A Busy Summer Ahead Civic Day and Midsummer Fiesta
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The Newsletter of Cheltenham Civic Society Issue 11 | June 2018 Your regular update on how we are working to keep CHELTENHAM a great place to thrive Stall at Midsummer Fiesta, Montpellier Gardens A plethora of signs and ‘orphan’ post Civic Day map A busy summer ahead Civic Day and Midsummer Fiesta Feedback at our AGM in March the protection of our own conservation organised a competition that involves highlighted how seriously our members areas, including on-street parking, people visiting the community groups take the ‘streetscape’ of our town, street paraphernalia, poor street represented there to find out more including signage, footpaths and street furniture and equipment on buildings. about the great work that they do. furniture. In view of this we have Street Pride is particularly concerned Hollywood Bowl, Leisure@Cheltenham, decided to mark Civic Day on 16 June about unnecessary bollards, signs, Paint Yourself Pottery and the by participating in the national Street posts and guard rails, of which there Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Pride campaign, led by Civic Voice. are plenty in Cheltenham! Our team will Railway have already donated prizes We will focus on the High Street within note all these issues and we will report and vouchers - and there may be more! the town’s Central Conservation Area, the offenders to the relevant authorities. The Civic Society will also have its own between Barratt’s Mill Lane and the The Civic Society is also participating stall and will encourage new members Honeybourne Bridge. Cheltenham’s in the Midsummer Fiesta in Montpellier to join. Do come along and support us Local Development Framework Gardens on 7 July . Volunteering is a on the day. And maybe win a prize! identified a number of challenges to crucial element of the fiesta and we’ve Maxine Melling What’s in this time From the Chair page 2 EVERY part of Cheltenham matters page 6 Diary dates – upcoming events page 3 High Street improvements begin page 7 The Quadrangle page 4 Pittville School remembers page 8 Masthead image: Montpellier Gardens From the Chair Maxine Melling It was good to see members at this our charitable aims – to promote high the damaged Penfold letter box on year’s AGM on 21 March. standards of planning, to educate, and College Lawn (see update below). We said goodbye, and a heartfelt thanks, to secure the preservation of features of I represented the Civic Society in to trustees who stood down this year - historic or public interest. We erected February at the launch of the Bob Keevil , Freddie Gick , Alec Hamilton two blue plaques to notable women Gloucestershire 2050 initiative. This is and Duncan Smith . We welcomed associated with Cheltenham and we ran a county-wide exploration of how we some excellent annual events - Civic Day Andrew Chard (new chair of the Parmoor want Gloucestershire to develop and (extended to a fortnight in 2017 in co- House Committee), Chris Healy (Honorary it includes some ambitious proposals. operation with Cheltenham West End Treasurer), Andrew North (Honorary To date the initiative has developed six Partnership, the History Department Secretary) and Peter Sayers (new chair ‘big ideas’ for the county, which include at the university and Chapel Arts), as of the Planning Forum). I remain indebted a ‘super city’ created by Cheltenham John Lewis, Cheltenham Members’ Summer Garden Party at Parmoor House well as Heritage Open Days and the and Gloucester; a cyber park in West to all trustees for the time they give and Civic Awards . We had many excellent Cheltenham; regional parks in the Forest their commitment to the work of the speakers, including Tristram Hunt, of Dean and Severn Vale; a new crossing Civic Society. Director of the V&A giving the Paterson to connect Sharpness and Lydney; and My annual report noted the wide range Memorial Lecture . We also continued a new Cotswold airport. Consultation of activities we carried out, and which to campaign to preserve and protect continues until the end of July and have been covered in the newsletter, on important heritage sites in the town, we have put a link on the front page our website or on Facebook. I was very including public access to Pittville of our website if you wish to read more pleased with what we achieved in meeting Pump Room and the replacement of and comment. Industrial buildings: Flowers Brewery Diary dates Everyone is welcome to attend our talks and lectures. Talks at Parmoor House, the HQ of the Civic Society, are £7.50 per person (£5 for a member), payable at the door. Tickets for lectures at outside venues usually need to be booked in advance and prices may vary depending on the venue. Tuesday 5 June why some buildings survived and others Wine, canapés and conversation in did not, and compares Cheltenham’s the