Cheltenham
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Borough of Cheltenham | |
|---|---|
  |
 Shown within Gloucestershire |
| Geography | |
| Status: | Borough |
| Region: | South West England |
| Admin. County: | Gloucestershire |
| Area: - Total |
Ranked 304th 46.61 km² |
| Admin. HQ: | Cheltenham |
| Grid reference: | SO 9422 |
| ONS code: | 23UB |
| Demographics | |
| Population: - Total (2005 est.) - Density |
Ranked 186th 111,700 2,396 / km² |
| Ethnicity: | 96.7% White 1.4% S.Asian |
| Politics | |
| Cheltenham Borough Council www.cheltenham.gov.uk |
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| Leadership: | Leader & Cabinet |
| Executive: | Conservative (council NOC) |
| MPs: | Martin Horwood, Laurence Robertson |
| Coat of arms | |
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Cheltenham (or Cheltenham Spa) is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, England, near Gloucester and Cirencester. The town has a population of 110,013 (2001 census) and the people of the town are known as "Cheltonians". The town motto is: Salubritas et Eruditio ("Health and Education").
The town is located on the edge of the Cotswolds and has an image nationally of being respectable and wealthy. Cheltenham has been a health and holiday spa town resort since the discovery of mineral springs there in 1716. The town is famous for its Regency architecture and is said to be "the most complete regency town in England". The small River Chelt flows under and through the town.
Cheltenham is well known for being the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horseracing, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Cheltenham Town football club, Cheltenham College and Cheltenham Ladies' College. The town hosts several festivals of culture, principally the annual Cheltenham Festival of Literature.
On April 1, 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, the borough of Cheltenham was merged with Charlton Kings urban district to form the modern non-metropolitan district of Cheltenham. Four parishes - Swindon, Up Hatherley, Leckhampton and Prestbury - were added to the borough of Cheltenham from the borough of Tewkesbury in 1991.[1]
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[edit] Education
In accordance with the "Eruditio" part of its motto, Cheltenham is a centre for education, including; Cheltenham College, Cheltenham Ladies' College, Pate's Grammar School, St. Edward's School, Dean Close School, and the main campuses of the University of Gloucestershire.
[edit] Festivals
Cheltenham holds music, jazz, folk, literary and science festivals every year, most significantly the Cheltenham Music Festival, founded in 1945 and now in its sixth decade. Events take place at the Town Hall, the Everyman Theatre, The Playhouse Theatre and the Pittville Pump Room. Additionally, Greenbelt, a Christian arts and music festival, is held at Cheltenham Racecourse.
[edit] Sport
Cheltenham is well known for its horse racing. Cheltenham Racecourse, located in the suburb of Prestbury, is the home of National Hunt, or jumps, racing in the UK. Meetings are hosted from November 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. This happy co-incidence (with St Patrick's Day) ensures that the town swells with an influx of Irish horseracing devotees.
The local football team is Cheltenham Town F.C., who have recently enjoyed moderate success in the football league, gaining promotion to League One.
There are several amateur rugby clubs including Cheltenham RFC, Cheltenham North RFC, Old Patesians RFC, and Cheltenham Civil Service RFC.
The town features three golf courses, at Cleeve Hill, Cotswold Hills and Lilley Brook.
Sandford Parks Lido is one of the largest outdoor pools in England. There is a 50-metre main pool as well as a children's pool and paddling pool, both of which are set in landscaped gardens.
[edit] Shopping and nightlife
Cheltenham is a regional shopping centre, home to several department stores, including Cavendish House, part of the House of Fraser chain, and arcades including the Regent Arcade and the Beechwood Arcade. The old Flowers brewery site has been converted into a leisure quarter, "The Brewery", with gym, multiplex cinema, bingo, restaurants, pubs and bars. The town serves as a regional nightlife centre, attracting up to 30,000 people at the weekends (council figures). When the new licensing laws were introduced, The Times ran an article that stated Cheltenham had more late licensed venues per capita, than anywhere else in the country.
[edit] Major employers
Cheltenham has light industry, including food processing, aerospace, electronics and tourism. The British government's electronic surveillance operation GCHQ, renowned for its "doughnut-shape" building, is located in Cheltenham. Cheltenham is also home to Smiths Industries, Dowty, Chelsea Building Society, Endsleigh Insurance, UCAS (Universities & Colleges Admissions Service), Kohler Mira, Cheltenham and Gloucester, Zurich Financial Services, and the UK headquarters of Kraft Foods.
[edit] Railway
Cheltenham Spa railway station is located on the main Bristol-Birmingham line, giving connections to Gloucester, Bristol, Swindon, London Paddington, 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.
In addition, a restored station at Cheltenham racecourse is the south terminus for the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway preserved railway.
[edit] Churches
- St. Gregory's - large Catholic church
- St Mary's Church - the original church of the town and the only surviving medieval building.
- St Matthew's Church - now a combined parish with St Mary's.
- All Saints' Church - Church with a musical tradition - Solemn High Mass on Sundays. Gustav Holst was a Chorister at All Saints; his father, Adolph von Holst, was Organist and Master of the Choristers.
- Christ Church
- St Paul's Church
- St Luke's Church
- Trinity Church - one of the largest Anglican churches outside London.
- St Mark's - now the West Cheltenham Team Ministry
[edit] Twin Towns
Cheltenham is twinned with:
- Annecy, France
- Cheltenham, New South Wales, Australia
- Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
- Göttingen, Germany
- Sochi, Russia
- Weihai, China
The town also has 'Friendship' status with:
- Stampersgat, Netherlands
- Kisumu, Kenya
[edit] Areas of Cheltenham
The districts of Cheltenham include Arle, Benhall, Charlton Kings, Fairview, Fiddlers Green, Hesters Way, Leckhampton, Montpellier, Pittville, Prestbury, The Reddings, Rowanfield, St Marks, St Paul's, St Peter's, Springbank, Spingfields, Swindon Village, Up Hatherley, Whaddon and Wymans Brook.
[edit] Notable Cheltonians
Edward Wilson of the British Antarctic Expedition reached the South Pole on January 17 1912 and died with Captain Scott on the Great Ice Barrier in March 1912
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Cheltenham Borough Council
- VisitCheltenham.com - official tourism website
- Art Gallery & Museum
- Festivals
- Gloucestershire Echo (local newspaper)
- Greenbelt
- Historical information
- Cheltenham Town Football Club
| Following the Cotswold Way | |
|---|---|
| Towards Bath |
Towards Chipping Campden |
| 16km (10 miles) to Leckhampton, from White's Barn |
13.5km (8 miles) to Winchcombe, from White's Barn |
| Districts of South West England |  |
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Bath and North East Somerset | Bournemouth | Bristol | Caradon | Carrick | Cheltenham | Christchurch | Cotswold | East Devon | East Dorset | Exeter | Forest of Dean | Gloucester | Isles of Scilly | Kennet | Kerrier | Mendip | Mid Devon | North Cornwall | North Devon | North Dorset | North Somerset | North Wiltshire | Penwith | Plymouth | Poole | Purbeck | Restormel | Salisbury | Sedgemoor | South Gloucestershire | South Hams | South Somerset | Stroud | Swindon | Taunton Deane | Teignbridge | Tewkesbury | Torbay | Torridge | West Devon | West Dorset | West Somerset | West Wiltshire | Weymouth and Portland |
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Counties with multiple districts: Cornwall - Devon - Dorset - Gloucestershire - Somerset - Wiltshire |
