Montpellier Spa, around 1845

HISTORY OF MONTPELLIER SPA

The founder of Montpellier as we know it now, was Henry Thompson, who purchased its site from the Revd De La Bere of Southam in 1801. He built himself a house which stands now in Vittoria Walk. In 1809 he opened his new Montpellier Spa and soon tree-lined ‘walks and rides’ were planted in the vicinity – now known as Montpellier Gardens. Thompson’s son Pearson Thompson continued with his father’s work. During 1830s and 1840s, a succession of purpose-built shops were built, including those along Montpellier Walk designed by W. H. Knight.

Montpellier Arcade was also built at that time and is now one of the best preserved early 19th century shopping arcades in the provinces. Its design created by the Jearrad brothers, who took over Thomson’s projects of Montpellier and Lansdown Estate after 1830 and also built the Queen’s Hotel and Christ Church, has barely altered. It had 16 shops, typical of the town’s luxury retail outlets – clothiers, chemists, a jeweller, a pastry cook, an artist’s repository and a coffee and cigar house.

Lansdown Crescent, 1836

HISTORY OF LANSDOWN

After Henry Thompson’s death in 1824, another impressive residential estate was laid out between 1824-5 by Pearson Thompson on his father’s land – Lansdown Estate. Some of the early designs were by J. B. Papworth, London architect, who also created Montpellier’s finest landmark – The Rotunda. Unfortunately, Thompson soon found himself in financial difficulties, and in 1830 commissioned Robert William and Charles Jearrad, two brothers who were to become by large responsible for Cheltenham’s architectonic development. They reworked Papworth’s designs and developed the immense Lansdown Crescent, large convex crescent, without equal in its day, one of the few convex crescents in the country. Christ Church was built to serve the new estate.

Well Walk, 1813

BAYSHILL - CHELTENHAM'S FIRST SPA

The area around Cheltenham Ladies' College is known as Bayshill and it certainly has a special place in history of Cheltenham. It was at the site of Bayshill meadow, just about where Cheltenham Ladies’ College stands today that in 1716 a spring was discovered by the owner of the land William Mason who began to charge for the water. But it was his son-in-law Captain Henry Skillicorne who really changed Cheltenham into a fashionable spa town.

The name Bayshill was first recorded in 1605 as both Beues hill and Bayes hill and it’s probably derived from mid-1500s tenant of Alstone, Matilda Bayse. The earliest building of note in the area was Bays Hill Lodge, situated near its highest point and built 1780 for Lord Fauconberg. It was this house where George III was staying during his royal visit in 1788. The house became popular and hosted many a notable visitor until it was demolished in 1860, when Baron de Ferrieres, founder of Cheltenham Art Gallery, built there a new red-brick building called Sidney Lodge, now used as a boarding house by Cheltenham Ladies’ College.

Terraces in St. George's Road

Despite rapid development of Montpellier and Lansdown, the area around Royal Well, which was owned by the Skillicorne family, remained largely unbuilt. It wasn’t until the death of the Revd. Richard Skillicorne in 1834 that his widow and son launched a plan for a new estate. The earliest houses in Bayshill Estate, the area of fine early Victorian terraces and villas around Bayshill Road, Parabola Road and St. George’s Road, were built in 1835-6, to a design by Mr. Bellamy. Real progress came only after the land was put up for sale in 1837. It was brought by The Bays Hill Estate Building Co. for £50,000 and despite financial difficulties the estate gradually took shape.

The Daffodil

THE SUFFOLKS

Another area adjacent to Montpellier is called The Suffolks. It got its name from Earl of Suffolk, who brought the land around what is now called Suffolk Square from the De la Bere family of Southam in 1808. In 1820 after the death of Earl of Suffolk, a large part of his land was brought by James Fisher, a hotelier. He proceeded to lay out a new residential square, employing local architect Edward Jenkins. Regency Gothic church dedicated to St. James was also built in the square, which although started by Jenkins, was completed by J. B. Papworth, the architect of Montpellier Rotunda. The church is no longer used for service and has been converted to a restaurant.

Houses in Suffolk Parade which are now occupied by antique shops, boutiques, cafes and brasseries, were built around 1840s. There are some later additions to the street, among them the art nouveau Daffodil, now a restaurant. Its life started as a cinema, which opened in 1922 with a film called Thunderclap. Original fittings are still featured in the restaurant and only several years ago the projection room was rediscovered still fully equipped.