. This was to take the form of a temple housing a marble statue. The refurbished gardens opened to the public in June 1847 and the temple was officially unveiled in May 1849, while Dr. Jephson was still very much alive.
Originally run by a management committee of the Trustees, the gardens were taken over by the Leamington Corporation in 1896 and are now owned and managed by Warwick District Council.
The most recent addition to the Gardens is a stunning £3M contemporary lakeside pavilion housing a Temperate House, restaurant and education unit, funded by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The Temperate House represents plant evolution from 500 million years ago to the present day, the interior space is carefully managed in climatic zones with a radio controlled ventilation system. My impression was that the interior space was insufficient to live up to the objectives, but it still succeeds in adding interest to the gardens. The Princess of Wales conservatory at Kew Gardens which has ten computer controlled climatic zones is the ultimate example of this technology.
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