garden behind Parmoor House. Full John Lewis, Cheltenham – cases with examples further afield. details on the enclosed application form. Adrian Barlow and Maxine Melling at Civic Awards Lecture 2018 Mayor and FOP Chair at Earengey plaque unveiling a regeneration and 7.30pm | Parmoor House Book early as this event is very popular architectural journey 13 Lypiatt Terrace GL50 2SX and places are limited. April events in pictures Welcome Andrew Mills , Development Manager, 6-8pm | Parmoor House will speak about the challenges of this Saturday 7 July 13 Lypiatt Terrace GL50 2SX The Mayor at the time, Cllr Klara Sudbury , A sombre topic, but Adrian (pictured here to the most major project. Midsummer Fiesta unveiling a blue plaque on 10 April in with Chair, Maxine Mellin g), opened our eyes recent new 7.30pm | Parmoor House We will be participating in the Midsummer Saturday 15 & Sunday 16 honour of suffragist Florence Earengey at to a host of hidden details in WW1 memorials 13 Lypiatt Terrace GL50 2SX Fiesta this year. Organised by a team from September only 3 Wellington Square, with Friends of Pittville’s here and abroad. members the Borough Council, The Cheltenham Chair, Judie Hodsdon , enjoying the joke. You can read more about the two events Saturday 16 June Trust, the West End and the Hester’s Way Open Days at Parmoor House Adrian Barlow delivered the annual on our website Home/Latest news page. Civic Day - celebrating Partnerships, and Studio 340, the fiesta Heritage Open Days runs over two Civic Awards Lecture, The architecture of Credit for both photos goes to our ‘official’ • Derek Dale-Lace celebrates the artistic and social strength long weekends this year, 6-9 September remembrance , on 11 April at Chapel Arts. photographer, member Jim Markland . where we live of different Cheltenham communities. and 13-16 September . We are opening • Tom and Bridget Civic Society members have been asked The Civic Society is working with other our doors to the public for two days Pettigrew to help with the nationwide Street Pride voluntary groups on a competition to and plan to display panel exhibitions campaign which aims to identify and make everyone’s work better known. being compiled by students and staff College Lawn letter box update • Mike and reduce street clutter. More on page 1 . More on page 1 and come along to learn from the University of Gloucestershire’s more about us and the other groups. History Department. These are about Our December issue, page 8, bemoaned at which point an identical Penfold from Dr Rosemary Tuesday 3 July 12noon-6pm (the Fiesta runs until 9pm) the women’s suffrage movement in the damage done to this letter box and another part of town will be temporarily Richardson Montpellier Gardens, Cheltenham its subsequent removal. removed to allow a mould to be made Industrial buildings – Cheltenham and the aftermath of WW1. GL50 1UW We will also have a talk by local historian, Progress on fixing or replacing it has been (so, don’t be shocked if ‘your’ Penfold • Andrew and their use and reuse Neela Mann , on Saturday afternoon. painfully slow but we can report that listed disappears); the new College Lawn box Cheltenham is not thought of as an Saturday 25 August Louisa Simon More information in September’s issue. building consent was granted in mid-April; will not be in place for possibly another industrial town but it was (and still is to Members’ Summer Royal Mail is expecting ground searches three or four months. • Richard Smith some extent). Amber Patrick , industrial 11am-4pm | Parmoor House to be back in the next couple of weeks; Fiona Clarke buildings archaeologist, will explore Garden Party 13 Lypiatt Terrace GL50 2SX 2 3 The Quadrangle – a homage to classicism Douglas S Ogle Nimes and Évora are both centred commercially viable building to be bulk, neither overwhelms nor grates around magnificent classical temples; erected there), came up trumps. Neither with its neighbours. Rome has its Pantheon. conceding to a slavish copying of The planning authority should hang its surrounding architectural styles nor At Cheltenham’s epicentre stands The head in shame for allowing through a (heaven forbid) producing a precursor Quadrangle, a worthy disciple of ‘70s scheme which makes such a mockery of ‘90s post-modernism, they managed architecture, in its discreet way paying to produce a well-mannered and well- of The Quadrangle through a series of homage to classicism. By no means the proportioned answer, whilst giving alterations and incongruous and brash only 20th century building Cheltonians more than a nod to classicism in the ‘add-ons’ which totally fail to understand love to hate as an intrusion in their relationship of its principal elements and the qualities of one of the town’s very beloved ‘Regency’ town, it forms a highly in the rhythm and make up of its detailing few 20th century buildings which merit visible landmark.