Tewkesbury Road, Cheltenham - October 2002/September2010

Hello, I'm not sure if this topic has a place on this forum because the buildings in question have been demolished.

Cheltenham is a town rich in architectural history, noted for it's mixture of Georgian, Victorian and a few examples of Art Deco style. Unfortunately just like everywhere else, the powers that be are prone to making poor planning decisions. Sometimes redevelopment can be a positive thing - especially if it is a piece of wasteland has been unused for years and has become an eyesore. Regeneration of an area can be good because it may benefit the community - but this is not always the case.

Tewkesbury Road (A4019) is one of the busiest main roads in Cheltenham. there is a mixture of residential and business premises. However It is also a prime example of putting profits before aesthetics. The area has three large retail outlets, Visitors to Cheltenham who travel along this route are not given a flavour of the Regency grandeur that Cheltenham is known for.

These following photographs are of a row of perfectly good houses , that just happened to stand in the way of profit. I was unable to find any history about them, other than they were probably built in the 1930's. These photographs were taken shortly before the houses were demolished, to make way for Centrum Retail Park



















The building below, used to be The Victoria Wine Bar - formally The Sherry Bar an iconic off licence!



Eight years later









Don't you just love progress?

Mshegs said:

Hello, I'm not sure if this topic has a place on this forum because the buildings in question have been demolished.

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Actually that's a good reason, because then we get to see buildings that are no longer there.
I'll tell you what makes me mad too, is when something is pulled down because it's a so-called eyesore and then an even worse eyesore is put in it's place. Don't get me started!

Nice report, H. It is a shame that perfectly good housing has gone, considering that the country is supposedly in need of more. Sorry...sorry...ranting again. I'll have to stop taking those cynic pills!

There were other similar rows of houses along Tewkesbury Road, that suffered the same fate. I'm glad we're "singing from the same hymn sheet" about unnecessary new developments.

i prefer the houses . what a shame thanks

Progress indeed!
How very sad. There were some lovely houses here.
I feel sad for the people who had to uproot their lives and move away

Gorgeous big 30's semi's...what an absolute sin

great pics...thanks.

You're welcome.

Fanatic report there was a garden nursery called ‘ R Young’ down towards the M5 houses still there just been to explore it. No history why it’s been abandoned.

Not much of it left

washington001 said:

...there was a garden nursery called ‘ R Young’ down towards the M5 houses still there just been to explore it. No history why it’s been abandoned.

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I enjoyed seeing your photos, Washington. Cheers.

Yet another example of perfectly good housing being demolished in the name of money-making commercialism. As I have said before, it is these typical, everyday houses that represent so much of our cultural and architectural history and past in general.

Elsewhere, a local council has ordered the demolition of a perfectly good detached house in a quiet cul de sac - so that a new housing estate right behind the cul de sac can have a ruddy cycle path (!!!!!!) to it. The owners of the house they thought they'd have until they died are being made homeless in the name of this mad new religion - by the council (!!!!). The seclusion of the cul de sac will be lost, no doubt it will become a rat run for the two-wheel brigade from children upwards, and a nuisance will be created where none needed to be introduced. The council has already waffled about cutting carbon footprints (just part of this new-age nonsense; all plants and trees NEED carbon), reduced car journeys, the usual list of pretended 'greenness'.
Coming to a cul de sac near you soon.

Lady Grey said:

Elsewhere, a local council has ordered the demolition of a perfectly good detached house in a quiet cul de sac - so that a new housing estate right behind the cul de sac can have a ruddy cycle path (!!!!!!) to it. The owners of the house they thought they'd have until they died are being made homeless in the name of this mad new religion - by the council (!!!!). The seclusion of the cul de sac will be lost, no doubt it will become a rat run for the two-wheel brigade from children upwards, and a nuisance will be created where none needed to be introduced. The council has already waffled about cutting carbon footprints (just part of this new-age nonsense; all plants and trees NEED carbon), reduced car journeys, the usual list of pretended 'greenness'.
Coming to a cul de sac near you soon.

