Aerial shot of Benhall with GCHQ

BENHALL, THE REDDINGS

Benhall and The Reddings lie in the south-west part of Cheltenham, just south of the main road to Gloucester. This area has the population of around 5200. Benhall falls mainly within the Anglican parish of St. Mark's. Much of the area consists of the Benhall Estate, a nice residential area developed by George Wimpey mainly in the late 1950s and early 1960s on land that had previously been farmland (mainly pasture), and takes its name from the farm that formerly stood there.

Most of the roads in Benhall are named after Cotswold villages, so roads with names like Bibury Road, Chedworth Way and Rissington Close can be found here. The only road which defies this Cotswold Theme is Robert Burns Avenue, the main road on the southern half of the development, which connects Benhall with The Reddings. The president of the Cheltenham Scottish Society had written to the council in early 1958 asking for the commemoration somewhere in the town of the poet's local connections to coincide with the bicentenary of his birth in January 1959. The poet's two sons, Lt. Col. William Nicol Burns and Major James Glencairn Burns, had arrived in Cheltenham in 1846 after a military service in India. James Glencaim Burns remained here till his death on 18 November 1865, at the age of 71. Granddaughters of Robert Burns are buried at St. Mary's Church in Charlton Kings.

Benhall is also an area of exciting new development which follows the recent building of new GCHQ headquarters. New housing is being built on the site of the older building. The space-like shape of the GCHQ building prompted the name theme for the newly laid-out roads there. Hubble Road is named after the astronomer Edwin Hubble, who discovered galaxies outside the Milky Way and created Hubble's Law, which calculates the rate at which the universe is expanding. Telstar Road is named after Telstar, an early telecommunications satellite.

The Reddings

Although it’s history of a medieval estate dates back to the 16th century, the area of The Reddings is one of the newest Cheltenham suburbs, having been added to the Borough only in 1991. One of the most popular and quietest areas of Cheltenham, it is also home to 6 mobile home sites and community allotments. Off Reddings Road there is a sizeable play area Humpty Dumps with facilities for both toddlers, infants and juniors. Items include cradle swings, flat seat swings, a seesaw, roundabout and climbing units.

HISTORY

Although Benhall Estate and The Reddings are relatively newly built areas, Benhall Wood was recorded as early as 1230. In the 20th century, GCHQ put Benhall on the world map.