Cheltenham in the 1970s

The 1970s started where the 1960s left off. Cheltenham lost many of its historical buildings, such as Lansdown Castle, a castellated, Victorian gothic house that stood at the junction of Gloucester Road and Lansdown Road, due to demolitions. New public swimming pool was opened by the Queen Mother in 1971 at Pittville, which meant that the old Alstone Baths, swimming pool at which most Cheltenham children used to learn to swim throughout the past decades, was made redundant and closed in 1975. For a year or two the building became a DIY store before this local landmark was demolished.

In the 1970s Cheltenham was the place to celebrate Christmas, as in 1972 Cheltenham Christmas lights were considered the best in the country for any provincial town. The cost of staging the illuminations was £5,200. In 1975 audience of 3,500 watched the Cheltenham Searchlight Tattoo, which took place at the College field, with massed military bands and a firework spectacular.

Holst Birthplace Museum opened in 1974 and for a brief period Pittville Pump Room housed a costume museum. Odeon was converted into a triple-screen cinema and Coliseum in Albion Street became a bingo hall. The last film screened was Bonnie and Clyde. The ABC cinema celebrated a success with The Sting, which ran for 6 consecutive weeks and was seen by over 30,000 Cheltonians. The ABC hit the national headlines when its manager censored the posters for the French film Emmanuelle.

In 1971 Britain gained decimal currency and abandoned the age old system of pounds, shillings and pence. For £9,650 your could in the mid1970s buy yourself a new three-bedroom semi-detached house with built-in garage at the Elm Farm development, new regency townhouses at Sandford Park, with four bedrooms had a tag of £19,250 and four-bedroom detached house with double garage and two bathrooms in Charlton Kings cost £21,500.

The 1970s witnessed the closure of many famous local businesses. H. H. Martyn’s, a company which played a major role in the development of industry in Cheltenham since 1888 and was responsible for fitting out over a hundred of the world’s greatest ocean liners, including Titanic, Lusitania, Queen Mary and QE2, ceased business in 1971. Another company to close in the 1970s was Cheltenham Caravans at Leckhampton, a pioneering firm in the use of glass fibre moulded caravan bodies. Tilley’s Crumpets, Bath Road baker, whose products were Cheltonians buying for over a century also closed. In Winchcombe Street Drake’s home fabric and upholstery store which was there since 1888 shut for the last time in 1978. Another well-known local department store situated in a large, four-storey building on the corner of Clarence Street and Well Walk, Shirer & Lance’s, disappeared in the 1970s.

1976 was one of the hottest summers ever, although the drought which the UK experienced in August meant water shortages. In Cheltenham temperatures reaching 35.9°C (96.6°F) were recorded on the 15 July, making it one of the hottest July days on record in the UK.

In the following year, the nation celebrated the Queen's Silver Jubilee. Colesbourne Road in Benhall staged its party on the Saturday before the official Jubilee holiday, while the street party at Clyde Crescent was one of the largest in town with knobbly knees competitions for dads. Shortly before the Jubilee day workers at the Royal Mint went on strike and so the commemorative 5s coins were in short supply and many children received a commemorative mug instead.

During the summer of 1977 a large branch fell from one of the ancient horse chestnut trees in the Promenade. When examined closely, the trees, originally planted in 1818, were deemed unsafe and had to be felled.

Inflation in the 70s was a huge problem. Everyone talked about the cost of living. A series of strikes lead to power cuts and the Three Day Week. 1977 saw industrial action by both power workers and firemen. The result was extensive power cuts which forced shops and factories to close early, while the strike by firemen over a 30% pay claim left Gloucester, Cheltenham and Stroud with fire cover provided by the Royal Navy and their old Green Goddesses. To add to woes the area was hit by a severe gale on December 23, 1977, which killed a car driver, damaged homes and blocked many roads with fallen trees.