The Norwood Triangle
In the 1790s Charles Brandon Trye built a horse-drawn tramroad at his quarries on Leckhampton Hill. In July 1810 he extended it to form a spur of the Gloucester and Cheltenham Tramroad, which ran from a wharf near the present Tesco superstore in Gloucester Road to Gloucester Docks. This enabled transportation of the stone to Cheltenham and wider afield via the docks and the River Severn.Initially the tramroad ran through fields and open countryside, later forming the street pattern in this area. The line ran down what is now the route of the Leckhampton Road and Norwood Road. At the Norwood Triangle it veered off along Andover Road, through Westall Green and into Queen's Road. There it joined the main tramroad near to the site of the later Lansdown station, which wasn’t built until 1840.Great Norwood Street follows the line of a siding which once led from the Norwood triangle to stonemason's yards at Grotten Wharf, near to Suffolk Road. The tramroad consisted of a plateway. Its rails had L shaped flanges to guide the wheels, unlike modern railways, and rested upon heavy stone blocks. The gauge was 3 feet 6 inches and any carter could use it on payment of the toll. The line was exclusively for freight but there are reports of passengers riding in the carts, including some bad accidents. It closed in 1861, by which time the streets had been built and the tracks were a nuisance to road traffic.At the Norwood Triangle, the Railway Inn was built in the early 1830s to serve the thirsty hauliers, stonemasons and a growing urban population. It was the location of several coroner’s inquests in the 19th century, which included incidents of death by fire, scalding and being run over by horse drawn carriages.The pub had its fair share of assaults, drunkenness and theft. For example the Cheltenham Mercury reported 6th December 1862 that John Sale, a labourer, arrived at the Railway Inn in a disorderly state. The landlady threw him out and in retaliation he broke a window. The fine was 5 shillings plus expenses or 10 days imprisonment.In common with other pubs, The Railway Inn was a centre for the local community but it finally closed in 1968.Take a minute to look at the bronze disc inlaid in the pavement which bears a copy of the seal of the old tramroad company. It was placed here in 2008.Walk south along Norwood Road until you reach The Norwood Arms
The Norwood Arms
The Norwood Arms was named in honour of the Norwoods, Lords of the Manor of Leckhampton, from 1486 to 1797. It was built in 1821 as a southern gateway into Cheltenham by Samuel Kearsey, who later claimed it had been the only house in the area, with a beautiful stream from Leckhampton Hill flowing past. Two years later, in 1823, the New Bath Road & Shurdington Road were fully opened, as toll roads, with gates on the side roads, a toll house near to the present small roundabout and weighing machines to calculate the carter’s fees.The inn was a welcome stopping place for the people taking part in the traditional practice of "beating the bounds" of the large parish of Leckhampton. The churchwarden's accounts for the 1830s include 7 gallons of beer at 3d a pint!But there were some troubling accounts of crime and drunkenness; in May 1842 Wat Fleming was fined 5 shillings after being found lying drunk across the tramway next to the Inn at 1.30 am. And in 1862 William Jones, who described himself as a tramp from New York, refused to pay for his drink. The landlord, Mr Henry Vines, followed him to two or three other public houses in Bath Road where he used the same dodge. When arrested by the police Jones apparently made use of "the most disgusting language"!After the tramroad closed in 1861 the Bath Road toll was abandoned, the toll house was dismantled and the weighing machine was sold off.In 1884 the Ladies Society for the Protection of Animals donated the horse trough next to the inn but the cost of laying on water had to be borne by the (rather dismayed) Town Council. Ironically 30 years later, in 1914, Alfred Ebden of Churchdown was fined 10 shillings for kicking his horse when it refused to drink from this trough! What would the ladies have thought? Walk north along Bath Road on the left hand pavement.
