Laying the first cornerstone for Pittville Pump Room

The laying of the Pump Room’s foundation stone on 4 May 1825 was one of the most splendid events in Cheltenham’s history. In the words of the Cheltenham Journal, “the morning was ushered in by the ringing of bells, the firing of cannon and other rejoicing …. crowds of persons from all the neighbouring villages continued to pour into the town from an early hour”.  A Masonic Procession set out from the Masonic Hall in Portland Street, going first to the parish church for a service and then on to Pittville, where “two extensive elevations, commanding excellent views of the imposing ceremony” had been built.  Coins were placed in a cavity, over which was set an inscribed plate recording the event. The stone itself was lowered to the strain of ‘God Save the King’. In the evening, banquets were held at two of the town’s hotels, with a grand firework display at Pittville.

The Pump Room was designed by the architect John Forbes and consisted of a main hall with a gallery on the first floor, an oval room containing the elaborate marble and scagliola pump and a small card room to one side. On the first floor were a billiard room, a library and a reading room. Above the gallery was the splendid dome with the finest plaster work in Cheltenham. Outside the building was surrounded by a colonnade of Ionic columns.The building of the Pump Room took almost five years. The Duke of Wellington visited it on 15 August 1828 and “expressed himself in very high terms as to the beauty of this delightful spot”. The official opening took place on 20 July 1830 when visitors poured into Cheltenham. Over a 1000 people were served breakfast in the gardens and afterwards a ball was held in the Pump Room. The ‘Assembly Rooms Band’ played from the gallery and dances included a new quadrille, ‘the Pittville Spa’ composed for the occasion. The festivities ended at 6pm with ‘God Save the King’.

Words taken from ‘Pittville Pump Room’ by Steven Blake

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