Gloucestershire Tourist Guide - Articles
Cheltenham Spa
Cheltenham Spa is a large spa town and borough near Gloucester and Cirencester. The town is located on the edge of the Cotswold's and has an image nationally of being respectable and wealthy. It 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".
You will be spoilt for choice with the many good quality hotels and restaurants within the town, including The Corse Lawn House Hotel, The Greenway Hotel and The Rowans Restaurant
Cheltenham holds music, jazz, folk and literary 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 (below).
Cheltenham is well known for its horse racing. Cheltenham Racecourse, located in the suburb of Prestbury, is the home of National Hunt 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 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.
Cheltenham Spa 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 (above) and the Beechwood Arcade. The old Flowers brewery site has been converted into a leisure quarter, "The Brewery", with gym, multiplex cinema, bingo, restaurants and pubs.
The town serves as a regional nightlife centre, attracting up to 30,000 people at the weekends. 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.
Cheltenham Spa
