Cheltenham Civic Society

Cheltenham Civic Society Join us!

Cheltenham charity PROMOTING high architectural and planning standards, PROTECTING features of historic and public interest and INFORMING about Cheltenham’s heritage.

It’s good to see this terrace at the bottom of St George’s Place enjoying a bit of TLC. It was built c1805-1820 and is G...
11/10/2026

It’s good to see this terrace at the bottom of St George’s Place enjoying a bit of TLC. It was built c1805-1820 and is Grade II listed.

Originally known as Stills Lane, St George’s Place was the only road connecting the High Street with the Royal Well Spa before the Promenade was laid out in 1818.

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The former Phoenix site on Winchcombe Street has been cleared ready for redevelopment. The once-Grade II listed building...
10/10/2026

The former Phoenix site on Winchcombe Street has been cleared ready for redevelopment.

The once-Grade II listed building was delisted by its owners, who said that it had been too heavily modified to justify retaining its listed status. That was accepted by Historic England.

That paved the way for complete redevelopment.

Demolition was proposed and a modern scheme submitted to replace it but we and Historic England objected, saying that just because it had been delisted did not mean it no longer made a positive contribution to the conservation area. The proposed block was wholly inappropriate and not a very inspiring example of contemporary architecture either.

The plans were modified for a more appropriate traditional scheme that retained much of the original frontage but which also managed the setback building line very well. Its proportions were faithful to the Regency period. We supported that scheme and were pleased to see it granted consent.

However, a further proposal was submitted to replace the whole building with a detached block. We were less convinced by this approach as there are no detached blocks or houses in this street; it is all terraced. We also had concerns over the proportions.

The site has sadly now been cleared so we’ll see how the new building shapes up. Let’s hope its proportions work otherwise it will again raise unhelpful accusations of “pastiche”.

What’s the most beautiful building in Cheltenham?The one that turns your head every single time.The one you keep looking...
09/10/2026

What’s the most beautiful building in Cheltenham?

The one that turns your head every single time.

The one you keep looking back at.

The one you simply can’t take your eyes off.

It needn’t be the grandest. It needn’t be the largest.

But the one that hits you in the heart as just beautiful.

Tell us in the comments.

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🎉A birthday worth celebrating? 🎂 On Thursday 16 April 2026, National Grid laid this huge tarmac cowpat on the High Stree...
08/10/2026

🎉A birthday worth celebrating? 🎂

On Thursday 16 April 2026, National Grid laid this huge tarmac cowpat on the High Street, without the correct permit from the Highway Authority.

Had it been done with consent, they would need to have had the correct reinstatement materials on site before the job started.

TWENTY FIVE WEEKS have since passed.

That’s 5 months and 22 days.

That means National Grid has 8 days to complete the reinstatement under s70 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991. The Act requires the statutory undertaker (National Grid) to complete the reinstatement as soon as practicable and certainly within six months.

The “as soon as practicable” bit has obviously, as usual, being ignored by both National Grid and Gloucestershire Roads otherwise it would have been reinstated by now.

Instead we have yet another ugly tarmac cowpat blighting our High Street. And Gloucestershire County Council obviously doesn’t care or it would have done something about it by now.

Have our county councillors chased it up?

Have our borough councillors complained?

Or is everyone just blind to this blight now?

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Autumn is a beautiful time of the year. The changing colours. The softer light. The smell of the air. The first frost.Wh...
07/10/2026

Autumn is a beautiful time of the year. The changing colours. The softer light. The smell of the air. The first frost.

Where is your favourite place to enjoy autumn in Cheltenham?

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06/10/2026

Psst... it's not too late to join us! 👋

There's still time to register your interest. Let us know by Wednesday 7 October if you'd like to attend one of our upcoming information sessions.

Come along to find out more about our future plans, ask questions and share your thoughts:

📍 Face-to-face session
Friday 9 October, 2pm
Oakley Community Resource Centre

💻 Online webinar
Tuesday 13 October, 6pm

We'd love to hear from you.

👉 Register your interest via the link in the comments.

We all grumble about our town from time to time.The pothole. The ugly development. The neglected building. The disappear...
06/10/2026

We all grumble about our town from time to time.

The pothole. The ugly development. The neglected building. The disappearing trees. The state of our streets.

And yes, sometimes grumbling is entirely justified!

But what if, instead of just grumbling at our screens, we decided to do something about it?

That's what civic societies are about.

Right now, our volunteers are working on:

🌱 Greening our town centre
🚶 Improving our streets and public realm
🛣️ Tackling highways issues
🏛️ Championing better architecture and planning
🏠 Protecting our heritage
🎉 Running Heritage Open Days
and plenty more besides.

Our Heritage Open Days team have only just finished HODs 2026 and are already having a well-earned breather before starting work on HODs 2027!

You don't have to be an expert. You don't have to have loads of spare time.

You just need to care about our town.

If you do, come and join us.

Turn your grumbling into action. Help make a difference.

Let us know what sort of action you’d like to see taken and how you could help. Tag a friend and make it happen together.

HELP PUT CHELTENHAM’S HISTORY ON THE MAP!Imagine being able to explore 2,000 years of Cheltenham’s history on one beauti...
05/10/2026

HELP PUT CHELTENHAM’S HISTORY ON THE MAP!

Imagine being able to explore 2,000 years of Cheltenham’s history on one beautifully illustrated map — discovering the stories behind our streets, buildings, parks and the places that make our town unique.

That’s exactly what Cheltenham Civic Society is working to create, in partnership with the Historic Towns Trust. And we need your help to make it happen.

Our Historic Towns Trust map will bring Cheltenham’s remarkable heritage to life through detailed historical mapping, expert research and fascinating stories about how our town has evolved.

It’s a project that will benefit residents, visitors, schools and future generations — helping people understand what makes Cheltenham special and why its heritage matters.

💚 We need to raise £25,000 to make it a reality. Will you chip in for Cheltenham?

Every donation, however small, brings us closer to creating a lasting resource that our whole town can be proud of.

👉 DONATE NOW: https://shop.historictownstrust.uk/product/donate

When donating, select “Cheltenham Map” under “HTT Current Projects” so your contribution goes towards our project.

Find out more: https://cheltcivicsoc.org/campaigns/httmap/

If you love Cheltenham, care about its heritage, or simply want future generations to understand the town they call home, please give what you can — and share this post to spread the word.

❤️ Help us tell Cheltenham’s story. Together, let’s put our town on the map!

Thank you.

Address

Parmoor, 26 Cambray Place
Cheltenham
GL501JN

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