THE ROYAL VISIT

Lord Fauconberg, King George III's gentlemen-in-waiting, had visited the spa hoping the waters to heal his skin problems. He liked Cheltenham so much that he built himself a house on the slopes of Bayshill. In the spring of 1788 King George III suffered what he himself described as 'a pretty smart bilious attack'. His physician, Sir George Baker, adviced the King to try a course of the Cheltenham waters and Lord Fauconberg offered his house as a temporary residence.

King George III

King George, Queen Charlotte and three of their daughters arrived in Cheltenham with their royal entourage on 12 July 1788. In fact George was suffering the early stages of a rare genetic disorder called porphyria, which is caused by the insufficient production of hemoglobin. The symptoms included irritating rashes, cramps and difficulty in breathing. The Royal party stayed in Cheltenham for five weeks and King George enjoyed going for walks, attending theatre plays and exploring the surrounding areas.

The waters were drunk every morning about six o'clock in the morning before anyone else had reached the well and then the royal party promenaded on the walks. Each morning on the walks the royal party met the press. The 'Royals' went on sightseeing and social excursions in the neighbourhood, and sometimes the King indulged in his interest in farming by riding off alone to talk to local farmers. To the King's great pleasure, the Duke of York arrived to join the family for a brief stay.

The newspapers were full of reports about the King and of course about Cheltenham itself. The popularity as one of the land's leading spas was assured.The King showed his gratitude by building a large new block of seventeen rooms at the rear of Bayshill House to allow Lord Fauconberg to accommodate more visitors. A second royal visit had been planned for 1789, but the King's illness prevented him to return to Cheltenham. After several serious attacks of his illness, which from 1811 disabled him for the rest of his life, King George III died in 1820.

THE GROWING POPULARITY OF THE SPA

Henry Skillicorne's well was then known as Royal Well after the king's visit. It flourished and by 1800 it had about 2,000 visitors each year. To meet the growing demand, new wells were opened and rival spas were established. In 1801 Henry Thompson, a London financier, bought a large estate and in 1809 opened the Montpellier Spa, originally a wooden structure, later replaced by a grand building with a copper rotunda, built by a London architect John Buonarotti Papworth.

Sherborne Spa, 1826

Next were the Sherborne Spa which stood where the Queens hotel is today and opened in 1818. The spa was connected to the town by the Imperial, or Sherborne Promenade, which established the route which became Cheltenham's Promenade. In the next 40 years other spas followed - the Cambray Spa, the Alstone Spa, the Pittville Spa and the Park Spa.

Cheltenham was at its most fashionable in the late 18th century and the first half of the 19th century. During the season, the spas organised entertainment for their guests - there were bands playing, evening galas and sometimes firework displays. Regular balls were held at the Assembly Rooms, which stood in the High Street on the today's site of the LLoyd's bank. The town's population grew from 3,000 in 1801 to 20,000 in 1826. By 1851 the population of Cheltenham had reached 35,000. Estates such as Lansdown, Montpellier and Pittville were built.

THE CENTRE FOR EDUCATION

The town's growth required new churches to be built. Between 1808 and 1855 eight new Anglican churches, fifteen nonconformist chapels, a catholic church and a synagogue were built. A leading Evangelical at the time was Rev. Francis Close, who came to Cheltenham as curate of Holy Trinity Church in 1824 and in 1826 became incumbent of St. Mary's. He emposed a new moral tone on the town, reluctantly campaigning against railways, theatre and the horse races. His biggest achievement was in the field of education. New schools were established, including several infant schools, in which Cheltenham was a pioneering town, and St. Paul's College, one of the earliest Anglican teacher training colleges, established in 1847. Cheltenham Proprietary College for Boys opened in 1841 and an equivalent school for girls, the Cheltenham Ladies' College followed in 1854.