Walk for Cobalt 2025 - Landmarks
During the walk there will be several QR codes for you to scan. These will allow you to learn more about the landmarks you pass. Keep an eye out and good luck on your chosen route!
Linton House
Find out about the full history of Linton House below. Was there anything you didn’t know?
Penfold Post Box
The town is home to eight “rare” original Victorian Penfold boxes which were installed in 1866 and are still in use.
Only about 20 of the earliest designs of Penfolds survive in the whole of the UK, according to English Heritage.
Whish Sister's fountain
The fountain was donated by the three Whish sisters to the town. The sisters had been long members of the church and donated the fountain in 1981 to commemorate their 50 years as Cheltenham residents.
Elephant Invasion Mosaics
Can you find the elephant invasion mosaics tucked down the alleyway by John Lewis?
In 1934, three elephants from Chapman’s Circus visiting Cheltenham were paraded through the town and one of them invaded a local seed merchants! Whether it was a deliberate publicity stunt – who knows?
Pittville Park Gates
Pittville Gates were built in 1833 as the grand entrance to the Pittville Estate and were designed by Robert Stokes. The ornamental arch was added in 1897.
The Gates were designed for horse-drawn traffic, and the coming of motor vehicles led to damage, the removal of the opening gates and posts, and eventually the closure of the road.
During the last few years substantial restoration and repairs works have been undertaken.
The restoration project has been due to the hard work, determination and enthusiasm of the Friends of Pittville in association with Cheltenham Borough Council, particularly the property and conservation departments.
The Brewery Quarters
Cheltenham’s first proper brewery was founded in 1760 by local maltster and baker, Thomas Gardner on this site. Gardner’s Brewery flourished and expanded and in 1888 was registered as Cheltenham Original Brewery Ltd.
Cheltenham’s association with malting and brewing goes back to medieval times when it was a cottage industry. Ale, sometimes flavoured with herbs and spices, was a necessity to avoid catching many waterborne diseases. The addition of hops around the 1500s saw the start of the brewing of beer.
By the 20th century, the site contained extensive malting, brewing, cooperage and bottling facilities.Mergers, takeovers and redevelopments continued throughout the rest of the brewery’s life, the final one being Whitbread in 1963.In 1998 the Brewery closed and the site was redeveloped. Now known as the Brewery Quarter
Strozzi Palace
In the late-19th century, many towns were starting to turn on the electricity for the first time. Where gas light had been, electric lighting became increasingly common, and soon, as we known, electricity was powering much more than lighting. With electricity came special buildings.
The Borough Surveyor in Cheltenham, Joseph Hall, chose something completely different for the Central Electricity Lighting Station of 1894–5: a brickwork design evoking a Renaissance palace, with a big arched central doorway, small windows above, and an upper storey (added later) with a row of terracotta columns and a patterned brick cornice. It’s a striking little building, sticking out alike from the town’s stucco-covered houses and the Victorian Jacobean revival stonework of the nearby library.
The building lost its original role some time ago and is now part of a hotel, the Strozzi Palace, whose name pays tribute to its architecture.
The Wilson Art Gallery and Museum
The Wilson, formerly known as Cheltenham Art Gallery was opened in 1899. It offers free admission and has a programme of special exhibitions. It was renamed The Wilson in honour of polar explorer Edward Wilson in 2013 after the building was extended.
Edward Wilson was born in Cheltenham on 23 July 1872, the son of a local physician. His medical and scientific skills were matched only by his artistic talent.
2012 marked the centenary of the British Antarctic Expedition (more commonly known as the Terra Nova expedition) led by Captain Scott. The Polar party included Edward Wilson who came from Cheltenham.
The Hare and the Minotaur
Created by Sophie Ryder. It featured at the Cheltenham Museum and Art Gallery and it was created in 1995. The overwhelming public response to the exhibition fuelled the campaign to retain one of Sophie Ryder’s sculptures and the Hare and Minotaur was acquired by public subscription in 1998.
Can you spot the pigeon? Legend holds that the springs upon which Cheltenham would be built were found in 1716, after a local noticed a flock of pigeons were particularly attracted to a patch of ground.
Cavendish House
Cavendish House is Cheltenham’s oldest, leading department store, established in 1823 on The Promenade. Now known as House of Fraser, Cavendish House keeps its original name above the shop as a reminder of the department store’s rich history.