The Linc Charity Shop, 218 Bath Road
This was formerly 1 Hermitage Terrace, named after a fine 1820s house called The Hermitage, built by John Barke Gustavus Ferryman, which stood on this site. It had stables, a coach house, outbuildings, a garden and a pleasure ground, and an adjoining one acre paddock. By 1842 The Hermitage had been replaced with this row of shops and the houses in Hermitage Street and Francis Street.This shop at the corner of Hermitage Street was notable for having been a shoe shop for about 116 years, until 2019. From 1903-1974 it was owned by the Lawrence family.James Lawrence was born in Cheltenham in 1853. By the 1880s he and his wife Caroline lived in Naunton Crescent and started a shoe business there. This was truly a ‘cottage industry’ where they both made and sold the shoes. When, in 1903, these Bath Road premises became vacant the business transferred here. James’ and Caroline’s two youngest daughters, Maud and Minnie, remained unmarried and helped their father run the shop, which sold excellent quality footwear, beautifully displayed in the large windows.James Lawrence died in 1939 at the age of 87 and was then one of the oldest tradesmen in the Bath Road. Minnie continued to run the business alone until about 1960 but the family retained an interest in the shop until 1974, when one of their shop assistants, Mrs Grace, took over the business.In 1983, an even older Cheltenham shoe-making family firm, Adcocks, took over. Matthew Adcock, a boot and shoe-maker, started his business at 304 High Street in 1879. His speciality was a clog made with a leather leg front for “carriage-washing and such purposes”. The fifth generation of the Adcock family was still selling shoes here in 2019, representing a remarkable continuity of trade.Continue along Bath Road until you are opposite the Lee Longland furniture shop.
Lee Longland, 210-216 Bath Road (formerly 3, 4, 5 & 6 Waterloo Terrace)
The right hand corner of this furniture shop was formerly known as 6 Waterloo Terrace, which in 1857 was Charles Ballinger’s butcher’s shop, possibly the first one in the Upper Bath Road. The shop was successful and after his death in 1899 his son, also named Charles, bought these premises for £340.Charles (junior) was also a butcher but had a lucrative side-line teaching keep-fit lessons at Cheltenham College, an example of how the traders prospered from the presence of the school. Being something of a keep-fit enthusiast Charles kept a set of weights in the shop and often challenged his customers to weight-lifting contests. On occasion the challenger, unable to hold the weights, sent them crashing down through the wooden floor, into the cellar below!Some of the wealthier customers tended to delay settling their accounts for a whole year. Despite these difficulties Charles would always find some meat for the poor at the end of the day. However Charles closed the butchery at the start of the First World War in 1914. His sons had already enlisted in the army and, aged 43, he joined the Catering Corps. He survived the war and on his return to England he resumed his trade as a butcher at St. Marks in Cheltenham.In 1916 these premises became the hairdressing business of Mr George Thompson. An excellent barber, he preferred to take his time and would frequently leave his customer waiting in the chair half way through a haircut whilst he went to have a cup of tea. Nevertheless he traded successfully here for over forty years.In 1969 Mr Chapman, who already had an adjacent furniture shop, extended it into these corner premises. He was bought out in 1972 by Lee Longland of Birmingham, who celebrate more than 120 years in the furniture business.Walk until you are opposite the Red Cross clothing shop
British Red Cross, 198 Bath Road
Between 1888 and 1905, this was the shop of a pork butcher names Charles Phipps, who was born in 1841, at nearby Commercial Street. He was married to Emma Simmonds at St Philip and St James’ church in 1874 and they had several children. These were mostly daughters and three of them married other local traders, indicating the closeness of the community. Charles retired form the business at the age of 64. In the early days shopkeepers had to respond to the ‘carriage trade’, whereby they were expected to personally go out to the carriage in the street to take an order for delivery later that day.In 1922 the shop was bought by Mr Charles Winters, a fishmonger. Mr Winters was born in Cheltenham in about 1873. It was as well that the family lived over the shop as it opened at 6am and orders for kedgeree fish had to be delivered by boys on bicycles to the big houses in Cheltenham, in time for breakfast. Charles’ son, Gilbert Winters, inherited the family business after his father’s death in 1929. Known playfully by his customers as Gil, he always wore his wellington boots and his hat in the shop.Gil ordered the fish by telephone, for delivery the next day by lorries that travelled overnight from Grimsby and other ports. Since there was no modern refrigeration, ice was kept in the cellar and would be replenished by Gil’s son Ken collecting it by bicycle from the ‘Ice Works’ in Albion Street. The fish arrived packed with ice in wooden boxes and was opened straight away, to be laid out on the ice in the shop. It was rare to have any left over by mid afternoon.As with other fishmongers, Gil sold ‘cat fish’; he was generous with the portions, making him very popular with the local cats!Cross road at narrowed crossing opposite Co-op and walk along to stand by the wall of the Exmouth Arms garden.
