Cheltenham
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- This article is about the town of Cheltenham in England. For other places called Cheltenham see Cheltenham (disambiguation)
Cheltenham.view.arp.jpg
Cheltenham (or Cheltenham Spa) is a spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, England, near Gloucester and Cirencester. The town has a population of 110,013 (2001 census). The town motto is: Salubritas et Eruditio — Health and Education
The town is located on the edge of the Cotswolds and is generally regarded as respectable and wealthy. It has been a health and holiday spa town resort since the discovery of mineral springs there in 1716, although the local mineral water is no longer consumed, especially after the pipes connecting to the spring decayed in 2004.
It is popular as a shopping centre, and is home to the department store Cavendish House. It is particularly known for its private schools, Cheltenham College and Ladies' College. It is also home to the prestigious Pate's Grammar School.
| Borough of Cheltenham | |
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| Geography | |
| Status: | Borough |
| Region: | South West England |
| Admin. County: | Gloucestershire |
| Area: - Total | Ranked 304th 46.61 km² |
| Admin. HQ: | Cheltenham |
| ONS code: | 23UB |
| Demographics | |
| Population: - Total (2003 est.) - Density | Ranked 189th 109,962 2,359 / km² |
| Ethnicity: | 96.7% White 1.4% S.Asian |
| Politics | |
| Cheltenham Borough Council http://www.cheltenham.gov.uk/ | |
| Leadership: | Leader & Cabinet |
| Executive: | Liberal Democrats |
| MPs: | Martin Horwood, Laurence Robertson |
Internationally, Cheltenham is probably best known for its horse racing. Cheltenham Racecourse, located on the outskirts of the town in the suburb of Prestbury, is the home of National Hunt, or jumps, racing in the UK. Meetings are hosted during the winter months (when the ground is soft enough for the horses to safely negotiate the fences) 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. It also plays host to Greenbelt once a year — a Christian arts and music festival.
The town is twinned with Annecy, France; Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.; Göttingen, Germany; Sochi, Russia and Weihai, China. The town also has 'Friendship' status with Stampersgat, the Netherlands and Kisumu, Kenya.
Cheltenham holds music, jazz, literary and science festivals every year.
The local football team is Cheltenham Town F.C., who have recently enjoyed success in the football league.
Cheltenham has a number of light industries, 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 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.
Famous people from Cheltenham include the composer Gustav Holst, the explorer Edward Wilson (who joined Scott on his ill-fated Antarctic Expedition), physician Edward Jenner who invented vaccination and Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones.
Gallery
Missing image Cheltenham.evans.arp.jpg Statue of Edward Wilson in the town centre. Born Cheltenham 1872, died Antarctica 1912. The plinth reads: Edward Wilson of the British Antarctic Expedition reached the South Pole on January 17th 1912 and died with Captain Scott on the Great Ice Barrier in March 1912 | Missing image Cheltenham.clock.arp.jpg Probably the tallest mechanical clock in the world, in Regent Shopping Arcade. The distance from the duck to the fish is 45 feet |
Missing image Cheltenham.town.hall.arp.jpg The Town Hall, erected in 1902 to commemorate the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra | Missing image Cheltenham.queens.hotel.arp.jpg The Queens Hotel in Cheltenham, built in the mid-1830s in Regency style |
Missing image Cheltenham.minotaur.arp.jpg “The Minotaur and the Hare” bronze on the pedestrianised part of the Promenade. Sculpted by Sophie Ryder in 1995 |
External links
- Visiting Cheltenham (http://www.visitcheltenham.com/libraries/templates/index.asp)
- Art Gallery & Museum (http://www.cheltenhammuseum.org.uk/home/home.asp)
- Cheltenham Racecourse (http://www.cheltenham.co.uk)
- Cheltenham Festivals (http://www.cheltenhamfestivals.co.uk)
| Districts of England - 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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Administrative counties with multiple districts: Cornwall - Devon - Dorset - Gloucestershire - Somerset - Wiltshire |