Also located in the basement of Cavendish House was a cellar. An unusual bottle of Whiskey was found, when clearing the cellar, which is estimated to cost around £15,000 today!
Article by Charlotte Cotteham
Edward Wilson Statue
Dr Edward Wilson was a leading member of Captain Robert Scott’s two Antarctic Expeditions. Scott’s second Antarctic Expedition became a race to the South Pole against Norwegian explorer Amundsen. The party, including Wilson, reached the South Pole on 17th January 1912 only to discover that Amundsen has arrived a month earlier. All of Scott’s perished on the return journey.
Neptune's Fountain
Neptune sits proudly atop the fountain, adorned in a mantle, and wields a trident. The portrayal of the sea horses, with sculpted balusters and vases filled with flowers surrounding the fountain, further adds to its grandeur. The sculptor behind this fountain is Yorkshireman Richard Lockwood Boulton. After Richard’s retirement in 1893, his four sons took over the family business and continued in their father’s legacy of sculpting and stone carving.
Cheltenham Town Hall
Built at the turn of twentieth century to accommodate the many balls and concerts of the town’s social calendar, Cheltenham Town Hall was, quite literally, made for celebrations. The total cost of the building, including its marbled Corinthian style columns, intricately decorated coved ceiling, dance-friendly sprung floor, beautiful balconies, internal decoration and fixtures and fittings was around £45,000! Standing proudly overlooking the immaculately manicured Imperial Gardens, Cheltenham Town Hall comprises of a grand Main Hall, varying sized dining and drawing rooms and offices.
Imperial Garden
Gustav Holst was at the heart of the renaissance in English
music during the first half of the 20th century and his statue was unveiled on
4 April 2008. He is most famous for the composition of The Planets. Holst wrote
that he was grateful for three things in his life: music, friendship and the
Cotswold Hills. The Gustav Holst Memorial Fountain was made possible by the
bequest of Miss Elizabeth Hamond. For many years Miss Hamond lived and worked
in Cheltenham and was devoted to the town. In her will she left a generous
legacy to the Cheltenham Civic Society to be used to benefit the town. The
Civic Society decided that this would be used for a full-size bronze statue of
Gustav Holst with an octagonal plinth depicting the planets.
The Holst statue, which incorporates seven plaques in the
plinth depicting the Planets was sculpted by Anthony Stones FRBS, FRSA
and cast at the Pangolin Foundry in Chalford, Stroud.
The Nook, Cheltenham
Did you know that the Nook is the only rooftop bar in Cheltenham?
Drop into the Nook Deli to receive a free slice of cake! But be quick as its on a first come first serve basis!
Montpellier Caryatids
These armless ladies are known as caryatids. These were inspired by the portico of the Erectheion Temple on the Acropolis in Athens. The Nottingham sculptor John Rossi was commissioned to make two statues in white-painted terracotta, which were used as a pattern for 30 copies carved in stone by local sculptors James Brown and his son William. The 32 caryatids now line the shops of the Montpellier Walk.
Montpellier Wine Bar
The most iconic wine bar in Cheltenham has been in its prime
location since 1977. Always popular with both locals and visitors who were
attracted to the bar due to its warm friendly atmosphere, a large
selection of international wines coupled with delicious food.
The Ivy
In 1826, Henry Thompson’s son Pearson Thompson asked John Buonarotti Papworth to oversee the project and it was during this period that the dome was erected. The dome is inspired by Rome’s Pantheon and has almost identical proportions. The building was used as a pumproom, with water from local wells, and ballroom with an additional billiard room and reading room.
William IV Statue
Can you find the statue of William IV hiding in Montpellier gardens?
King William IV reigned from 1830 to 1837 and was the third son of George III. He is the king who gave his royal assent to the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833, the law which abolished slavery in the British Empire.
King William IV died childless in 1837 when his niece, Victoria became Queen
Cheltenham College Chapel
Cheltenham College Chapel, The Chapel of St Mary & St George, was designed by Henry Prothero in 1891and completed in 1896 and is based on the designs of the chapels at King’s College Cambridge and Eton College. The building enjoys a colourful history – the 1896 earthquake left broken wall joins whilst the Archbishop of Canterbury set to inaugurate the Chapel, died suddenly the day before.
The ceiling height is 55 feet. There are many memorials in the Chapel including 700 names of those lives that were lost in the Great War engraved in brass plaques on the walls.