Cheltenham
Encyclopedia
Cheltenham also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town
and borough
in Gloucestershire
, on the edge of the Cotswolds
in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase
horse racing, the Gold Cup
, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival
held every March. The town hosts several festivals of culture often featuring nationally and internationally famous contributors and attendees; Cheltenham Literature Festival
, Cheltenham Jazz Festival
, Cheltenham Science Festival
and Cheltenham Music Festival
.
The town was awarded a market charter in 1226, and has been a health and holiday resort since the discovery of mineral spring
s there in 1716. Horse racing began in Cheltenham in 1815, and became a major national attraction after the establishment of the Festival
in 1902. On 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972
, the borough of Cheltenham was merged with Charlton Kings
urban district
to form the non-metropolitan district
of Cheltenham. Four parishes — Swindon Village
, Up Hatherley
, Leckhampton
and Prestbury
— were added to the borough of Cheltenham from the borough of Tewkesbury
in 1991.
Cheltenham has light industry
, including food processing, aerospace, electronics and tourism businesses. The Government's electronic surveillance
operation Government Communications Headquarters
(GCHQ), renowned for its "doughnut-shape" building, is in Cheltenham. Vertex Data Science, GE-Aviation
, Dowty Rotol
, Chelsea Building Society
, Endsleigh Insurance
, Nelson Thornes
, UCAS
(Universities & Colleges Admissions Service), Kohler Mira, Zurich Financial Services
and Spirax Sarco all have sites in and around Cheltenham.
Cheltenham is a regional shopping centre, home to several shopping centres and department store
s, the oldest being Cavendish House
from 1823. It is well-known locally for its nightlife, with a wide range of pubs, wine bars, clubs and restaurants. It has a Michelin two-star restaurant, Le Champignon Sauvage. In 2006, Cheltenham was voted the best place to live in Britain.
, which rises nearby at Dowdeswell
and runs through the town on its way to the Severn
. The town was awarded a market charter in 1226. Though little remains of its pre-spa history, Cheltenham has been a health and holiday spa town resort since the discovery of mineral spring
s there in 1716. The visit of George III with the queen and royal princesses in 1788 set a stamp of fashion on the spa. The spa waters continue to be taken recreationally at Pittville Pump Room, built for this purpose and completed in 1830; it is a centrepiece of Pittville
, a planned extension of Cheltenham to the north, undertaken by Joseph Pitt, who laid the first stone 4 May 1825. Cheltenham's success as a spa town is reflected in the railway station, which is still called Cheltenham Spa, and spa facilities in other towns that were inspired by or named after it.
Horse racing began in Cheltenham in 1815, and became a major national attraction after the establishment of the Festival
in 1902. Whilst the volume of tourists visiting the spa has declined, the racecourse attracts tens of thousands of visitors to each day of the festival each year, with such large numbers of visitors having a significant impact on the town.
On 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972
, the borough of Cheltenham was merged with Charlton Kings
urban district
to form the non-metropolitan district
of Cheltenham. Four parishes — Swindon Village
, Up Hatherley
, Leckhampton
and Prestbury
— were added to the borough of Cheltenham from the borough of Tewkesbury
in 1991.
The first British jet aircraft prototype, the Gloster E.28/39
, was manufactured in Cheltenham. Manufacturing started in Hucclecote near Gloucester, but was later moved to Regent Motors in Cheltenham High St (now the Regent Arcade), considered a location safer from bombing.
, with a total of 40 councillor
s elected to serve on the borough council. Since 2002 elections have been held every 2 years with half of the councillors elected at each election. Following the last election in 2010
there were 25 Liberal Democrat
members, 12 Conservatives
and 3 representing People Against Bureaucracy.
in the South-West region of England. It has an image of being respectable and wealthy. The small River Chelt
flows under and through the town and is subject to regular floods. It had a population of 110,013 at the 2001 census
. The inhabitants are known as "Cheltonians".
, Cheltenham experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. The town held the British maximum temperature record from 1990 to 2003 - temperatures reached 37.1 °C (98.8 °F). The absolute minimum is -20.1 C, set during December 1981. During a typical year, 128.6 days will report at least 1mm of precipitation, and some 44.6 nights will record an air frost.
, Benhall
, Charlton Kings
, Fairview
, Fiddlers Green, Hesters Way
, Leckhampton
, Montpellier
, Oakley, Pittville
, Prestbury
, The Reddings, Rowanfield
, St Marks, St Pauls
, St Peter's, Springbank, Springfields, Swindon Village
, Tivoli
, Up Hatherley
, Whaddon
and Wyman's Brook
.
Montpellier
Originally developed in the 1830s in conjunction with the spas, it is now known for its bars, cafés, restaurants and range of specialist shops.
Lansdown Crescent
Lansdown Crescent is a Regency period terrace
, designed by John Buonarotti Papworth
for R.W. and C. Jearrad and constructed in the 1830s. The terrace is convex, and opposite the north-eastern part stands Lansdown Court, an Italianate villa
possibly designed by Papworth but more probably by the Jearrads and built about 1830.
Charlton Park
Charlton Park is a former 72 acres (291,373.9 m²) historic park with mansion house, about a mile south-east of the town centre. From 1935 the parkland gradually became a private residential area, the main housing development taking place between 1976 and 1983. The original mansion house dated from the 13th century; alterations throughout the centuries transformed it from a medieval, timber-framed hall-house into an 18th-century brick-faced mansion in the classical style. In the 1780s the estate was emparked for deer and had magnificent Dutch-style water gardens. After 1935 the old house became part of Charlton Park Convent, and since 1987 has been part of St Edward's School
.
Prestbury
Prestbury is a small village on the outskirts of Cheltenham towards Winchcombe and Bishops Cleeve. It contains period houses as well as their modern counterparts. The village is built around the church in the centre. The war memorial in the centre of the village is a constant reminder of the losses made through the two world wars.
, including food processing, aerospace, electronics and tourism businesses. The Government's electronic surveillance
operation Government Communications Headquarters
(GCHQ), renowned for its "doughnut-shape" building, is in Cheltenham. Vertex Data Science, GE-Aviation
, Dowty Rotol
, Chelsea Building Society
, Endsleigh Insurance
, Nelson Thornes
, UCAS
(Universities & Colleges Admissions Service), Kohler Mira, Zurich Financial Services
, Douglas Equipment
and Spirax Sarco all have sites in and around Cheltenham.
Kraft Foods
' UK headquarters is presently in the St. George's House in Cheltenham, but will close sometime in 2011 after Kraft's purchase of Cadbury's, with the jobs moving to Cadbury's sites in Uxbridge
and Bournville
.
Cheltenham is a regional shopping centre, home to department store
s, the oldest being Cavendish House
, from 1823, and centres including the Regent Arcade and the Beechwood Shopping Centre. It is well-known locally for its nightlife, with a wide range of pubs, wine bars, clubs and restaurants. It has a Michelin two-star restaurant, Le Champignon Sauvage.
and is said to be "the most complete regency town in England". Many of the buildings are listed, including the Cheltenham Synagogue
, judged by Nikolaus Pevsner
to be one of the architecturally "best" non-Anglican ecclesiastical buildings in Britain.
The Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum
has a notable collection of decorative arts from the era of the Arts and Crafts Movement
.
The Holst
Birthplace Museum contains personal belongings of the composer of The Planets
, including his piano.
It also includes a working Victorian
kitchen and laundry, Regency drawing room and an Edwardian nursery.
The Cheltenham Civic Society has been responsible for erecting commemorative plaques in the town since 1982: blue plaques to celebrate well-known people and green plaques to celebrate significant places and events.
Every year, Cheltenham Festivals
organises music
, jazz
, literature
and science
festivals in the town, attracting names with national and international reputations in each field. Events take place at venues including the Town Hall
, the Everyman Theatre, The Playhouse Theatre
and the Pittville Pump Room
.
A fifth cultural festival, the Cheltenham Folk Festival, is separately organised but also attracts international performers. A more local event, the Cheltenham Festival of the Performing Arts (formerly Cheltenham Competitive Festival) is a collection of more than 300 performance competitions that is the oldest of Cheltenham's arts festivals, having been started in 1926.
Greenbelt
, a Christian
arts and music festival
, and Wychwood, a family-friendly folk and world music festival
, are held at Cheltenham Racecourse
. The town also hosts the multi-venue Walk the line festival
.
Two sporting events are also routinely described as the 'Cheltenham Festival' or 'the Festival': the Cheltenham Cricket Festival, which features Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
, and National Hunt racing's Cheltenham Festival
.
In 2010, Cheltenham was named the UK's fifth 'most musical' City by PRS for Music.
Cheltenham has played host to a number of high profile film and TV series. The BBC TV series Butterflies
, as well as the film If.... (1968) were both filmed in the town.
(founded in 1574). Cheltenham College
(founded in 1841) was the first of the major public school
s of the Victorian period
. The school was the setting in 1968 for the classic Lindsay Anderson
film if..... It also hosts the annual Cheltenham Cricket Festival, first staged in 1872, and the oldest cricket festival in the world.
The most famous school in the town, according to The Good Schools Guide
, is Cheltenham Ladies' College
(founded in 1853). Dean Close School
was founded in 1886 in memory of the Reverend Francis Close (1797–1882), a former rector of Cheltenham. The town also includes several campuses of the University of Gloucestershire
, one other public and six other state secondary schools, plus institutions of further education.
Cheltenham Racecourse
, in the nearby village of Prestbury
, is the home of National Hunt
, or jumps, racing in the UK. Meetings are hosted from October to April. The highlight of the season is the Cheltenham Gold Cup
, which is normally held in the middle of March, during the Cheltenham Festival
.
The local football teams are Cheltenham Town F.C.
who play in League Two
, Bishop's Cleeve who play in the Southern League
South & West Division, Cheltenham Saracens F.C.
in the Hellenic League
Premier and Cheltenham Civil Service F.C. who play in the local Gloucester Northern Senior League
.
Amateur rugby union
clubs include Cheltenham R.F.C., Cheltenham Saracens R.F.C., Cheltenham North R.F.C., Old Patesians R.F.C.
and Cheltenham Civil Service RFC.
The Cheltenham Rugby Festival
is a rugby league
-nines event held in May.
The town has one golf
course, Lilley Brook, in Charlton Kings.
Cheltenham has one of the largest croquet
clubs in the country, and is home to the headquarters of the national body of the sport, the Croquet Association
. The East Glos tennis, squash and women's hockey club, which was founded in 1885, is also located in the town.
Sandford Parks Lido
is one of the largest outdoor pools in England. There are a 50 m (164 ft) main pool, a children's pool and paddling pool
, set in landscaped gardens
.
meeting, and has race prize money second only to the Grand National
. It is an event where many of the best British and Irish trained horses race against each other, the extent of which is relatively rare during the rest of the season.
The festival takes place annually in March at Cheltenham Racecourse
. The meeting is often very popular with Irish
visitors, mostly because of that nation's affinity with horse racing, but also because it usually coincides with St. Patrick's Day, a national holiday in celebration of the patron saint
of Ireland.
Large amounts of money are bet during festival week, with hundreds of millions of pounds
being gambled over the four days. Cheltenham is often noted for its atmosphere, most notably the "Cheltenham roar", which refers to the enormous amount of noise that the crowd generates as the starter raises the tape for the first race of the festival.
Cheltenham Spa railway station
is located on the Bristol-Birmingham main line, with services to Gloucester
, Bristol
, Swindon
, London Paddington, Cardiff Central
, Plymouth
and the South West, Birmingham
, Derby
, the North West, the North East, and Scotland
.
The Cheltenham Spa Express
, once known as the "Cheltenham Flyer", is a named passenger train connecting Cheltenham with London.
The restored station
at Cheltenham Racecourse is the southern terminus of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway
heritage railway
.
Road
Cheltenham is adjacent to the M5 motorway
(between Bristol and Birmingham) and its junction with the A417
to Swindon
, and the A40
runs from across the M5 through the town towards Oxford
and London.
National Express
operate a number of coach services from Cheltenham including the 444 to London and the 222 to Heathrow
and Gatwick
airports.
Tramroad
Cheltenham was a terminus of the Gloucester and Cheltenham Tramroad
.
Bus
For a list of bus routes see List of bus routes in Gloucestershire#Cheltenham
is St. Mary's
, which is the only surviving medieval building in the town. As a result of expansion of the population, absorption of surrounding villages, and the efforts of both evangelical and Anglo-Catholic missions, the town has a large number of other parish churches, including Trinity Church
, one of the largest Church of England
congregations outside London, and All Saints', Pittville
, where the composer Gustav Holst
's father was the organist.
The town has two notable rings of bells hung for change ringing
. One is at St. Christopher's (Warden Hill), the lightest ring of church bells in the world. The bells of St. Mark's are renowned for their tonal excellence and ease of "handling". The product of John Taylor's Bell Foundry, they were cast in 1885 and 2007 and have undergone a major refurbishment. The other is a ring of 12 bells dating mainly from the 19th century hung in St. Mary's Church. These were the venue in 2008 for the eliminators of the National 12 Bell Striking contest, in which teams of campanologists
from around the world compete to win the Taylor Trophy. The towers in the locality of Cheltenham belong to the Cheltenham branch of the Gloucester & Bristol Diocesan Association of Church Bell Ringers.
St. Gregory's Roman Catholic church is an example of the work of the architect Charles Hansom
. The Gothic Revival
building was built 1854-57, the porch was added in 1859, the tower and spire were completed in 1861 and the nave
was extended to join the tower in 1877. The church's s stained glass
is by Hardman & Co.
Cheltenham is twinned with: - Annecy
, France - Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, USA - Göttingen
, Germany - Sochi
, Russia - Weihai
, China
The town has 'Friendship' status with: - Stampersgat
, Netherlands - Kisumu
, Kenya
Spa town
A spa town is a town situated around a mineral spa . Patrons resorted to spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word comes from the Belgian town Spa. In continental Europe a spa was known as a ville d'eau...
and borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, on the edge of the Cotswolds
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase
Steeplechase (horse racing)
The steeplechase is a form of horse racing and derives its name from early races in which orientation of the course was by reference to a church steeple, jumping fences and ditches and generally traversing the many intervening obstacles in the countryside...
horse racing, the Gold Cup
Cheltenham Gold Cup
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in the United Kingdom which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 miles and 2½ furlongs , and during its running there are twenty-two fences to be jumped...
, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival
Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival is one of the most prestigious meetings in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, and has race prize money second only to the Grand National...
held every March. The town hosts several festivals of culture often featuring nationally and internationally famous contributors and attendees; Cheltenham Literature Festival
Cheltenham Literature Festival
The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival, a large-scale international festival of literature in the Spa town of Cheltenham, and part of Cheltenham Festivals: also responsible for the Jazz, Music and Science Festivals that run every year....
, Cheltenham Jazz Festival
Cheltenham Jazz Festival
Cheltenham Jazz Festival is one of the UK’s leading jazz festivals, and is part of Cheltenham Festivals: also responsible for the Science, Music and Literature Festivals that run every year.]-Introduction and history:...
, Cheltenham Science Festival
Cheltenham Science Festival
The Cheltenham Science Festival is one of the UK's leading science festivals, and is part of Cheltenham Festivals: also responsible for the Jazz, Music and Literature Festivals that run every year.-Introduction and History:...
and Cheltenham Music Festival
Cheltenham Music Festival
The Cheltenham Music Festival is one of the oldest music festivals in Britain, held annually in Cheltenham in June/July since 1945. The festival is renowned for premieres of contemporary music, hosting over 250 music premieres as of July 2004....
.
The town was awarded a market charter in 1226, and has been a health and holiday resort since the discovery of mineral spring
Mineral spring
Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produce water containing minerals, or other dissolved substances, that alter its taste or give it a purported therapeutic value...
s there in 1716. Horse racing began in Cheltenham in 1815, and became a major national attraction after the establishment of the Festival
Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival is one of the most prestigious meetings in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, and has race prize money second only to the Grand National...
in 1902. On 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
, the borough of Cheltenham was merged with Charlton Kings
Charlton Kings
Charlton Kings is a suburb of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, England. The area constitutes a civil parish. Prior to the Local Government Act 1972 coming into force on April 1, 1974, it had been an urban district...
urban district
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
to form the non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
of Cheltenham. Four parishes — Swindon Village
Swindon Village
Swindon Village is both a village and a suburb in the spa town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. It is located northwest of Arle.Features of Swindon Village include:...
, Up Hatherley
Up Hatherley
Up Hatherley is a civil parish and a suburb of the spa town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Formerly a hamlet in the parish of Shurdington, it became a parish in 1887 and became a part of Cheltenham in 1991.-History:...
, Leckhampton
Leckhampton
Leckhampton is a district in south Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The area constitutes a civil parish and is part of the district of Cheltenham.-History:...
and Prestbury
Prestbury, Gloucestershire
Prestbury is a medium sized village near the edge of the Cotswolds. It is on the outskirts of the larger town, Cheltenham, and forms part of the borough of Cheltenham, despite retaining its own parish council as a civil parish. It is part of the Tewkesbury parliamentary constituency, represented...
— were added to the borough of Cheltenham from the borough of Tewkesbury
Tewkesbury (borough)
Tewkesbury is a local government district and borough in Gloucestershire, in the West Country of England. It is named after its main town, Tewkesbury...
in 1991.
Cheltenham has light industry
Light industry
Light industry is usually less capital intensive than heavy industry, and is more consumer-oriented than business-oriented...
, including food processing, aerospace, electronics and tourism businesses. The Government's electronic surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance is the monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of people. It is sometimes done in a surreptitious manner...
operation Government Communications Headquarters
Government Communications Headquarters
The Government Communications Headquarters is a British intelligence agency responsible for providing signals intelligence and information assurance to the UK government and armed forces...
(GCHQ), renowned for its "doughnut-shape" building, is in Cheltenham. Vertex Data Science, GE-Aviation
GE-Aviation
GE Aviation, a subsidiary of General Electric, is headquartered in Evendale, Ohio . GE Aviation is the top supplier of aircraft engines in the world, and offers engines for the majority of commercial aircraft. GE Aviation is part of the General Electric conglomerate, which is one of the world's...
, Dowty Rotol
Dowty Rotol
Dowty Rotol is a British engineering company based in Cheltenham specialised in the manufacture of propellers and propeller components. It is owned by General Electric, forming part of its GE Aviation Systems division.-History:...
, Chelsea Building Society
Chelsea Building Society
Chelsea Building Society was the fourth largest Building Society in the United Kingdom with total assets in excess of £13 billion at 31 December 2007 . It is a member of the Building Societies Association. Operating mainly in South East England with its network of 35 branches, its head office is...
, Endsleigh Insurance
Endsleigh Insurance
Endsleigh Insurance is a Cheltenham-based UK insurance intermediary specialising in the student and graduate markets. It is the preferred insurer for several unions and professional associations....
, Nelson Thornes
Nelson Thornes
Nelson Thornes is a publishing firm located in Cheltenham, Great Britain.Started in 1968, as Stanley Thornes, the company began primarily publishing English textbooks for students before branching out into other areas of education. In 2001 Stanley Thornes through its parent company Wolters Kluwer...
, UCAS
UCAS
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service is the British admission service for students applying to university and college. UCAS is primarily funded by students who pay a fee when they apply and a capitation fee from universities for each student they accept..-Location:UCAS is based near...
(Universities & Colleges Admissions Service), Kohler Mira, Zurich Financial Services
Zurich Financial Services
Zurich Financial Services AG is a major financial services group based in Zurich, Switzerland.-History:The Company was founded in 1872 as subsidiary of the Schweiz Marine Insurance Company under the name Versicherung Verein...
and Spirax Sarco all have sites in and around Cheltenham.
Cheltenham is a regional shopping centre, home to several shopping centres and department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
s, the oldest being Cavendish House
Cavendish House
Cavendish House is Cheltenham's oldest and leading department store , located on The Promenade. Its establishment was of great significance for Cheltenham's future reputation as a leading shopping centre. Known as 'Cavendish House' from its early days, its name was officially adopted with the...
from 1823. It is well-known locally for its nightlife, with a wide range of pubs, wine bars, clubs and restaurants. It has a Michelin two-star restaurant, Le Champignon Sauvage. In 2006, Cheltenham was voted the best place to live in Britain.
History
This place takes its name from the small river CheltRiver Chelt
The River Chelt is a tributary of England's largest river, the Severn. The Chelt flows through the western edge of the Cotswolds and the town of Cheltenham, before its confluence with the river Severn at Wainlodes Hill...
, which rises nearby at Dowdeswell
Dowdeswell
Dowdeswell is a civil parish in the ward of Chedworth, Cotswold, in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, England. It is separated into Upper and Lower Dowdeswell, the former being south of the latter....
and runs through the town on its way to the Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
. The town was awarded a market charter in 1226. Though little remains of its pre-spa history, Cheltenham has been a health and holiday spa town resort since the discovery of mineral spring
Mineral spring
Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produce water containing minerals, or other dissolved substances, that alter its taste or give it a purported therapeutic value...
s there in 1716. The visit of George III with the queen and royal princesses in 1788 set a stamp of fashion on the spa. The spa waters continue to be taken recreationally at Pittville Pump Room, built for this purpose and completed in 1830; it is a centrepiece of Pittville
Pittville
Pittville is a northern area of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, founded in the early 19th Century by Joseph Pitt. It contains Pittville park, with its two lakes, skatepark, tennis courts and Pump Room, Pittville School , the arts and media campus of the University of Gloucestershire, and some...
