Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum
Gina Wilson, who was Chair of the Friends from 2010 to 2014, died on 4 February 2018. Those of you who remember her will find it hard to believe that someone with so much life and energy is no longer with us. Gina grew up in Maryland and attended the University of Pennsylvania. She and Read More …
From 1 October you can book and pay online for Friends’ events. Just complete the simple booking form which you will find on each event page on this website. You can pay with a debit card or credit card, or with a Paypal account if you have one. We know some people don’t like paying Read More …
25 September sees the beginning of a new chapter for our talks, which will be held at a new venue – Chapel Arts. This former Baptist chapel has been beautifully modernised and restored to create a flexible arts space which can seat up to 100 people. Chapel Arts has been set up by Ian James, Read More …
Tributes were paid at last night’s AGM to Jenny Ogle, a founder member of the Friends who has stepped down after 33 years on the committee. Jenny was one of those invited to join the original steering group to set up a friends’ organisation for the Art Gallery and Museum. She became a Founder Member Read More …
Two significant new items have been purchased for The Wilson’s local history collection by the Friends. The first is a small oval etching of James King, who held the post of Master of the Ceremonies at Cheltenham between 1801 and his death in 1816. It was probably published in around 1789, while King was MC Read More …
Our Chair Hilary Simpson, with Douglas Ogle from Cheltenham Civic Society, presented a cheque for £1,600 today to the Mayor of Cheltenham, Cllr Chris Ryder. The money was raised at the Tercentenary Civic Dinner last month and will be given to the Mayor’s charities. A similar amount was donated to Water Aid.
This event was held at Pittville Pump Room on 3 November to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the discovery of Cheltenham’s spa waters and was jointly organised by the Friends and Cheltenham Civic Society. The distinguished guests included the Mayor of Cheltenham, the Lord Lieutenant, the High Sheriff and Alex Chalk MP. Music and songs Read More …
Rosemary Westgate has recently joined the committee and is taking responsibility for organising our social events. In recent years we have normally held a Summer Party and a Winter Party, plus receptions for new members, but this is not set in stone and Rosemary is keen to hear from you about the sort of events Read More …
We held our annual Winter Party in suitably glamorous surroundings at No 50 in Winchcombe Street, to celebrate the success of The Wilson’s Audrey Hepburn: Portraits of an Icon exhibition. Our hosts Jerry and Paul created a fantastic atmosphere with clips from Audrey Hepburn’s films playing in the background, a pianist and singers providing live Read More …
The Friends went to auction in December to buy an important painting for The Wilson. This large portrait of Captain Henry Skillicorne was put up for sale by the Queen’s Hotel following its recent refurbishment, and its significance was spotted by our trustee Jenny Ogle. Captain Skillicorne (1678–1763) played a pivotal role in Cheltenham’s history Read More …