Gloucestershire vol. XV - Cheltenham and District

Work in progress

Work on this volume started in October 2013. The intention is to cover all components of the historic Cheltenham Hundred, namely  the four ancient parishes of Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Leckhampton, and Swindon (village), plus the adjacent parish of Up Hatherley, and some revision of the southwest part of Prestbury directly adjacent to Cheltenham (originally covered in Vol VIII).

The history of the town from its origins to 1738 has been published as  the VCH 'Short' Cheltenham Before the Spa. The coverage of the town from the creation of the spa to the present day has been completed and is available in draft form for comment. The Gloucestershire County History Trust gratefully acknowledges the support of the Summerfield Charitable Trust.

Work is now ongoing on Leckhampton, Swindon village and Up Hatherley. Further fundraising is required before work can commence on Charlton Kings. As ever our work is supported and encouraged by our enthusiastic volunteers. If you are interested in finding out more about volunteering to help VCH Gloucestershire, please visit the VCH Gloucestershire website.

Cheltenham 1738-2017

Dr Alex Craven served as the editor for Cheltenham until the autumn of 2017. With the assistance of our medievalist Dr Beth Hartland and our consultant editor Dr John Chandler, Dr Craven oversaw the completion of drafts for the period up to 1945, while Dr Jan Broadway was responsible  for the post-war period. The work was supported by a vibrant group of volunteers. 

With the release of the VCH 'Short' Cheltenham Before the Spa, the history of the town from its origins to 1738 has now been published. The drafts below cover the later history of the town, taking in its heyday as one of the principal resorts in Georgian Britain, and its subsequent expansion into one of the largest towns in the region.

Comments on the drafts are very welcome, and should be addressed to admin@vchglos.org.uk.

Planning and further fundraising are under way. If you would like to help this work, please visit the Support VCH Gloucestershire page.