Appreciate great music all year round at Holst Victorian House

At the Holst Victorian House, you can appreciate the incredible music of Gustav Holst while exploring the only Victorian period house open to the public in Cheltenham.  

Composer of one of the most recorded pieces of English orchestral music, The Planet Suite, and In the Bleak Midwinter, Gustav Holst was born at 4 Pittville Terrace, now 4 Clarence Road, in 1874. Three of the rooms in this period house are dedicated to his memory.

 Displays include the piano on which he composed The Planets, his Arts & Crafts-style music chest and his gramophone. You can also listen to extracts of the composers work and watch a film on his music and influences. 

Holst Victorian House’s new exhibition - Hidden in a Drawer: Gustav Holst’s Lost Manuscripts sees Folk Songs from Somerset and Two Songs Without Words go on public display for the first time. These pieces were donated to the Museum in 2018 shortly after their discovery in a drawer in New Zealand. Both scores were considered lost after the premiere of Folk Songs from Somerset in Bath in 1906. 

The rediscovered pieces will be performed together for the first time in the UK at a Holst birthday concert at the Pittville Pump Room on 17 September.  

Holst Victorian House also includes Holst family-related artefacts. These include a harp similar to the one played by Holst’s grandfather, Gustavus von Holst, and paintings by his great uncle Theodor, who influenced the Pre-Raphaelites.

With activities for children, Holst Victorian House is a great place to visit for all the family whilst supporting an independent charity working to keep memories of Cheltenham’s past alive. 

Holst Victorian House is open Tuesday to Saturday and you can book via their website - Book a Visit - Holst Victorian House – or just swing by. 

---

For more summer holiday inspiration check out our helpful guides - Summer in Cheltenham and unmissable things to do in Cheltenham.