New book delves into town’s past

People and Places Volume 2 includes over 150 illustrations almost all of which are published for the first time.

Researched from original documentary sources and coloured with a splattering of memoirs, the book includes full accounts of the first 25 years of the town carnival including photographs of horse-drawn Carnival Queen floats.

It also delved into the story of Kenilworth’s water system; the 1913 Typhoid outbreak and the conversion of two reservoirs to houses; artists and photographers and housing development driven by overcrowding and slum-clearance.

Complete house-histories include ‘Thickthorn’ and ‘The Poplars’, and ‘Thornby House’ and its connection to Kenilworth’s successful Mystery and Thriller writers; ‘Wilton House’ and the origins and early days of the Old Folks’ Club; ‘Woodside’ and a detailed account of the Cay family and their benevolence; and the unusual story of the library from its origin ninety three years ago.

The text also explores the 1892 royal visit, Kenilworth’s oldest known sporting club photograph, and biographies of townsfolk such as Henry Griffiths and Edwin Gee.

Mr Leach’s latest book is available from Kenilworth Books in Talisman Square.