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Don’t get me started on cycle paths! Scourge of our waterways, towpaths turned into (and maintained as) whizzy routes for olympic style cyclists who contribute nought, while we boaters pay for the privilege of being bashed into by them.

sadlerwells said:

Don’t get me started on cycle paths! Scourge of our waterways, towpaths turned into (and maintained as) whizzy routes for olympic style cyclists who contribute nought, while we boaters pay for the privilege of being bashed into by them.

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Having walked the towpaths of the Grand Union in west London decades ago, when all one came across was anglers, I would not like to do so these days. Here, in Bournemouth, we have cycle lanes as wide as the single carriageway of a road, pavements divided by pointless thick white lines - pedestrians one side, cyclists the other - narrow pavements now marked for BOTH walkers and cyclists - and silent electric scooter riders going at 15 mph wherever they fancy. Mayhem.

Hayman said:

Having walked the towpaths of the Grand Union in west London decades ago, when all one came across was anglers, I would not like to do so these days. Here, in Bournemouth, we have cycle lanes as wide as the single carriageway of a road, pavements divided by pointless thick white lines - pedestrians one side, cyclists the other - narrow pavements now marked for BOTH walkers and cyclists - and silent electric scooter riders going at 15 mph wherever they fancy. Mayhem.

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Pretty similar on a lot of towpaths. Sitting out today’s heat on the towpath in the shade of a tree, leaving a fair clear way through for cyclists and pedestrians. Had mountain bikes whizzing past, sending up clouds of dust, followed by electric bikes. We try to be jolly, with a nice plea for them to slow down, but it just provokes them to try and speed up.

sadlerwells said:

Pretty similar on a lot of towpaths. Sitting out today’s heat on the towpath in the shade of a tree, leaving a fair clear way through for cyclists and pedestrians. Had mountain bikes whizzing past, sending up clouds of dust, followed by electric bikes. We try to be jolly, with a nice plea for them to slow down, but it just provokes them to try and speed up.

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You should have put up "4 knots speed limit" and speed camera signs! Or just put your deckchairs ON the towpath.

Hayman said:

You should have put up "4 knots speed limit" and speed camera signs! Or just put your deckchairs ON the towpath.

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We’ve tried the chair thing. They see the chicane as a challenge. Signs make no difference either — “Low bridge. Cyclists dismount” is the ultimate challenge to ding your bell and pedal as hard as possible, causing mayhem to pedestrians, dog walkers and nearby boats!

Tacks throw a few down in there path and sweep em away when they have gone, hopefully one with end up the the canal

sadlerwells said:

We’ve tried the chair thing. They see the chicane as a challenge. Signs make no difference either — “Low bridge. Cyclists dismount” is the ultimate challenge to ding your bell and pedal as hard as possible, causing mayhem to pedestrians, dog walkers and nearby boats!

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Get one of those spikey things the police use to puncture vehicle tyres - or dig an elephant trap with sharp spikes of wood sticking up, and cover it with Sir Walter Raleigh's cloak!

the one with the bay windows which have rounded off corners may be earlier than than the 1930s. It's very similar to those in Balgores Lane, Gidea Park, Romford, where my late grandparents lived for many years and they, I believe, were built 1928. I whipped this off google maps of some which still have them - others have straight windows now, I imagine gettint replacement curved glass is no joke.

Sarah Waldock said:

...I believe, were built 1928. I whipped this off google maps of some which still have them - others have straight windows now, I imagine getting replacement curved glass is no joke.

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I love those wrap around windows; very much a part of the Art Deco movement in order to get as much sunlight as possible indoors...not easily done in Britain, lol. It must be quite expensive as I suspect it's very specialist. There are some bow windows in a Georgian terrace in my area which holds curved glass. Gorgeous things.