History

Before Cheltenham ever became famous for its horse racing it was well renowned as a health and holiday spa town resort since the discovery of mineral springs there in 1716. It’s success as a spa town is still reflected throughout the area and even it’s railway station is called Cheltenham Spa with plenty of health facilities in other towns that have been named after it.

It was 1815 before the first flat race was run at Cheltenham racecourse on Nottingham Hill and three years later it was changed over to Cleeve Hill in August 1818. At that time it was home to a two day festival held each July and as it’s popularity grew so too did the attending crowds which reached 30,000 especially on the day of the 3m Gold Cup race.

But all did not run smoothly particularly when the local Parish Priest, Reverend Francis Close, intervened preaching the evils of gambling which aroused such strong feeling amongst the Cheltenham constituents that the race meeting in 1830 was disrupted and the following year the grandstand was burnt down. That is how the racecourse came to be in Prestbury Park, its current venue, since 1831.