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The Promenade
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Pittville Pump Room
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It is no exaggeration to say that this
beautiful spa town is one of the most loved in England. It is elegant
and idiosyncratic: whereas many conurbations nowadays have lost
their individuality, Cheltenham retains its unique character and
individuality which are evident in its Regency buildings, its spectacular
floral displays, its specialist shops and its people who display
a style all of their own. Once upon a time, Cheltenham was just
another non-descript little place where people lived, breathed and
went about their business. But all that was to change in the early
18th century, when a landowner discovered, quite by chance, a spring
in his field which was reputed to have healing qualities. When no
less a great personage than George III himself visited the town
in 1788, its fate as a fashionable centre for the more gentile was
established. Thus began its transformation into an English garden
city. Pump rooms, avenues and walks were built, along with grand
houses with their classic pedimented columns, still intact today.
Public schools were established, and the rich appeared in their
droves. Today it's a wonderful place to visit for its architecture,
its beautiful parks and its museums. Gustav Holst was born here,
and the town is home to a museum, which includes the piano of this
composer best known for his orchestral suite The Planets. Pittville
Pump Room has been restored to its former glory: the spa waters
still flow from the ornate wellhead in the Pump Room, which also
houses a splendid Gallery of Fashion. And, of course, no-one thinks
of Cheltenham without envisaging its Promenade, tree-lined and flower-filled,
where stand two statues which must be seen. One is the loved Neptune
fountain, and the other is a monument to Edward Wilson, the brave
explorer who was born in Cheltenham, and destined to die so far
away, in the Antarctic with Scott's ill-fated 1912 expedition. The
pleasures of Cheltenham are too great to list, but mention must
be made of the splendid variety of eating places - and the shops!
Leave your credit cards at home for, as Oscar Wilde once said, you
will be able to resist everything except temptation in this town.
Make a particular effort to see the individual shops in Montpellier
where you can also find Cheltenham Ladies' College (such is its
reputation, Madonna is said to have put Lourdes' name down), built
on the site where the original spring was discovered. |
