Cheltenham history

The Baron de Ferrieres' collection of pictures donated to the Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum is being shown until 19 December. The gift of pictures and of money led to the founding of the Art Gallery in 1898. The story of the Baron's life is interesting.

Baron Charles Conrad Adolphus du Bois de Ferrieres  was the son of Baron du Bois and the grandson of General du Bois of the Dutch army, who was created a Baron of the Empire by Napoleon  in 1813, and of the Netherlands in 1815. His mother was English. He was born in July 1815, and educated at Brighton and at the University of Ghent. He trained as a Civil Engineer, and was elected an Associate of the Institution of Civil Engineers in April 1844, but he did not practise his profession. He came to live in Cheltenham in 1860, in a red-brick house which he had built on the site of the historic Bayshill Lodge where George III had stayed in 1788. He quickly established himself as an important citizen of the town. He gained naturalisation in 1867, the same year as he inherited his title of Baron de Ferrieres on the death of his father.

The Baron de Ferrieres became a town commissioner in 1864, and after Cheltenham obtained its royal charter of incorporation in 1876 he was chosen as an alderman and the following year became the second Mayor of the town. In 1880 he was elected to represent Cheltenham in parliament as a Liberal, but did not stand again at the next election in 1885. He celebrated his golden wedding by arranging to place memorial windows in many churches, including Christ Church and Cheltenham College, but as he had no children, his title died with him. He was made an honorary freeman of Cheltenham in 1900.

Baron de Ferrieres died at Bayshill House on 16 March 1908, in his eighty-fifth year. An obituary appeared in 1908 in the Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers volume 172.

Postboxes of Cheltenham

One of the early 'Penfold' pillar boxes in Douro Road Cheltenham

Cheltenham has an unusual collection of Penfold pillar boxes. See Cheltenham A new history for a brief account of the boxes and an illustration of the well-known Montpellier Walk box.
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There are a variety of facts about these boxes. They were first produced in 1866, and were designed by a Surrey architect. Post boxes were painted red in 1874. English Heritage has listed all early boxes, and suggests in one case that 94 'Penfold' boxes still survive, and in another case that 64 survive. The British Postal Museum and Archive indicates that the original design was modified fifteen times in its thirteen years of production, and that the second modification introduced was to move the slot for posting letters down a little, because there were complaints that letters got stuck in the top. So Cheltenham's eight are the first edition, and as such notable survivals amongst the 20 nationally. The largest collection is in London.

Cheltenham History

There's always more to find out about the history of Cheltenham, to add to Cheltenham A new history. A group is going to research the Lloyd George survey of land values, 1911-15. Do you want to join?

Cheltenham History

Lots  of new information on Cheltenham's history in a new book, Cheltenham A new history. Have you noticed the clock in Royal Well? It was given to Cheltenham by Smiths in 1956.