Cheltenham racecourse has long been associated with The Cheltenham Festival, and horse racing in general.  The first race meeting took place in 1818, but it was in 1819 that the first official three-day event occurred.  Initially there was some local opposition to the racecourse.  In 1829 the Rev Francis Close led protests against the racecourse on the basis that it encouraged gambling. And the race meeting in 1830 was disrupted when the grandstand was burnt down.

Racing didn’t resume until 1845, but it wasn’t until 1898, when a Mr Bingham bought the racecourse, that racing was properly re-established.  Bingham built a new grandstand, and erected rails around the course.

In 1924 the first Gold Cup Steeplechase was won by Red Splash with prize money of £685, and in 1927 the first Champion Hurdle was run over two miles.

Recently the facilities were significantly improved in the 1960’s & 1970’s; new stands were built in 1979.  In 2002 a multi-million redevelopment of the course commenced, which was completed in 2004 with the opening of the Centaur Centre. The centre accommodates up to 4,000 visitors, and also provides Cheltenham with an arena big enough to host pop concerts.

For more information go to the Cheltenham Racecourse site.

If history is your thing you will be interested in the Cheltenham spas.   At the beginning of the Eighteenth Century the town was a small village, but in 1716 William Mason, a landowner, discovered a ‘healing spring’ on one of his fields.  Mason began to charge for the use of the water, but it was his son -in-law, Captain Henry Skillicorne, who really turned Cheltenham into a fashionable spa town.  He developed the natural spring; constructing a small assembly room, and landscaping the surrounding area.  He also planted the Well Walk; an avenue of elm trees.  In 1788 after ‘a pretty smart bilious attack’ George III visited the town on the advice of his physician.  The royal visit received a good deal of publicity in the newspapers, and Cheltenham’s popularity soared.  As well as George III other VIPs, such as the Duke of Wellington and Queen Victoria, have visited Cheltenham, and patronised the spas.

The original spa has long been replaced by Cheltenham Ladies College, and several other spas have also gone.  However, if you want to “take the waters” visit Pitville Pump room, which is located in Pitville Park.  Constructed by Joseph Pitt, the pump room houses a spa, and a concert venue.  The water is still pumped to the fountain in the main hall from a well 80ft deep; although some would argue that the water doesn’t taste that great!  Pitville Park itself is an attractive garden with trees and a lake.  Brass bands play in the summer, and boats can be hired to have a float if you so desire.

Anyone who appreciates culture will feel at home in Cheltenham.  There has long been a strong literary tradition; Charles Dickens, Jane Austin, and Lewis Carroll have all visited the area.  Today there continues to be a vibrant cultural scene, for example the Cheltenham Festivals; a set of cultural events that run through the year.  The Cheltenham Music festival, which occurs each July, is one of these occasions, and concerts are held in the Pitville Pump room. Cheltenham also has two museums; the Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum, and the Gustav Holst Birthplace Museum.  The latter was spun off from the former making an independent museum in 2000.

For those who want to get out & about Cheltenham has plenty of green space.  As well as Pitville Park there are several other Cheltenham Gardens in the centre of town.  Montpellier Gardens has tennis courts and a play area for toddlers, and there is also the Imperial Gardens located near the Promenade shopping area.  The Imperial Gardens are post war, but are still a pleasant place to have a picnic in between the flower borders.  There is also an outdoors bar for those infrequent hot summer days.

And if all this is not enough Cheltenham has many architectural gems.  One highlight includes the Cheltenham Ladies College located alongside Bayshill Road.  It has a variety of buildings that can sometimes be viewed on ‘Heritage Open Days’ in September.  There is also the oldest building in town, St Mary’s Parish Church, which is one of many Cheltenham Churches.  It still shows traces of Norman work, and also has a memorial to Henry Skillicorne.  Another highlight is the Promenade, the main street in town, which contains the Municipal building; a prime example of Regency architecture.  At the south end of the Municipal building is the Neptune’s fountain.  This was modelled on the Trevi Fountain in Rome, and shows the Roman god of the sea.  And located at the North end of the Municipal building is a statue of Edward Wilson, the Antarctic explorer.

Cheltenham Municipal Building Entrance

In case you need a rest from all this culture the north end of the Promenade is adjacent to some of the best shops in town.  Although this town does contain many shops in many areas!

Further diversions can be found at the Cheltenham Racecourse; home to the famous Cheltenham Festival.  The festival has been on the calendar since the 1819, and now hosts over 200,000 people.

