From a small market town to its heyday as a fashionable watering place and recognition as 'the most complete Regency town in Britain', through to its subsequent reinvention as a centre for religion, education, shopping and festivals, Cheltenham has a proud and distinctive identity. This extraordinary history is embodied in the buildings that have shaped the town, from the medieval church (now its Minster) and the Montpellier Rotunda, where a young Gustav Holst performed, to the world's first (outside of London) purpose-built Masonic hall and one of the country's most iconic buildings of the modern era, the GCHQ Doughnut. In this unique study well-known local author David Elder guides the reader on a tour of its greatest treasures, revealing that Cheltenham's history is sometimes complex but never dull.

About the Author
David Elder has lived in the Cotswolds for over 30 years. Following a career as a Knowledge & Information Management Specialist he became a successful writer, local historian and photographer. His published books include a biography of the Cheltenham-born Antarctic explorer, Dr Edward Adrian Wilson, and local history books covering the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire, Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury. He also writes plays and poetry. For more information see his website at davidelder.net.


Book Information
ISBN 9781445673202
Author David Elder
Format Paperback
Page Count 96
Imprint Amberley Publishing
Publisher Amberley Publishing
Weight(grams) 300g