, a planned extension of Cheltenham to the north, undertaken by Joseph Pitt, who laid the first stone 4 May 1825. Cheltenham's success as a spa town is reflected in the railway station, which is still called Cheltenham Spa, and spa facilities in other towns that were inspired by or named after it.
Horse racing began in Cheltenham in 1815, and became a major national attraction after the establishment of the Festival
Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival is one of the most prestigious meetings in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, and has race prize money second only to the Grand National...
in 1902. Whilst the volume of tourists visiting the spa has declined, the racecourse attracts tens of thousands of visitors to each day of the festival each year, with such large numbers of visitors having a significant impact on the town.
On 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
, the borough of Cheltenham was merged with Charlton Kings
Charlton Kings
Charlton Kings is a suburb of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, England. The area constitutes a civil parish. Prior to the Local Government Act 1972 coming into force on April 1, 1974, it had been an urban district...
urban district
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
to form the non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
of Cheltenham. Four parishes — Swindon Village
Swindon Village
Swindon Village is both a village and a suburb in the spa town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. It is located northwest of Arle.Features of Swindon Village include:...
, Up Hatherley
Up Hatherley
Up Hatherley is a civil parish and a suburb of the spa town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Formerly a hamlet in the parish of Shurdington, it became a parish in 1887 and became a part of Cheltenham in 1991.-History:...
, Leckhampton
Leckhampton
Leckhampton is a district in south Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The area constitutes a civil parish and is part of the district of Cheltenham.-History:...
and Prestbury
Prestbury, Gloucestershire
Prestbury is a medium sized village near the edge of the Cotswolds. It is on the outskirts of the larger town, Cheltenham, and forms part of the borough of Cheltenham, despite retaining its own parish council as a civil parish. It is part of the Tewkesbury parliamentary constituency, represented...
— were added to the borough of Cheltenham from the borough of Tewkesbury
Tewkesbury (borough)
Tewkesbury is a local government district and borough in Gloucestershire, in the West Country of England. It is named after its main town, Tewkesbury...
in 1991.
The first British jet aircraft prototype, the Gloster E.28/39
Gloster E.28/39
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* James, Derek N. Gloster Aircraft since 1917. London: Putnam, 1987. ISBN 0-85177-807-0.* Mondey, David. The Hamlyn Concise Guide to British Aircraft of World War II. London: Chancellor Press, 1994. ISBN 1-85152-668-4.* Morgan, Eric B. "A New Concept of...
, was manufactured in Cheltenham. Manufacturing started in Hucclecote near Gloucester, but was later moved to Regent Motors in Cheltenham High St (now the Regent Arcade), considered a location safer from bombing.
Governance
Cheltenham is split into 20 wardsWards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
, with a total of 40 councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
s elected to serve on the borough council. Since 2002 elections have been held every 2 years with half of the councillors elected at each election. Following the last election in 2010
Cheltenham Council election, 2010
The 2010 Cheltenham Council election took place on 6 May 2010 to elect members of Cheltenham Borough Council in Gloucestershire, England. Half of the council was up for election and the Liberal Democrats stayed in overall control of the council....
there were 25 Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
members, 12 Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
and 3 representing People Against Bureaucracy.
Geography
Cheltenham is on the edge of the CotswoldsCotswolds
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
in the South-West region of England. It has an image of being respectable and wealthy. The small River Chelt
River Chelt
The River Chelt is a tributary of England's largest river, the Severn. The Chelt flows through the western edge of the Cotswolds and the town of Cheltenham, before its confluence with the river Severn at Wainlodes Hill...
flows under and through the town and is subject to regular floods. It had a population of 110,013 at the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
. The inhabitants are known as "Cheltonians".
Climate
As with the rest of the British IslesBritish Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
, Cheltenham experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. The town held the British maximum temperature record from 1990 to 2003 - temperatures reached 37.1 °C (98.8 °F). The absolute minimum is -20.1 C, set during December 1981. During a typical year, 128.6 days will report at least 1mm of precipitation, and some 44.6 nights will record an air frost.
Areas of Cheltenham
The districts of Cheltenham include ArleArle, Gloucestershire
Arle is a district of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, England. It was historically a manorial estate which owned parts of the town now known as Hesters Way, Fiddlers Green, Arle and Benhall. The names Arle Court, Arle House and Arle Mill are relics of the historic past. Much of the area was market...
, Benhall
Benhall, Gloucestershire
Benhall is a small district within the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. It lies south-west of the town centre, just south of the main road to Gloucester, and north of the district of Up Hatherley...
, Charlton Kings
Charlton Kings
Charlton Kings is a suburb of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, England. The area constitutes a civil parish. Prior to the Local Government Act 1972 coming into force on April 1, 1974, it had been an urban district...
, Fairview
Fairview, Cheltenham
Fairview is an area of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Situated between the town centre and Pittville, it is largely residential.According to maps in Cheltenham library, Fairview was part of an expansion of the town onto former farmland in the early nineteenth century...
, Fiddlers Green, Hesters Way
Hesters Way
Hesters Way is an area in the western part of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. It is home to Gloucestershire College's Cheltenham campus and Pate's Grammar School....
, Leckhampton
Leckhampton
Leckhampton is a district in south Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The area constitutes a civil parish and is part of the district of Cheltenham.-History:...
, Montpellier
Montpellier, Gloucestershire
Montpellier is a district of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire , at the end of the Promenade south of the town centre. Originally developed in the 1830s in conjunction with the spas, it is now known for its bars, cafés, restaurants and range of specialist shops...
, Oakley, Pittville
Pittville
Pittville is a northern area of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, founded in the early 19th Century by Joseph Pitt. It contains Pittville park, with its two lakes, skatepark, tennis courts and Pump Room, Pittville School , the arts and media campus of the University of Gloucestershire, and some...
, Prestbury
Prestbury, Gloucestershire
Prestbury is a medium sized village near the edge of the Cotswolds. It is on the outskirts of the larger town, Cheltenham, and forms part of the borough of Cheltenham, despite retaining its own parish council as a civil parish. It is part of the Tewkesbury parliamentary constituency, represented...
, The Reddings, Rowanfield
Rowanfield
Rowanfield is a neighbourhood in Cheltenham, England. It consists primarily of a social housing estate of Wimpey no-fines houses and low-rise flats, built around 1953, with Rowanfield School and a playing field to the West separating it from Hesters Way and also the older Rowanfield Road to the...
, St Marks, St Pauls
St. Pauls, Cheltenham
St. Pauls is one of a number of areas of the Cotswold town Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. St. Pauls is home to the Francis Close Hall, a campus of the University of Gloucestershire, St. Paul's Church, and many leisure facilities. Numerous stories exist of the gallows that were once housed...