So whatever you want to do with your time, Cheltenham is a ‘moveable feast’ with much to offer; enjoy Cheltenham Spa…

The Montpellier Gardens are situated in the middle of the town centre in front of the Montpellier Spa, which has its famous Rotunda.  The original layout of the garden is largely credited to London architect John Papworth, who was working for Pearson Thompson the owner of the estate at the time. The Borough council has owned the garden since 1893, and it is now broadly spilt into two areas. A formal area, which has tennis courts, and a toddler’s play area. And an informal area, with established trees, which is used mainly for walking.  The park also has a bandstand that often has concerts in the summer months.

Montpellier Park Cheltenham

Pitville Park was opened in 1825, and is the largest ornamental park in Cheltenham.  It features the magnificent pump room, and lakes, that were developed mainly by the architect John Forbes; who was employed by Joseph Pitt.  The pump room, with its beautiful dome is now a grade 1 historic building. The park now has a wide range of leisure opportunities, as well as views of the lakes.

The Skillicorne Gardens are a memorial to Captain Henry Skillicorne. He was a retired naval captain and adventurer who inherited his father-in-law’s estate, and exploited the healing properties of the spring water.  He established Cheltenham’s first Spa, and actively promoted the use of the spa waters as a cure.  This small enclosed garden is located behind the town hall, and contains a pond.

The Imperial Gardens run alongside the Promenade, and are positioned at the rear of the Town Hall.   They were originally planted just for the benefit of the subscribers to the Sherbourne Spa.  The layout of the gardens has changed many times; the current format being established after the Second World War.  Each year thousands of bedding plants produce magnificent floral displays.

One of the main difficulties the college faced was the need to find larger premises. In 1871 the college council purchased some grounds attached to the Old Well Spa, which had been the original Cheltenham spa. On this site buildings were erected that eventually covered the entire area of the original spa.

The Music Hall building was pulled down in 1896, and replaced with the Princess Hall, which still remains today. The hall has the dimensions and internal configuration of the earlier building, and externally is Victorian Gothic in style. The venue can hold up to two thousand people, and is still used for various events on a regular basis.

Today at Cheltenham Ladies’ College there are some 865 girls spread across the Lower College, Upper College and Sixth Form. Approximately 75% are boarders and 25% day girls. Around 170 new girls join each year.

For more information visit The Cheltenham Ladies’ College website.

The Cheltenham Art Galley & Museum contains a wide range of materials, including: history, archaeology, paintings, and arts & crafts.  There is also a section on Edward Wilson, Cheltenham’s Antarctic explorer who died alongside Scott.  Many of the paintings featured in the gallery are donated by the people of Cheltenham.

The art gallery was opened in 1899 when the third Baron de Ferrieres, a former Mayor & MP for Cheltenham, gave 43 paintings to the town.  In 1905 the museum proper was opened when the Schools of Art and Science vacated the rooms next to the gallery.

In 1989 the HRH Princess Royal opened an extension to the Art Gallery & Museum, which is where the present entrance is located.

For more information visit the Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum website.

The Gustav Holst Birthplace Museum

The Gustav Holst Birthplace museum is located in the Regency terraced house where Holst was born in 1874.  The museum tells the story of the man who composed ‘The Planets’, and has a display of his belongings.

Visitors can also experience Regency, Victorian, and Edwardian style rooms.

For more information visit the Holst museum website.

The Music festival has been ongoing from 1945, and the Literature Festival from 1949.  The two events have already associated Cheltenham with the British cultural scene.   With the addition of the Jazz Festival (added 1996) and the Science Festival (added 2002) Cheltenham has garnered a reputation for encouraging up-and-coming, and serious, cultural work.

The festivals are held throughout the calendar year as follows:-

April-May: Cheltenham Jazz Festival

June: The Times Cheltenham Science Festival

July: Cheltenham Music Festival

October: The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival

For more information visit the Cheltenham Festivals website.

In the early 18^th Century local residents noticed pigeons pecking at salt deposits by a spring south of the town.  People started drinking the water in the belief it would heal various health issues.  By 1742 Henry Skillicorne had deepened the spring, and turned it into a well.  He built assembly rooms, and started charging for the use of the water.   He also landscaped the area.

The idea of “taking the water” really developed from 1788 when George III visited the town on the advice of his physician.  Skillicorne’s original well became known as the Royal Well after the king’s visit, and by 1800 it had approximately 2000 visitors a year.

