Jephson History

The Jephson hotel is named after Dr Henry Jephson (1798 – 1878). It was he who made Leamington Spa fashionable – at about the same time that the three Victorian mansions that make up our hotel were built. Jephson’s enthusiasm for the beneficial effects of the local spa waters drew visitors to the town, and earned him the lasting gratitude of local people who praised his ability to ‘draw the sick and opulent from all parts of the Kingdom’. 

Jephson ran a hugely successful medical practice and was millionaire in today’s terms, although he set aside two hours a day for poor patients and gave them any fees he earned on a Sunday.  He was also instrumental in the building of houses for the poor.

A short walk from the hotel, you can visit Leamington Spa’s most popular attraction, The Jephson Gardens

which were named after him during his lifetime. The gardens, which run past the River Leam, are the most popular attraction in the town and were once the place for the rich and celebrated, including many of Jephson’s patients, to be ‘seen’.

‘Jephson’ is a name inextricably linked to the story of Leamington Spa and we’re proud to name our hotel after this most successful and popular of local heroes.