The Exmouth Arms, 167 Bath Road
The Exmouth Arms was named after a British naval hero, Vice-Admiral Edward Pellew, who became Viscount Exmouth in 1816. In the autumn of that year he visited Cheltenham to convalesce after a celebrated sea battle in the Mediterranean.This Regency building dates from before July 1819, when it was the venue for an auction of barley and oats growing in a nearby 20 acre field. The surrounding area would have had a semi-rural appearance until the New Bath Road opened in 1823, though the urban development of Cheltenham was rapidly advancing. The Exmouth Arms would therefore, for a brief time, have represented the gateway into the town from the south and is probably the oldest surviving building in the Upper Bath Road. Do not be confused by its late Victorian appearance – it was re-fronted in 1898 by the landlord, James Kitching.In 1821 a swimming pool (known as Parker's Swimming and Bathing Place) was created at the west end of the Exmouth Arms garden, probably fed by the Westal Brook, which now flows under the site. It was created by a local builder, Arthur Parker, who also collaborated in the development of The Park estate. The pool seems to have survived for about 10 years.From at least the mid 19th century there was a bowling green in the garden and the Exmouth bowling club competed with teams from many of the neighbouring pubs. The green was ‘Dug for Victory’ in the Second World War and it is now used as allotments.Proceed along the Bath Road and stand outside the Sue Ryder shop. Look first across the road, to your right.
My Coffee, 186 Bath Road
From the late 1880s, for more than 100 years, this was one of the shops belonging to Singletons the gentlemen’s outfitters. Benjamin and Samuel Singleton were brothers born in Newport on the Isle of Wight in the 1840’s.Benjamin was the businessman of the two and bought up various properties, equipping them as drapery and clothing businesses. He sold most of them but kept the best two for himself, in Albion Street and here at Bath Road, his brother Samuel managing this shop on his behalf.Samuel managed the Bath Road shop admirably. He was a kindly man, who saved the small change from the shop to give to the poor. An accomplished musician, he was the organist at Emmanuel church. He died in 1923 aged 81, whilst his brother Benjamin died ten years later aged 88. But Singleton’s continued in business as an outfitter until 1987.Looking further back in time we come across an unfortunate mystery.From the mid 19th century these premises formed a grocery and butcher's shop belonging to Mr Alfred Wall. Alfred married Maria Smith at St Mary's church in 1846 and their son was born here in December 1851. In March 1860 Alfred was fined 2 shillings and sixpence for allowing the carcasses of several animals to encroach onto the footway but two years later he was commended for an excellent display at the Cheltenham Annual Christmas Meat Show.On 5th May 1878 Alfred Wall mysteriously disappeared from his house in Montpellier, after finishing his Sunday dinner. It seems that he caught a train from Lansdown station to Liverpool that Sunday evening, without taking any luggage.Alfred hadn't let his friends or family know where he was going, or why, and his absence caused them considerable anxiety. On arrival in Liverpool he booked into a small lodging house and retired for the evening.In the morning the landlady couldn’t rouse him and, fearing something bad had occurred, called the police to break the door down. On entering the room they found him dead, on his knees with his head submerged in the domestic cold water tank, which was in one of the cupboards. At the inquest into his death no-one could account for his actions and the jury returned a rather ambiguous verdict of "found drowned". There has never been an explanation of this tragic and curious event.
