The picturesque recency town of Cheltenham nestled in the beautiful Cotswolds is one of the most sought-after places to live in the UK. It is easy to see why – visitors flock to the town to admire the beautiful architecture, attend the thrilling Cheltenham Gold Cup horse racing at Prestbury Park, or to have a night out at a restaurant or nightclub Cheltenham has something for everyone.
Cheltenham isn’t as old as some towns in England. It was actually only a small Hamlet until the 1700s, when a farmer noticed pigeons pecking at some mineral deposits on a field. It turned out that underneath the area were the famous spa waters – hence the name Cheltenham Spa. Visitors soon flocked to the town in droves, desperate to bathe in the spa waters (at the time it was believed that these waters were a cure for a wide range of ailments and generally helped all round good health) and the town soon grew very quickly.
The Regency era buildings that form the town’s character today are from the era when the spa waters were booming business for the town – head to Pittville pump room, the last and largest of all the spa buildings in the town, to see for yourself the site of the spring where people came to drink from (it is possible but maybe not advisable to drink the water – it is said to taste quite bad!).
Although the spa water business is no longer a crowd pleaser, Cheltenham has continued to bring visitors to the town in droves – with many choosing to live in the town or around the outskirts.
