The origins of Cheltenham lie in Anglo-Saxon times, when a settlement was first founded here. The name of the town is derived from the Saxon “Cheltenhomme” which means “the town under the hill”.

By 803 the town had a monastery, and by the 13th century Cheltenham had been granted a market charter and had grown into a thriving market town.

However, it is as a spa town that Cheltenham is most famous - and so it can essentially be regarded as an 18th century town.

The story goes that the mineral spring waters were discovered by accident when villagers noticed pigeons drinking water on the site of today’s Cheltenham Ladies College.

The pigeons looked particularly healthy and so the villagers deduced that the water must have medicinal properties. The villagers then started to drink the water themselves, and found that it did indeed seem to cure many of the ailments of that era.

The legend of the humble origins of the spa is remembered to this day in the town crest, which incorporates the figure of a pigeon.

At the time it was very fashionable to “take the waters” in order to ease ailments and disease, and so businessmen soon realised the money-earning potential of Cheltenham.

Extensive development took place in order to attract the rich and famous and soon people began to flock to Cheltenham.

The future of the town as one of England’s most fashionable spa towns was sealed in 1788 when King George III visited to take the waters.

For the next hundred years Cheltenham thrived as a spa town, however by the end of the 19th century the fashion for spa waters was beginning to wane, and the crowds began to thin.

Nevertheless, Cheltenham never really went into decline. The town is ideally situated geographically, and this, combined with the attractiveness of the town, began to attract businesses.

Today it is still a thriving business centre, and one of the most elegant towns in England, with an abundance of Regency architecture, crescents and attractive parks.

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