Cheltenham House

Cheltenham House is a newly renovated, early Victorian manor house, dating from 1840. It’s only available for family groups and sleeps up to 24 guests in 12 bedrooms, with 10 bathrooms.

There are seven bedrooms on the first floor, one of which has a kingsize bed. The rest are zip-link, and can be doubles or singles, depending on guests’ needs. Three of the bedrooms on the first floor are en-suite, the other four rooms share two large bathrooms. On the second floor, there are four zip-link beds, each with its own en-suite. If a guest might prefer to avoid stairs, there is a kingsize bedroom with a loo and shower room on the ground floor.

Downstairs, the rooms are large and light, and look over the gardens. The front door opens into a  glazed sun room, with a rattan table and chairs. There’s a big, modern kitchen, and a wide, generous dining table, easily able to fit 24. Leading from the dining room is the living room, with its original moulded ceiling and a beautiful baby grand piano. There is also games room, with a pool table and table football (Fooz Ball!), and a morning room with a scrubbed pine table that seats eight (ideal for children’s suppers, or less formal breakfasts).

There is also a cinema room, for stashing teenagers, or for anyone escaping a bracing country walk.

The house is set within five acres of informal, natural gardens, which drop gradually away to the valley below. There is a hot tub close to the house, and an ancient wildflower meadow in which to picnic.

Edmund’s Choice of Extraordinary Feature

“I may break my own rules, here, and choose two things I love about this house. The location – wild, rugged, but close to pubs – and the sun room. Nothing nicer than a pot of tea and a plate of crumpets, in a sun room, on a wild and windy afternoon.”

Location

Cheltenham House is plum within the Cotswolds, in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is 4 miles from Cheltenham and 10 miles from Gloucester. The local mainline train station is Cheltenham. The house is not far from junction 10 of the M5 (although you could pop to between Junctions 12 and 11, to stock up at the renowned Gloucester Services).

Things to Do

Cheltenham is a spa town, and not just famous for the race course, but also for its Regency architecture and lively town centre. There’s lots to do in the town, including parks, theatres and various festivals. The race course has a full schedule of events, and offers family days as well as some evening parties.

For younger families, there is the Gloucester Warwick steam railway, and also Adam Henson’s Cotswold Farm Park (so you can spot the stars of Country File).

There are plenty of interesting walks and cycle routes leading from nearby the house, and some beautiful, Cotswold villages. There are some cracking nearby pubs, perfect for a pint after all those hills.