, St Peter's, Springbank, Springfields, Swindon Village
Swindon Village
Swindon Village is both a village and a suburb in the spa town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. It is located northwest of Arle.Features of Swindon Village include:...
, Tivoli
Tivoli
The name Tivoli originally indicates the town of Tivoli in the Lazio region of central Italy, founded a few centuries before Rome. Because of the fame of the gardens of the Villa d'Este there , the name has also been applied to other entities:-Gardens, theatres and venues:* Jardin de Tivoli,...
, Up Hatherley
Up Hatherley
Up Hatherley is a civil parish and a suburb of the spa town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Formerly a hamlet in the parish of Shurdington, it became a parish in 1887 and became a part of Cheltenham in 1991.-History:...
, Whaddon
Whaddon, Cheltenham
Whaddon is an area in the North Eastern part of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Whaddon Road, the home of Cheltenham Town Football Club is situated here....
and Wyman's Brook
Wyman's Brook
Wymans Brook is a district in the north-west of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, named after the small river which flows through the district...
.
Montpellier
Originally developed in the 1830s in conjunction with the spas, it is now known for its bars, cafés, restaurants and range of specialist shops.
Lansdown Crescent
Lansdown Crescent is a Regency period terrace
Terraced house
In architecture and city planning, a terrace house, terrace, row house, linked house or townhouse is a style of medium-density housing that originated in Great Britain in the late 17th century, where a row of identical or mirror-image houses share side walls...
, designed by John Buonarotti Papworth
John Buonarotti Papworth
John Buonarotti Papworth was a prolific architect, artist and a founder member of the Royal Institute of British Architects....
for R.W. and C. Jearrad and constructed in the 1830s. The terrace is convex, and opposite the north-eastern part stands Lansdown Court, an Italianate villa
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
possibly designed by Papworth but more probably by the Jearrads and built about 1830.
Charlton Park
Charlton Park is a former 72 acres (291,373.9 m²) historic park with mansion house, about a mile south-east of the town centre. From 1935 the parkland gradually became a private residential area, the main housing development taking place between 1976 and 1983. The original mansion house dated from the 13th century; alterations throughout the centuries transformed it from a medieval, timber-framed hall-house into an 18th-century brick-faced mansion in the classical style. In the 1780s the estate was emparked for deer and had magnificent Dutch-style water gardens. After 1935 the old house became part of Charlton Park Convent, and since 1987 has been part of St Edward's School
St. Edward's School, Cheltenham
St. Edward's School is an independent co-educational Catholic school in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England welcoming pupils of all denominations from 11 to 18 years old....
.
Prestbury
Prestbury is a small village on the outskirts of Cheltenham towards Winchcombe and Bishops Cleeve. It contains period houses as well as their modern counterparts. The village is built around the church in the centre. The war memorial in the centre of the village is a constant reminder of the losses made through the two world wars.
Economy
Cheltenham has light industryLight industry
Light industry is usually less capital intensive than heavy industry, and is more consumer-oriented than business-oriented...
, including food processing, aerospace, electronics and tourism businesses. The Government's electronic surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance is the monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of people. It is sometimes done in a surreptitious manner...
operation Government Communications Headquarters
Government Communications Headquarters
The Government Communications Headquarters is a British intelligence agency responsible for providing signals intelligence and information assurance to the UK government and armed forces...
(GCHQ), renowned for its "doughnut-shape" building, is in Cheltenham. Vertex Data Science, GE-Aviation
GE-Aviation
GE Aviation, a subsidiary of General Electric, is headquartered in Evendale, Ohio . GE Aviation is the top supplier of aircraft engines in the world, and offers engines for the majority of commercial aircraft. GE Aviation is part of the General Electric conglomerate, which is one of the world's...
, Dowty Rotol
Dowty Rotol
Dowty Rotol is a British engineering company based in Cheltenham specialised in the manufacture of propellers and propeller components. It is owned by General Electric, forming part of its GE Aviation Systems division.-History:...
, Chelsea Building Society
Chelsea Building Society
Chelsea Building Society was the fourth largest Building Society in the United Kingdom with total assets in excess of £13 billion at 31 December 2007 . It is a member of the Building Societies Association. Operating mainly in South East England with its network of 35 branches, its head office is...
, Endsleigh Insurance
Endsleigh Insurance
Endsleigh Insurance is a Cheltenham-based UK insurance intermediary specialising in the student and graduate markets. It is the preferred insurer for several unions and professional associations....
, Nelson Thornes
Nelson Thornes
Nelson Thornes is a publishing firm located in Cheltenham, Great Britain.Started in 1968, as Stanley Thornes, the company began primarily publishing English textbooks for students before branching out into other areas of education. In 2001 Stanley Thornes through its parent company Wolters Kluwer...
, UCAS
UCAS
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service is the British admission service for students applying to university and college. UCAS is primarily funded by students who pay a fee when they apply and a capitation fee from universities for each student they accept..-Location:UCAS is based near...
(Universities & Colleges Admissions Service), Kohler Mira, Zurich Financial Services
Zurich Financial Services
Zurich Financial Services AG is a major financial services group based in Zurich, Switzerland.-History:The Company was founded in 1872 as subsidiary of the Schweiz Marine Insurance Company under the name Versicherung Verein...
, Douglas Equipment
Douglas Equipment
Douglas Equipment is an English manufacturer of vehicles that support the aircraft industry such as tugs, tractors etc. The firm is headquartered in the Arle area of Cheltenham, England with manufacturing operations around the world....
and Spirax Sarco all have sites in and around Cheltenham.
Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...
' UK headquarters is presently in the St. George's House in Cheltenham, but will close sometime in 2011 after Kraft's purchase of Cadbury's, with the jobs moving to Cadbury's sites in Uxbridge
Uxbridge
Uxbridge is a large town located in north west London, England and is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. It forms part of the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is located west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres...
and Bournville
Bournville
Bournville is a model village on the south side of Birmingham, England, best known for its connections with the Cadbury family and chocolate – including a dark chocolate bar branded "Bournville". It is also a ward within the council constituency of Selly Oak and home to the Bournville Centre...
.
Cheltenham is a regional shopping centre, home to department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
s, the oldest being Cavendish House
Cavendish House
Cavendish House is Cheltenham's oldest and leading department store , located on The Promenade. Its establishment was of great significance for Cheltenham's future reputation as a leading shopping centre. Known as 'Cavendish House' from its early days, its name was officially adopted with the...
, from 1823, and centres including the Regent Arcade and the Beechwood Shopping Centre. It is well-known locally for its nightlife, with a wide range of pubs, wine bars, clubs and restaurants. It has a Michelin two-star restaurant, Le Champignon Sauvage.
Culture
The town is famous for its Regency architectureRegency architecture
The Regency style of architecture refers primarily to buildings built in Britain during the period in the early 19th century when George IV was Prince Regent, and also to later buildings following the same style...
and is said to be "the most complete regency town in England". Many of the buildings are listed, including the Cheltenham Synagogue
Cheltenham Synagogue
The Cheltenham Synagogue is a synagogue in Cheltenham noted for its Regency architecture. It is an independent congregation located in the town centre on Synagogue Lane, off St James's Square....
