This place takes its name from the small River Chelt, which rises nearby at
Dowdeswell and runs through the town on its way to the Severn. The town was
awarded a market charter in 1226. Though little remains of its pre-spa history,
Cheltenham has been a health and holiday spa town resort since the discovery of
mineral springs there in 1716. The visit of George III with the queen and royal
princesses in 1788 set a stamp of fashion on the spa. The spa waters continue
to be taken recreationally at Pittville Pump Room, built for this purpose and
completed in 1830; it is a centrepiece of Pittville, a planned extension of
