Holst's Cheltenham Preview

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STARTING POINT: Outside the Beehive Pub, 1-3 Montpellier Villas

INTRODUCTIONThe first Holst to come to Cheltenham was Gustav Holst’s grandfather, Gustavus (1799-1870). He had arrived in London as a young boy in the early 1800s when his musician father Matthias moved from St Petersburg, where he had been a musician at the Imperial Russian Court. Also talented musically, Gustavus began making short visits to thriving and prosperous Regency Cheltenham, where he gave music lessons to the children of wealthy parents. Gustavus settled in Cheltenham upon taking up the post as the first Professor of Music at Cheltenham Ladies’ College, when it opened to the public in 1854.With your back to the pub, turn left to start the tour. The first stop is only a few steps away at 6 Montpellier Villas RoadNote: The Beehive is one of the oldest pubs in Cheltenham. It was designed by John Forbes, the architect responsible for the Grade I listed Pittville Pump Room. One of the pub's most famous regulars was the poet Cecil Day-Lewis who taught English at Cheltenham College in the 1930s.

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6 Montpellier Villas Road

According to the ‘Cheltenham Annuaire’ of 1871 this was the address of Adolph and Clara, Gustav’s parents. They met when Adolph was teaching piano to Clara, nee Lediard, born in Gloucestershire, and married at All Saints’ Church in 1871.They lived here until March 1874 then moved to 4 Pittville Terrace, now 4 Clarence Road and home of the Holst Birthplace Museum, a few months before Gustav was born. 4 Pittville Terrace was owned by Clara’s family, with the Holsts living here until Clara’s early death in 1882.

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The Rotunda, Montpellier

Previously a bank, now the Ivy Montpellier Brasserie, but a venue for balls and concerts in Victorian times. In November 1891, when Gustav Holst was 17, this was where his ‘Scherzo’ and ‘Intermezzo’ had their premiere performances. Gustav’s father Adolph also performed regularly at the Rotunda, as well as organising concerts there.Note: The Rotunda was first developed as the Montpellier Spa in 1809 and was originally a wooden pavilion. In 1817 it was rebuilt in stone and in 1825 the reknowned architect J.B Papworth was commissioned to add a dome, the design of which was partly inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. Another famous performer was Jenny Lind in 1848.

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Montpellier Wine Bar, 6 Montpellier Street

Said to be where Adolph spent his last night drinking, in 1901. He died at his home at 45 Bath Road, aged only 55.

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16 Rotunda Terrace, Montpellier Street

Address of Gustavus, his wife and five children in the 1861 census. One of the five children was Adolph, later to become Gustav Holst’s father. Adolph was born in London in 1846, moving to Cheltenham as a young boy. He too was musically talented, teaching, performing and writing music as well as organising concerts.Now cross the road and take the cut-through between Tom Howley Kitchens and Roundhouse to reach Montpellier Walk and your next stop at Circus Bar.

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Circus Bar, 5 Queen’s Circus

Where Gustavus, his wife Honoria, nee Gooderich, born in Norfolk, and their five children lived when Gustavus moved to Cheltenham in 1853 prior to taking up his post at Cheltenham Ladies’ College.

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Holst Statue, Imperial Gardens

The Cheltenham Civic Society raised money to erect a statue of the town’s most famous son, installed in 2008. The sculptor was Anthony Stones and it was cast at Pangolin Editions in Chalford, Stroud. The statue was unveiled by renowned conductor Sir Mark Elder. You will notice that the statue shows Holst wielding his baton in his left hand, even though he was right-handed. From an early age Gustav suffered pain from neuritis in his right hand and arm, so he solved the problem by conducting left-handed.

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Cheltenham Town Hall

After completion in 1903 this became the successor to the Assembly Rooms (now Lloyds Bank) as the principal venue for major concerts in Cheltenham. In March 1927 it hosted the Holst Festival, with Gustav conducting two performances by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra of The Planets Suite. This was the town’s way of honouring its most famous son, with Holst being deeply touched, calling it ‘the most overwhelming event of my life’. The Town Hall was also where Gustav conducted the British premiere of Egdon Heath in February 1928. The work was subtitled ‘A Homage to Thomas Hardy’, with Egdon Heath being a fictional place in Hardy’s Wessex, featuring in the novel Return of the Native. Hardy accepted the dedication in August 1927 but sadly died in January 1928 before the piece’s first performance.