, judged by Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
to be one of the architecturally "best" non-Anglican ecclesiastical buildings in Britain.
The Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum
Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum
Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire was opened in 1899. It offers free admission, and has a programme of special exhibitions....
has a notable collection of decorative arts from the era of the Arts and Crafts Movement
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
.
The Holst
Gustav Holst
Gustav Theodore Holst was an English composer. He is most famous for his orchestral suite The Planets....
Birthplace Museum contains personal belongings of the composer of The Planets
The Planets
The Planets, Op. 32, is a seven-movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1916. Each movement of the suite is named after a planet of the Solar System and its corresponding astrological character as defined by Holst...
, including his piano.
It also includes a working Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
kitchen and laundry, Regency drawing room and an Edwardian nursery.
The Cheltenham Civic Society has been responsible for erecting commemorative plaques in the town since 1982: blue plaques to celebrate well-known people and green plaques to celebrate significant places and events.
Every year, Cheltenham Festivals
Cheltenham Festivals
]Cheltenham Festivals is a registered charity that organises four festivals every year in the spa town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire: the Jazz, Science, Music and Literature. In addition to this it promotes the use of several venues for private and commercial use ]Cheltenham Festivals is a...
organises music
Cheltenham Music Festival
The Cheltenham Music Festival is one of the oldest music festivals in Britain, held annually in Cheltenham in June/July since 1945. The festival is renowned for premieres of contemporary music, hosting over 250 music premieres as of July 2004....
, jazz
Cheltenham Jazz Festival
Cheltenham Jazz Festival is one of the UK’s leading jazz festivals, and is part of Cheltenham Festivals: also responsible for the Science, Music and Literature Festivals that run every year.]-Introduction and history:...
, literature
Cheltenham Literature Festival
The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival, a large-scale international festival of literature in the Spa town of Cheltenham, and part of Cheltenham Festivals: also responsible for the Jazz, Music and Science Festivals that run every year....
and science
Cheltenham Science Festival
The Cheltenham Science Festival is one of the UK's leading science festivals, and is part of Cheltenham Festivals: also responsible for the Jazz, Music and Literature Festivals that run every year.-Introduction and History:...
festivals in the town, attracting names with national and international reputations in each field. Events take place at venues including the Town Hall
Cheltenham Town Hall
Cheltenham Town Hall is an early-20th century assembly rooms in Cheltenham, England. Unlike most town halls, it is a public venue and not the seat of the borough council, which is housed in the nearby municipal offices....
, the Everyman Theatre, The Playhouse Theatre
The Playhouse (Cheltenham)
The Playhouse Theatre Cheltenham is a community theatre in Cheltenham, United Kingdom. It is a registered charity and has been run by volunteers since 1957.-Societies:The following companies frequently present work at The Playhouse:* Ad Hoc Theatre Co...
and the Pittville Pump Room
Pittville Pump Room
The Pittville Pump Room was the last and largest of the spa buildings to be built in Cheltenham.The well from which the Pump Room's waters originate was first exploited by Henry Skillicorne around 1740, about 25 years after the waters were first discovered in 1716. After the visit to Cheltenham in...
.
A fifth cultural festival, the Cheltenham Folk Festival, is separately organised but also attracts international performers. A more local event, the Cheltenham Festival of the Performing Arts (formerly Cheltenham Competitive Festival) is a collection of more than 300 performance competitions that is the oldest of Cheltenham's arts festivals, having been started in 1926.
Greenbelt
Greenbelt festival
Greenbelt Festival is a festival of arts, faith and justice held annually in England since 1974. Greenbelt has grown from a Christian music festival with an audience of 1,500 young Christians to its current more secular festival attended by around 20,000 - Christians and non-Christians.The festival...
, a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
arts and music festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
, and Wychwood, a family-friendly folk and world music festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
, are held at Cheltenham Racecourse
Cheltenham Racecourse
Cheltenham Racecourse is a racecourse for horse racing events, located at Prestbury Park, in the suburban village of Prestbury on the outskirts of the English town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire...
. The town also hosts the multi-venue Walk the line festival
Walk the line festival
The Walk the Line Festival is a music and poetry festival which takes place at various venues in Cheltenham, southern England.The first Walk the Line festival took place on Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October 2009.-2011 line-up:* Ellen and the Escapades...
.
Two sporting events are also routinely described as the 'Cheltenham Festival' or 'the Festival': the Cheltenham Cricket Festival, which features Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
, and National Hunt racing's Cheltenham Festival
Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival is one of the most prestigious meetings in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, and has race prize money second only to the Grand National...
.
In 2010, Cheltenham was named the UK's fifth 'most musical' City by PRS for Music.
Cheltenham has played host to a number of high profile film and TV series. The BBC TV series Butterflies
Butterflies (TV series)
Butterflies is a British sitcom written by Carla Lane broadcast on BBC2 from 1978–83.The situation is the day-to-day life of the Parkinson family in a bittersweet style. There are both traditional comedy sources and more unusual sources such as Ria's unconsummated relationship with the...
, as well as the film If.... (1968) were both filmed in the town.
Education
The oldest school in Cheltenham is Pate's Grammar SchoolPate's Grammar School
Pate's Grammar School is a voluntary aided, selective grammar school in the Hesters Way area of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England catering for pupils aged 11 to 18. It was granted Language College status in 2001, is a Beacon school, and in February 2006 was one of the first in the country to be...
(founded in 1574). Cheltenham College
Cheltenham College
Cheltenham College is a co-educational independent school, located in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.One of the public schools of the Victorian period, it was opened in July 1841. An Anglican foundation, it is known for its classical, military and sporting traditions.The 1893 book Great...
(founded in 1841) was the first of the major public school
Independent school (UK)
An independent school is a school that is not financed through the taxation system by local or national government and is instead funded by private sources, predominantly in the form of tuition charges, gifts and long-term charitable endowments, and so is not subject to the conditions imposed by...
s of the Victorian period
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
. The school was the setting in 1968 for the classic Lindsay Anderson
Lindsay Anderson
Lindsay Gordon Anderson was an Indian-born, British feature film, theatre and documentary director, film critic, and leading light of the Free Cinema movement and the British New Wave...
film if..... It also hosts the annual Cheltenham Cricket Festival, first staged in 1872, and the oldest cricket festival in the world.
The most famous school in the town, according to The Good Schools Guide
The Good Schools Guide
The Good Schools Guide is a guide to British schools .- Overview :The guide is compiled by a team of editors, which according to the official website "comprises some 50 editors, writers, researchers and contributors; mostly parents but some former headteachers." The website states that it is...
, is Cheltenham Ladies' College
Cheltenham Ladies' College
The Cheltenham Ladies' College is an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.-History:The school was founded in 1853...
(founded in 1853). Dean Close School
Dean Close School
Dean Close School is a co-educational independent school in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The school is divided into pre-prep, preparatory and senior schools located on separate but adjacent sites outside Cheltenham town centre, occupying the largest private land area in the town...
was founded in 1886 in memory of the Reverend Francis Close (1797–1882), a former rector of Cheltenham. The town also includes several campuses of the University of Gloucestershire
University of Gloucestershire
The University of Gloucestershire is a university primarily based in Gloucestershire, England, spread over four campuses, three in Cheltenham and one in Gloucester...
