ICheltenham began as an Anglo-Saxon village  over 1200 years ago. In1226 it became a market town, which was the basis of its  economy until the 18 century, when its medicinal waters were discovered in a  field to the south of the town, where Cheltenham Ladies College now stands.  These were regarded as beneficial for a whole range of illnesses and by the late  18 century the town was one of Englands leading spas.              

In 1788 King George III spent five weeks  at Cheltenham, drinking the waters for his healths sake. His visit set the  seal on the towns popularity and during the following years the number of  visitors and residents increased dramatically. Between 1700 and 1800 its  population rose from 1500 to over 3000 and by 1850 it was the largest town in  Gloucestershire, with a population of more than 35,000. Among famous visitors  were members of the English and Continental Royal families, including Princess  (later Queen) Victoria, the Duke of Wellington, and the novelists Jane Austen  and Lord Byron.

Visitors to the town would drink the  waters at either the original spa or one of the rival spas that were established  in the early 19 century, such as Montpellier and Pittville. Several of the spas  had tree-lined walks, rides and gardens in which the visitors could promenade,  often with a band of musicians in attendance. Regular public breakfasts, gala  fetes, firework displays and other entertainments were held at the larger spas.  Visitors could also attend balls, assemblies and concerts at the Assembly Rooms,  plays at the Theatre Royal and horse races at the racecourse. They could also  shop for souvenirs along the High Street and, from the 1820s, in the fashionable  new shopping areas of Montpellier and the Promenade.

Cheltenhams heyday as a spa lasted from  about 1790 to 1840 and these years saw the building of the towns many fine  Regency terraces, crescents and villas. By 1840 it had also become a popular  residential town, particularly for military families, many of whom had served in  the Empire. It also gained a reputation for the quality of preaching in its many  churches and chapels and for its schools and colleges, which encouraged still  more families to settle in the town.

The earliest of the schools was the  Cheltenham Proprietary College for Boys, opened in 1841; the Ladies College  opened 13 years later. During the late nineteenth century, the town developed  some craft industries, in particular a number of firms producing high-quality  work in wood, metal, stone and plaster. During the First World War, one of those  firms, H H Martyn & Co. began to manufacture aircraft components and later  established the Gloster Aircraft Company, thereby beginning a long-standing  connection between the town and aeronautical engineering. The twentieth century  town has grown rapidly, becoming a centre for business and administration.  Accessibility to the A40 trunk road and the M5; with main railway and airport  connections has attracted major players to set up headquarters buildings in the  town including Chelsea Building Society, Dowty Aerospace, Smiths aerospace,  Eagle Star, and the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). This  was boosted quite recently by the decision of Government

It also remained a tourist resort  throughout the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Since the Second World  War, it has built on its existing attractions with its Festivals of Music and  Literature, and National Hunt Racing festivals, employing some of the 6,000  people who work in the tourist industry. It offers a centre for tourists and  foreign visitors with its high quality accommodation and speciality shopping. It  remains a centre of educational excellence and continues in that tradition  through a number of recently established language schools.

Cheltenham does face some challenges  however. Whilst the majority of property values in the town continue to rise,  one of the towns wards is ranked within the top 20 per cent of most deprived  areas in the country. This creates conflicts in trying to attract tourists,  businesses and residents to a town perceived as a prosperous place to work or  live, when that town is also trying to attract grant funding and regeneration  partners. There is also the challenge of encouraging new growth and maintaining  our economy as well as preserving the legacy of our historic past for  present-day visitors to enjoy and appreciate. Above all, Cheltenham must find  more sustainable way of satisfying our needs and demands today, without putting  so much pressure on our environment that our children will not have the same  opportunities.