Bloodworths, 180 Bath Road
In 1911 Mr William Newman, who had been trading as an ironmonger in The Exmouth Buildings opposite since 1905, moved to these bigger premises with his wife Annie and their children, and his name remained above the shop until very recently. William Newman was born in 1864, in Charlton Kings.Their son Vic worked with his father in the shop and continued the family business after William died in 1918. The hours were long, the shop opening at 8 am each day, closing at 7 pm Monday to Friday and at 9pm on Saturdays.The ironmonger’s shop was always ‘chock-a-block’ with goods. Nails, screws and other small items were stored in large bins and were sold by the pound in weight, whilst other items were kept in drawers behind the wooden counter. Putty for fixing windows was taken from large tubs and wrapped in newspaper.Wallpaper became very popular and replaced paint on the walls of even the smallest homes. It cost from one penny a roll and could be trimmed in a special machine with a turning handle for ½ d a roll. The wallpaper could be selected from pattern books and orders would probably arrive quite quickly. Two or three deliveries a day were made to the shop, the goods coming to Cheltenham by rail and then on to the shop by horse and cart, and later by van.Vic Newman was a fire watchman during the Second World War. The night of 11th December 1940 was not one his duty nights but when it became clear that Cheltenham was in for a heavy night of bombing he decided to check his shop for incendiaries. He was in the cellar when an oast house (drying house), at the rear of the pub next door, was hit by a bomb and fell across the doorway, trapping him inside. He was fortunate to be able to scramble through a small opening to safety.The air raid began at about 7.30pm and waves of bombers flew over Cheltenham until after midnight. Sadly, twenty-three people lost their lives and 600 were made homeless in that single raid. Walk further along the pavement to Bath Road Cards
The Big Fish, 166 Bath Road (formerly 1 Clare Cottages)
In 1889 this was the home of a Post Office clerk called William Woodward, who lived here with his wife and five children. The house still had a front garden at the time and the children played there and in the street, long before the electric trams and motor vehicles at the start of the 20th century.At the turn of the 20th century this became one of three adjoining properties owned by the Dix family. This one was a hardware store and had a brass strip announcing that fact along the pavement.During the First World War the shop was converted into a National Restaurant, otherwise known as a ‘communal kitchen’. This was part of a national movement during a time of food shortages, whereby local authorities set up kitchens to cook nutritious food at affordable prices. Customers would take their own dishes to the shop and take the food home to eat.By 1920, electrician Arthur Chapman lived here with his wife Mary and their five children. Their hardware shop was double fronted; in one window Arthur had a black china cat and in the other a black china dog. He replaced the eyes on both creatures with flashing lights. On one occasion an elderly gentleman passer-by was quite cross with him saying it was an outrageous waste of electricity!Arthur, who had been a motor mechanic during the First World War, loved to tinker with anything mechanical and made a radio receiving station in a room above the shop. Great care had to be taken when listening to the radio, as when a tram rumbled along the Bath Road huge sparks would fly out of the set!In 1924 this became a fish and chip shop called ‘The Bath Road Supper Rooms’. The first fish fryer, Mr Thomas Nicholson, used coal to cook the fish and chips and local people could tell how burnt the food was by the blackness of the smoke from the chimney!Although it has changed ownership and name several times over the years, in 2024 there will have been a century of fish and chips served here.Use the pelican crossing to cross the road to the opposite pavement. Walk northward until you are at the front of Thirlestaine House, the large neo-classical mansion.
Thirlestaine House
Now part of Cheltenham College, Thirlestaine House was largely built between 1820 and 1823 by an amateur architect named James Robert Scott as his private residence. The mansion, which originally consisted only of the central portion, has been described as the most substantial private house ever built in Cheltenham. It is in the neo-classical style, the most notable feature being the grand portico with four fluted Ionic columns and a pediment.The house was originally approached from two entrances on the Bath Road by means of a sweeping carriage drive and was concealed behind a high brick wall. At the rear of the house was another great block containing stables, offices, a conservatory and a grapery. In addition there was a paddock for the horses, a kitchen garden and a fruit and flower garden.Thirlestaine House came up for sale in February 1831, when it was described as a "splendid freehold mansion", “on the outskirts of Cheltenham”. The house had a grand suite of 5 rooms connected by massive double doors and a kitchen and cellars similar to those at the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. It was finally bought in 1838 by John Rushout, 2nd Baron Northwick, the owner of Northwick Park, near Blockley. An avid collector of fine art, as a young man he spent about 11 years on a "Grand Tour" of Europe acquiring pictures and in later life was often to be seen at Christie's auction rooms in London.Eventually Lord Northwick's art collection outgrew the available space, so he added two wings in the 1840s, making the entire length of the building about 300 feet. The gallery included works by Titian, Leonardo da Vinci, Holbein, Bellini, Rubens and Velasquez and was one of the finest in collections Britain but was dispersed after his death.You have now reached the end of this walk. Why not return to the shopping area to browse the shops and cafes and enjoy a well-earned refreshment.If you have enjoyed this Cheltenham Local History Society Walk you can use PocketSights to explore our other historical Cheltenham Walks. Or to find out about becoming a member, click here.