, one other public and six other state secondary schools, plus institutions of further education.
Sport and leisure
Cheltenham Racecourse
Cheltenham Racecourse is a racecourse for horse racing events, located at Prestbury Park, in the suburban village of Prestbury on the outskirts of the English town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire...
, in the nearby village of Prestbury
Prestbury, Gloucestershire
Prestbury is a medium sized village near the edge of the Cotswolds. It is on the outskirts of the larger town, Cheltenham, and forms part of the borough of Cheltenham, despite retaining its own parish council as a civil parish. It is part of the Tewkesbury parliamentary constituency, represented...
, is the home of National Hunt
National Hunt racing
National Hunt racing is the official name given to the sport of horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Ireland in which the horses are required to jump over obstacles called hurdles or fences...
, or jumps, racing in the UK. Meetings are hosted from October to April. The highlight of the season is the Cheltenham Gold Cup
Cheltenham Gold Cup
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in the United Kingdom which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 miles and 2½ furlongs , and during its running there are twenty-two fences to be jumped...
, which is normally held in the middle of March, during the Cheltenham Festival
Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival is one of the most prestigious meetings in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, and has race prize money second only to the Grand National...
.
The local football teams are Cheltenham Town F.C.
Cheltenham Town F.C.
Cheltenham Town Football Club is an English football club playing in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. Founded in 1887, the team has played at four different grounds, namely Agg-Gardner's Recreation Ground, Carter's Field and now the Abbey Business Stadium, although it is more...
who play in League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
, Bishop's Cleeve who play in the Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
South & West Division, Cheltenham Saracens F.C.
Cheltenham Saracens F.C.
Cheltenham Saracens F.C. are a football club based in Cheltenham, England. They joined the Hellenic League Division One in 1986. Currently they are members of the Hellenic Football League Premier Division...
in the Hellenic League
Hellenic Football League
The Hellenic Football League is an English football league covering an area including the English counties of Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, southern Buckinghamshire, southern Herefordshire, western Greater London, and northern Wiltshire. There is also one team from Hampshire.The league...
Premier and Cheltenham Civil Service F.C. who play in the local Gloucester Northern Senior League
Gloucester Northern Senior League
The Gloucestershire Northern Senior League is a football competition based in England founded in 1922. The league is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA. It has two divisions, Division One and Division Two, with Division One sitting at level 12 of the English football league system. This...
.
Amateur rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
clubs include Cheltenham R.F.C., Cheltenham Saracens R.F.C., Cheltenham North R.F.C., Old Patesians R.F.C.
Old Patesians R.F.C.
Old Patesians Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The club is currently in National Three South West.-History:...
and Cheltenham Civil Service RFC.
The Cheltenham Rugby Festival
Cheltenham Rugby Festival
GRL Cheltenham Rugby Festival is a rugby league nines event held in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. It is organised by the Gloucestershire County Rugby League in partnership with Cheltenham Borough Council and the Tourist Board....
is a rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
-nines event held in May.
The town has one golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
course, Lilley Brook, in Charlton Kings.
Cheltenham has one of the largest croquet
Croquet
Croquet is a lawn game, played both as a recreational pastime and as a competitive sport. It involves hitting plastic or wooden balls with a mallet through hoops embedded into the grass playing court.-History:...
clubs in the country, and is home to the headquarters of the national body of the sport, the Croquet Association
Croquet Association
The Croquet Association, which was formed as the United All England Croquet Association in 1897 , is the national governing body for the sport of croquet in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle Of Man. Until 1974 the association was responsible for croquet in the whole...
. The East Glos tennis, squash and women's hockey club, which was founded in 1885, is also located in the town.
Sandford Parks Lido
Sandford Parks Lido
Sandford Parks Lido is one of the largest outdoor swimming pools in the UK, set in landscaped gardens in Cheltenham, England. The Lido consists of a 50-metre main pool , a children's pool, and paddling pool. All the pools are heated to over .‘Historic outdoor pools are like gold dust and Sandford...
is one of the largest outdoor pools in England. There are a 50 m (164 ft) main pool, a children's pool and paddling pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
, set in landscaped gardens
Landscape garden
The term landscape garden is often used to describe the English garden design style characteristic of the eighteenth century, that swept the Continent replacing the formal Renaissance garden and Garden à la française models. The work of Lancelot 'Capability' Brown is particularly influential.The...
.
Cheltenham Festival
Cheltenham Festival is a significant National Hunt racingNational Hunt racing
National Hunt racing is the official name given to the sport of horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Ireland in which the horses are required to jump over obstacles called hurdles or fences...
meeting, and has race prize money second only to the Grand National
Grand National
The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
. It is an event where many of the best British and Irish trained horses race against each other, the extent of which is relatively rare during the rest of the season.
The festival takes place annually in March at Cheltenham Racecourse
Cheltenham Racecourse
Cheltenham Racecourse is a racecourse for horse racing events, located at Prestbury Park, in the suburban village of Prestbury on the outskirts of the English town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire...
. The meeting is often very popular with Irish
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
visitors, mostly because of that nation's affinity with horse racing, but also because it usually coincides with St. Patrick's Day, a national holiday in celebration of the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of Ireland.
Large amounts of money are bet during festival week, with hundreds of millions of pounds
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
being gambled over the four days. Cheltenham is often noted for its atmosphere, most notably the "Cheltenham roar", which refers to the enormous amount of noise that the crowd generates as the starter raises the tape for the first race of the festival.
Transport
RailwayCheltenham Spa railway station
Cheltenham Spa railway station
Cheltenham Spa railway station is in Gloucestershire, England, on the Bristol-Birmingham main line. It is managed by First Great Western and is about one mile from the town centre.-History:...
is located on the Bristol-Birmingham main line, with services to Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
, London Paddington, Cardiff Central
Cardiff Central railway station
Cardiff Central railway station is a major railway station on the South Wales Main Line in Cardiff, Wales.It is the largest and busiest station in Wales and one of the major stations of the British rail network, the tenth busiest station in the United Kingdom outside of London , based on 2007/08...
, Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
and the South West, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
, the North West, the North East, and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
The Cheltenham Spa Express
Cheltenham Spa Express
The Cheltenham Spa Express is a British named passenger train service from Paddington station, in London, to Cheltenham Spa, in Gloucestershire, via Reading, Kemble, Stroud, Stonehouse and Gloucester...
, once known as the "Cheltenham Flyer", is a named passenger train connecting Cheltenham with London.
The restored station
Cheltenham Racecourse railway station
Cheltenham Racecourse railway station is a railway station serving Cheltenham Racecourse on the outskirts of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, England....
at Cheltenham Racecourse is the southern terminus of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway
Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway
The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway is a volunteer-run heritage railway on the Gloucestershire/Worcestershire/Warwickshire Borders that has reopened the closed railway line between Laverton Halt and Cheltenham Racecourse railway stations in Gloucestershire/Worcestershire., it currently...
heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
.
Road
Cheltenham is adjacent to the M5 motorway
M5 motorway
The M5 is a motorway in England. It runs from a junction with the M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Bromwich and west of Birmingham through Sandwell Valley...
