Cheltenham Town Hall

Built in the the early 20th century as assembly rooms, Cheltenham Town Hall was designed as a place where Cheltenham’s aristocracy could come for masquerade balls, public concerts and assemblies. Back in the day, these formal events were incredibly scrupulous; you had to be the bee’s knees to get an invitation. The good news is, over the years, it’s become much more welcoming; everyone’s welcome to attend its year-round calendar of events.

Unlike the vast majority of town halls, Cheltenham Town Hall is not owned by the council. It’s an entirely public venue, which is why it has the freedom to pick its own programme, including concerts, banquets, meetings, dances, balls, exhibition and conferences.

The majority of the Cheltenham Town Hall events take place in the main hall, which boasts an intricately decorated coved ceiling, marbled Corinthian columns, and a capacity of 1,000 people. It’s an incredibly impressive and undeniably decadent venue. However, when you get into the nitty gritty – like the sprung dance floor – you realise just how much thought went into these assembly rooms to make them some of the finest in the country for Cheltenham’s high society.

Cheltenham Town Hall is one of the town’s most important venues. It plays host to a number of the calendar events that contribute so much to Cheltenham’s culture, including the Cheltenham Festival of Performing Arts, Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Cheltenham Literature Festival and Cheltenham Science Festival. If you’re staying with us during any one of these, we highly recommend coming to the Town Hall to take a look inside. That’s because the Town Hall only opens its doors for events. Sadly, this means that you can’t just pop in for a look around, unlike the other attractions in Cheltenham, such as the Pittville Pump Room.

If you’re in Montpellier – perhaps to sample some of our famous Cheltenham shopping – it’s worth making a pitstop at the Town Hall, even if you can’t go inside. The building is one of Cheltenham’s most recognisable attractions. Not to mention its Imperial Garden Bar is open seven days a week, and – particularly when the sun is shining – provides the perfect place for an al fresco sharing platter and a gin and tonic, or two.