Cheltenham, United Kingdom Hotels, Vacations, Tourism

Until the eighteenth century CHELTENHAM was like any other Cotswold town, but then the discovery of a spring in 1716 transformed it into Britain's most popular spa . During Cheltenham's prime, a century or so later, the royal, the rich and the famous descended in hordes to take the waters, which were said to cure anything from constipation to worms. These days, while a fair proportion of Cheltenham's hundred thousand-odd inhabitants are undoubtedly well-heeled, of Conservative persuasion (true of the Cotswolds in general) and above retirement age, the town saves itself from too smug an image by a … more »