(between Bristol and Birmingham) and its junction with the A417
A417 road
-Streatley - Gloucester :It runs from Streatley at its junction with the A329 to Wantage, over the picturesque Berkshire Downs. In Wantage, it negotiates the market place -Streatley - Gloucester (M5):It runs from Streatley at its junction with the A329 (between Reading and Wallingford) to Wantage,...
to Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
, and the A40
A40 road
The A40 is a major trunk road connecting London to Fishguard, Wales and officially called The London to Fishguard Trunk Road in all legal documents and Acts...
runs from across the M5 through the town towards Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and London.
National Express
National Express
National Express Coaches, more commonly known as National Express, is a brand and company, owned by the National Express Group, under which the majority of long distance bus and coach services in Great Britain are operated,...
operate a number of coach services from Cheltenham including the 444 to London and the 222 to Heathrow
London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
and Gatwick
London Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport is located 3.1 miles north of the centre of Crawley, West Sussex, and south of Central London. Previously known as London Gatwick,In 2010, the name changed from London Gatwick Airport to Gatwick Airport...
airports.
Tramroad
Cheltenham was a terminus of the Gloucester and Cheltenham Tramroad
Gloucester and Cheltenham Tramroad
The Gloucester and Cheltenham Tramroad, also known as the Gloucester and Cheltenham Railway, connected Gloucester with Cheltenham with horse-drawn trams. Its primary economic purpose was the transport of coal from Gloucester's docks to the rapidly-developing spa town of Cheltenham, and onwards to...
.
Bus
For a list of bus routes see List of bus routes in Gloucestershire#Cheltenham
Churches
Cheltenham's Church of England parish churchChurch of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
is St. Mary's
St Mary's Church, Cheltenham
St Mary's Church, Cheltenham is a parish church in the Church of England in Cheltenham.-Background:It is the only surviving medieval building in Cheltenham. It has been in continuous use for 850 years, though between 1859 and 1877 it was closed intermittently for repairs.It is believed to have...
, which is the only surviving medieval building in the town. As a result of expansion of the population, absorption of surrounding villages, and the efforts of both evangelical and Anglo-Catholic missions, the town has a large number of other parish churches, including Trinity Church
Trinity Cheltenham
Trinity Cheltenham is an evangelical, charismatic Anglican church in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. As well as being part of the Church of England, it is a major contributor to the New Wine network. The Church has around 1500 members, making it one of the largest churches in the UK...
, one of the largest Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
congregations outside London, and All Saints', Pittville
Pittville
Pittville is a northern area of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, founded in the early 19th Century by Joseph Pitt. It contains Pittville park, with its two lakes, skatepark, tennis courts and Pump Room, Pittville School , the arts and media campus of the University of Gloucestershire, and some...
, where the composer Gustav Holst
Gustav Holst
Gustav Theodore Holst was an English composer. He is most famous for his orchestral suite The Planets....
's father was the organist.
The town has two notable rings of bells hung for change ringing
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
. One is at St. Christopher's (Warden Hill), the lightest ring of church bells in the world. The bells of St. Mark's are renowned for their tonal excellence and ease of "handling". The product of John Taylor's Bell Foundry, they were cast in 1885 and 2007 and have undergone a major refurbishment. The other is a ring of 12 bells dating mainly from the 19th century hung in St. Mary's Church. These were the venue in 2008 for the eliminators of the National 12 Bell Striking contest, in which teams of campanologists
Campanology
Campanology is the study of bells. It encompasses the physical realities of bells — how they are cast, tuned and sounded — as well as the various methods devised to perform bell-ringing....
from around the world compete to win the Taylor Trophy. The towers in the locality of Cheltenham belong to the Cheltenham branch of the Gloucester & Bristol Diocesan Association of Church Bell Ringers.
St. Gregory's Roman Catholic church is an example of the work of the architect Charles Hansom
Charles Francis Hansom
Charles Francis Hansom was a prominent Roman Catholic Victorian architect who primarily designed in the Gothic Revival style.-Career:...
. The Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
building was built 1854-57, the porch was added in 1859, the tower and spire were completed in 1861 and the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
was extended to join the tower in 1877. The church's s stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
is by Hardman & Co.
Hardman & Co.
Hardman & Co., otherwise John Hardman Trading Co., Ltd., founded 1838, began manufacturing stained glass in 1844 and became one of the world's leading manufacturers of stained glass and ecclesiastical fittings...
Twin towns
Annecy
Annecy is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy , 35 kilometres south of Geneva.-Administration:...
, France - Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, USA - Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
, Germany - Sochi
Sochi
Sochi is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated just north of Russia's border with the de facto independent republic of Abkhazia, on the Black Sea coast. Greater Sochi sprawls for along the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains...
, Russia - Weihai
Weihai
Weihai is a city in eastern Shandong Province, People's Republic of China. It is the easternmost prefecture-level city of the province and a major seaport. Between 1898 and 1930, the town was a British colony known as Weihaiwei or the Weihai Garrison , and sometimes as Port Edward...
, China
The town has 'Friendship' status with: - Stampersgat
Stampersgat
Stampersgat is a village situated in the municipality of Halderberge, in the north-west of the North Brabant province in the Netherlands.-References:...
, Netherlands - Kisumu
Kisumu
Kisumu is a port city in western Kenya at , with a population of 355,024 . It is the third largest city in Kenya, the principal city of western Kenya, the immediate former capital of Nyanza Province and the headquarters of Kisumu County. It has a municipal charter but no city charter...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
See also
- HMS CheltenhamHMS CheltenhamHMS Cheltenham was a Racecourse class minesweeper of the Royal Navy built in 1916. The Racecourse Class comprised 32 paddlewheel coastal minesweeping sloops. It was named for Cheltenham Racecourse....
, a Racecourse class minesweeperRacecourse class minesweeperThe Racecourse class minesweepers were 32 ships delivered to the Royal Navy during the First World War. They were built to two related designs as paddlewheel coastal minesweeping sloops under the Emergency War Programme. The vessels were reasonable sea-boats, but lost speed badly in a seaway when...
of 1916 - Acclaim CheltenhamAcclaim CheltenhamAcclaim Cheltenham was a game studio in Cheltenham, England that was founded in 1984. They were acquired by Acclaim Entertainment on October 10, 1995...
, a game studio that made Extreme-G 3Extreme-G 3XG3: Extreme G Racing, or XGIII, or more commonly known as Extreme-G 3, is a futuristic racing game for the Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2. It was developed by Acclaim Cheltenham and published by Acclaim Entertainment. It was released for the PlayStation 2 in North America on August 21, 2001,...
and XGRA: Extreme-G Racing AssociationXGRA: Extreme-G Racing AssociationXGRA: Extreme G-Racing Association is a futuristic racing game and the follow-up to Extreme-G 3. This game features more tracks as well as a brand new weapon system.-Overview:... - List of spa towns in the United Kingdom
- Cheltenham (UK Parliament constituency)
External links
- Cheltenham Borough Council
- Genealogical Web site including many relevant references on Cheltenham
- BBC archive film of Cheltenham from 1985
- Cheltenham on WikiTravel