The Church of St. Philip & St. James

UP HATHERLEY, WARDEN HILL

Situated on the south-west edge of Cheltenham with wonderful views of Leckhampton Hill, Up Hatherley became part of Cheltenham in 1991. Its population has risen from just 126 in 1911 to over 5,500 in 2001.

The name of this area was first recorded as Hegberleo in 1022, and as Athelai in the Domesday Book, meaning 'hawthorn clearing'. It was referred to as Up Hatherley in contrast with Down Hatherley, a separate parish 3 miles further downstream on the Hatherley Brook.

The parish, which was formed in 1887 when the church of St. Philip and St. James was built, consisted of little more than scattered farms up to 1945, the chief crops of which were cereal and roots.

Since then the area has seen considerable residential development, in several waves which can be recognised in the way the streets were named. Lake District theme characterises the earliest stage of the post-war housing development dating from 1948-49 with road names such as Windermere Road or Buttermere Close. Welsh County theme with street names such as Caernarvon Road or Colwyn Drive was adopted in the late 1950s and tree and flower/shrub theme was followed in the late 1980s and 1990s when roads such as Aldershaw Close, Azalea Drive or Bluebell Grove, were developed.

Up Hatherley has fine recreational facilities in Hatherley Park, is a charming ornamental park with a lake, a wildlife pond and seating carved out of trees. Court Gardens in Hatherley Court Road with its circular path, benches and informal shrubberies provide additional green space for Up Hatherley.

355 Hatherley Road, home of Brian Jones

Up Hatherley is also famous for being the home of Brian Jones, the founding member of Rolling Stones who tragically died in 1969. 335 Hatherley Road, where Brian Jones lived, is even today a pilgrimage destination of many fans.

The area to the west of Shurdington Road is called Warden Hill. As Warden's Hill, it was known thus by 1617. An old field name later became the name of a farm which stood approximately where Warden Hill Close runs today. The hill itself is still partly public open space. The area centres around Salisbury Avenue where local amenities can be found, as well as the Warden Hill United Reformed Church. St. Christoper’s Church, a modern structure, is also nearby. Most of the housing in Warden Hill was developed in the 1960s and today it has the population of almost 6,000.