Location: Cheltenham
Top Things to do in Cheltenham
Top Restaurants in Cheltenham
What to do and see in Cheltenham, England: The Best Monuments & Statues
Cheltenham was just your average, sleepy town until the discovery of a spring in 1716, after which it became Britain's most popular spa town. (Like Palm Springs without the casinos.) Local Cheltonians have a reputation for being wealthy and respectable, and a walk along the Promenade will give you a first-class view of their wonderful houses, shops and gardens. After taking in the waters at the Pittville Pump Room (great name for a spa), check out the Art Gallery and Museum to learn about the social history of Cheltenham.
Restaurants in Cheltenham
1. William IV Statue
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 4 reviews
Reviewed By JPCHickey - Cheltenham, United Kingdom
This statue is tucked away in a shady part of the gardens and few people in the town could tell you who it is and why it is here. However, King WIlliam IV is part of the story why Cheltenham has an MP. There was a constitutional crisis in the 1820s and 30s because the system of electing MPs was so corrupt. There were small places called Rotten Boroughs with a handful of voters who elected an MP but many large towns and cities such as Manchester and Liverpool had none. There was a Great Reform Bill in 1832 designed to change this and create a fairsystem for electing MPs. In a dramatic and highly charged intervention the King went to parliament and forced the House of Lords to pass the bill. Later that year Cheltenham elected its first ever MP, Craven Berkeley. The people of the town then raised a subscription to erect this statue in recognition of the King's role in the fight for parliamentary representation.
2. Boer War Memorial
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 11 reviews
Reviewed By vanessashihtzu - Gloucester, United Kingdom
Glorious memorial an evocative reminder of history when things were not so easy for people as they are today.
3. Edward Wilson Statue
4. Hailes Abbey
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 267 reviews
Grade 1 Scheduled National Monument. Site is owned by the National Trust but wholly financed, managed and maintained by English Heritage. Both Memberships gain you FREE entry. All visits must be booked in advance on the English Heritage website. Walk up visits are not permissible under Government Covid constraints, sorry.
Reviewed By F8453IAgaryc - Swindon, United Kingdom
Staff very friendly and helpful. On hand for any information or assistance . Recommend you scan the QR code for audio tour of the abbey . Really adds value to the history and sets the view as you walk around Benches around so you can picture how day to day life in the abbey would have been , supported by information boards on tour.
5. The Minotaur and the Hare
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 69 reviews
Reviewed By adrianhl51 - Cheltenham, United Kingdom
A credit to Cheltenham as a place to visit. Different,interesting,a joy to behold in the middle of town!
6. Gustav Holst Statue
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 12 reviews
Reviewed By sheepygold
This statue is easily missed as it is in one corner of the Imperial Gardens and it is surrounded by a small pool and very tall grasses. There is seating around and the statue itself is very beautiful.
7. Winston Churchill Memorial Gardens
Overall Ratings
3.0 based on 11 reviews
Reviewed By Mithos7 - Cheltenham, United Kingdom
Like a few reviews before mine I would agree with many comments. However our trip today (May 2020) shows the Council, Green Space Volunteers and the Friends of Winston Churchill Memorial Gardens are really working hard to improve this wonderful hidden park. There is a listed building at the back / front of the site (St Mary's Mission) that used to be hired out as a playgroup in the 1990's, which I attended, so lots of fond memories of the area. It also adds to the feeling of the park as the building is visible from all areas. There is a fairly large playground with various equipment for small kids which I understand were picked by children from a local school, so it should be things that children like! It's much improved and newer from when it was first designed around 1995 (when the weather was good, we used to play over there after playgroup before heading home, however the equipment was quite dull and we spent more time playing around the trees instead!) Even 30 years ago, there was a problem with anti social behavior with broken drink bottles etc and this is likely to do with the proximity to the lower high street and surrounding areas which are more run down than the more popular areas of the town. It's just natural the area would be neglected over time in favor of more used areas such as Pittville park. However this isn't a run down park anymore and there was no sign of broken bottles or litter on our visit today. Walking around you can see a few drastic changes and some strong foundation changes for this to become a special place. Firstly the entrance on Market Street has had a radical pruning of the tree and shrub frontage. This really makes the park appear more "open" and I suppose the idea was to increase visibility for the surrounding properties to increase security. i.e. it's hard to be anti social when what you're doing is now fully on display! It's a real shame in some ways that so much was removed as it's opened up a "private" park that was very secluded and provided an escape. It's also a pity about the loss of habitat for the wildlife. However I'd much rather people made use of the area and feel safe doing so. Hopefully over time they will build more wildlife areas and nesting boxes etc into the park itself as there is plenty of space to do so. The second major change is the formal gardens section about mid way into the park. It was very traditional looking and although beautiful when the council maintained it, it did look tired, dated and basic. The area has been redesigned and gutted and is now a phenomenal and modern looking space. Was blown away by the colour and plants on display. Some really good quality seating is dotted within the new gardens too. Absolutely wonderful to sit for 30 minutes and just chat. All we need now is a local coffee shop to pop up nearby and you have a modern trendy go-to park for a catch up with friends. ;-) The rest of the park is familiar and is as it was before. It's got excellent connecting access to the Honeybourne Line, plenty of open space to just sit and eat a picnic, several bins for litter and good access for wheelchairs. The trees we used to play in are still there, just older and taller. I hope the teams working to improve the area keep the momentum going and carry on their great work. Looking forward to walking down there again in the near future.