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1 Vittoria Walk, now BT telephone exchange

In the 1891 census Adolph and family are living here. He is listed as organist and teacher of piano. Gustav is listed as aged 16 and a ‘scholar’, and younger brother Emil as 14 and also a ‘scholar.’ The family moved here in 1882, following Clara’s tragic death. Adolph is now remarried, to Mary Thorley Stone, with two young boys: Matthias (4) and Thorley (1). The family also had two live-in female servants, a cook and a children’s nurse.

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45 Bath Road

In the 1901 census Adolph is living here, having separated from Mary who is now in the USA. Gustav was in London, embarking on his career as a composer, and Emil was gaining experience as an actor, having adopted the stage name Ernest Cossart. In his later years Adolph struggled with a drinking problem and died here in 1901, aged only 55, after an evening drinking at what is now the Montpellier Wine Bar.

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16 Cambray Place

This is where Gustavus (grandfather) was living when he died in 1870. His son Adolph (Gustav Holst’s father) was also living here at the time.

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Lloyds Bank, 130 High Street

This is the site of the Assembly Rooms which were opened by the Duke of Wellington in 1816. A major concert venue at the time where Adolph used to organise concerts and also perform. Gustav conducted sections of his oratorio ‘Lansdown Castle’ here in December 1892.

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Marks and Spencer, 173 High Street

Site of the Cheltenham Corn Exchange, which later became the Victoria Rooms. This is where ‘Lansdown Castle’ was performed in full for the first time in February 1893. Holst was only 18 years old at the time. He left Cheltenham later that year to begin his studies at the Royal College of Music in London. It's now time to head to Pittville to visit the Holst Birthplace Museum which is about 10 minutes' walk. Facing Marks and Spencer, turn left and take the first road on the right which is Pittville Street. Continue straight ahead, crossing two roads and eventually turning right into Clarence Road where the museum is a short distance along on the right hand side. Note: Your route will take you past Cheltenham's impressive Grade II* listed Masonic Hall. The Hall was completed in 1823 and was built by George Underwood, a pupil of John Soane, and also the architect of Cheltenham's Municipal Offices. The Hall was the world's first purpose-built Masonic Hall outside London and is still in use today.

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Holst Birthplace Museum

Gustav Holst was born in this building (then 4 Pittville Terrace) on 21 September 1874. Built in 1832, the house was a private residence until 1975, when it became the Holst Birthplace Museum, run by Cheltenham Borough Council. Since 2000 it has been an independent museum run by a board of trustees, staffed almost entirely by volunteers. The museum presents the fascinating story of how a young boy from Cheltenham grew up to be one of Britain’s finest composers and achieved worldwide fame through his complex yet immensely popular masterpiece, The Planets Suite. The music room contains many of Holst’s possessions, including the piano on which he composed The Planets. Entering the museum is like stepping back in time: many of the rooms have been re-imagined as they might have looked in the 1870s when Holst lived there. Whether you are a music lover or a fan of Victorian social history, the museum has a great deal to offer the visitor. The shop has a large selection of items for sale, including CDs, books, Holst-themed memorabilia, as well as children’s toys. To book a ticket, please go to the website, www.holstmuseum.org.uk, which also contains more information about the Holsts of Cheltenham.For refreshment and sustenance, a visit to Havanas Coffee, 14 Prestbury Road, will re-energise you before our Encore, a visit to All Saints’ Church, with its many Holst associations.

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ENCORE! All Saints’ Church, All Saints’ Road

A Grade 1 listed building designed by John Middleton, begun in 1865. It has rich furnishings and a William Hill organ, although a planned tall spire was never built. The south transept rose window follows an Edward Burne-Jones design and was made in 1901 by the William Morris Company. Gustav’s father Adolph, who helped to design the organ, was the church’s first organist, performing the role from 1866 to 1894, and he and Clara Lediard, one of his piano pupils, were married here in 1871. Their children Gustav (b.1874) and his brother Emil (b. 1876) were baptised here. Gustav also played the organ here, and also violin and trombone in small orchestras formed for special occasions. The church has also hosted musical concerts organised by the Holst Birthplace Trust.