Pittville Gates restoration project

Cheltenham is a town with a heritage of national significance. Its most important building is the beautiful Pittville Pump Room, which is set in a landscaped park, and the Pittville Gates form the historic entrance to this park.

By 2011 the six stone gate piers and metalwork of Pittville Gates were in urgent need of repair, with the stone piers deteriorating, the metalwork being very rusty with paint flaking off, and some of the detailed decorations were missing. Also some sections of the historic metal gates were missing, having been removed during the second World War, as part of the war effort, and the existing light fittings which are attached to the stone pier were modern, unattractive and dated from the 1950s. The immediate landscaped area was also of a poor quality and unattractive appearance.

These gates are owned by Cheltenham Borough Council and are statutory listed. The poor repair and poor visual appearance of Pittville Gates impacted on the wider area of the town and in particular harmed the setting of Pittville Park and Pittville Pump Room.

During the last 4 years substantial restoration and repairs works have been undertaken. These were completed in April 2015 and made an immediate significant improvement to this historic structure and this area of the town; and have been funded by grant aid and fund raising. The estimated costs were £287,737 and the total money raised was £289,339 including grant aid of £225,463.

The restoration project has been due to the hard work, determination and enthusiasm of the Friends of Pittville in association with Cheltenham Borough Council, particularly the property and conservation departments.