Ironically the original spring is no longer in existence as the area was eventually developed into the Cheltenham Ladies College.

Competing Spas

To meet the demand for ‘health treatments’ new spas were opened.  In 1801 Henry Thompson, a wealthy Londoner, bought a large estate, and shortly afterwards the Montpellier Spa was opened.  Originally the spa was housed in a wooden structure, but respected architect John Papworth created a stone building with a copper rotunda.  Today this building still remains as Lloyds bank, which can be seen at the corner of the Montpellier Gardens on the Montpellier Walk.

Montpellier Rotunda Cheltenham

Next the Sherbourne Spa was opened on the site that is now the Queens Hotel near the Imperial Gardens.  The Sherbourne Promenade that led to the spa was eventually renamed the ‘Promenade’.

A number of other spas followed, but of these the best know is Pitville Pump Room in Pitville Park.  The pump room is located in the north end of the park, and is a fantastic example of Regency architecture.  With colonnades, and a Grande dome it overlooks ornamental lakes.  Architect John Fobes intended the structure be both a spa, and a social venue.  The building combines elements of both Greek and Roman architecture; the dome is probably modelled on the Panthenon in Rome.

Today the pump room is actively used as a concert venue that can seat 400 people; the excellent acoustics mean it is Cheltenham’s premier venue.  The spa is still available in the oval pump room should visitors want to ‘take the water’.

St Mary’s Church, Clarence Street

This is the oldest building in Cheltenham, and is located just off the Promenade.  It dates back to the middle of the 11^th Century. The church features a spa theme, and has a royal coat of arms that commemorates George III’s visit in 1788.  There is also a memorial to Henry Skillicorne the founder of the first spa in Cheltenham.

St Andrew’s Church, Montpellier

The spire is perhaps the main feature of this Early English church that is located on one of the main thoroughfares, Montpellier Street, opposite the Cheltenham Ladies College.   The church was built in 1885 for a Presbyterian congregation, and underwent a substantial refurbishment in 2002.  It is now the local United Reformed Church, and is used by many local community organisations.  The nearby town hall serves as a centre for Cheltenham’s famous international arts and science festivals.  St Andrew’s is used for some of the fringe events.

Christ Church, Lansdown

The main feature of this church is the 174 feet high tower with its four pinnacles.  The church was built in 1837 for the new Lansdown estate.  The foundation stone was laid by Francis Close a key figure in the development of the Cheltenham Ladies College.   The building was originally designed by the Jearrad brothers who were local architects.  However, the church was altered by John Middleton who added the domed apse in 1888.  The parish of Christ Church was formed in 1865.

Rose Window St Marys Cheltenham

The Daffodil was a 1920’s art deco cinema, and there are still mementoes from these origins on display.  With warm golden yellow as the primary colour, and a sweeping staircases that leads up to the balcony, this is one of the most attractive restaurants in Cheltenham.

The food is locally sourced, and there is a good value set lunch menu.

Bistro at Hotel du Vin

Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, the Bistro at Hotel du Vin offers a menu rooted in classic European cuisine with a contemporary edge.  The bistro is located in the former Carlton Hotel in a spacious public area centred on the magnificent spiral staircase.

Le Champignon Sauvage

Le Champignon is considered to be one of the finest restaurants in the county.  Fine dining is accompanied by an extensive wine menu; the only downside being the difficulty in getting a reservation.

The Queens Hotel – Tea Rooms

If you want a pleasant afternoon tea in an impressive Regency building overlooking the Imperial Gardens the Queens Hotel is the place to go.

A four star hotel located near the Imperial Gardens with 79 en-suite rooms.  There is a meeting room suite for 100 people, the AA Rosette award winning Napier Restaurant, Gold Cup Bar & Lounge, and WiFi internet.

The hotel was built in the 1840s.  Its location makes it a key landmark in Cheltenham.

For more information visit The Queens Hotel website.

The Hotel on the Park

Situated close to the centre of town, and on the edge of Pittville Park, the hotel has 12 luxury rooms.  It has won several top awards including the RAC Gold Ribbon, the 3 Star Gold Award, and the winner of the Conde Nast Johansen’s ‘Most Excellent City Hotel Award in the UK and Ireland’.

For more information visit The Hotel on the Park website.

Thirty Two – Boutique Hotel

This luxury hotel is located in a Regency terraced house close to the Promenade, and has views across the Imperial Gardens.  The four rooms are opulent and stylish; a special bed & breakfast destination.

For more information visit the Thirty Two website.