Pittville Park gate

PITTVILLE ESTATE

Pittville Park was created in the second decade of the 19th century by Joseph Pitt as an area of 'walks and rides' for visitors of the Pittville Pump Room, together with many fine and imposing houses as part of the Pittville Estate development, for the rich and famous who came to live in Cheltenham.

Originally created by the architect John Forbes who is also the creator of the magnificent Pittville Pump Room situated at the northern end of the park, it now provides 33ha of parkland, including an ornamental lake with elegant bridges dating from 1827 and a boating lake, formerly known as Capper's Fish Pond. It was named after Robert Capper, owner of Marle Hill House, the grounds of which now constitute the western part of the Pittville Park. The lakes were created by damming a stream known as Wyman's Brook. Like most of Cheltenham's historic parks and gardens, Pittville Park was originally enclosed by railings, and private to the residents and subscribers to the spa. The park was formally opened to the public on 25 April 1894, a few years after Cheltenham Borough Council had bought the Pittville Estate.

The Pittville Pumproom

A refreshment kiosk, dating from 1903, with unusual terracotta dragons on its roof, is opened in the summer months in the Long Garden, a stretch of parkland to the south of Pittville Park facing Pittville Lawn. On its place originally stood a small spa called Essex Lodge, erected in the 1820s.

PERFECT LEISURE FACILITIES

A visit to Pittville Park is the perfect day out for adults as well as children. Visitors can take a walk around the park or just sit and admire the view. Other leisure pursuits include angling, tennis courts, skating ramps, 18 hole pitch and putt golf course and a modern leisure centre with a swimming pool and other recreational facilities.

Another attraction in the park are the aviaries which house a variety of birds and bunnies which are managed in conjunction with the Support Our Birds and Bunnies Committee. The park is given a grade 2 listing under the English Heritage register of historic parks and gardens

Pittville lake

Children’s playground can be found at the vicinity of Pittville Pump Room. It has been designed to bring able-bodied and physically disabled children together with equipment that includes a sound sculpture for children to hit and touch, a sand pit, group of swings in a large circle so children face each other, a climbing unit, hop scotch, and tactile floor surfaces for wheelchairs to move over. All equipment, including mini houses and model trains, allow wheelchair access and bark and rubber surfaces have been used to make the area safer.