THE STORY OF TIVOLI by Brian Torode (1998 edition)
A question which frequently arises is, “Why Tivoli?” and one can only guess – for want of concrete evidence – that after making ‘The Grand Tour of Europe’, an early settler in this part of the town introduced the name in conversation as he recalled the magnificent sights which had been seen in the gardens of the Villa d’Este in the little town of Tivoli just outside Rome. As we shall see later, some of the 1830s houses in The Park did indeed boast what might be described as water gardens, but which came first, the water gardens or the name Tivoli, is a matter of conjecture. Continue reading
THE STORY OF TIVOLI by Brian Torode (revised and updated 2005)
The district which we refer to as Tivoli is part of the ancient Parish Tything of Westal, Naunton and Sandford, purchased in 1779 by John de la Bere from the Earl of Essex. At the turn of the eighteenth century, the estate was sold again, part being purchased by the Earl of Suffolk and part by Henry Thompson. Today’s Tivoli straddles both these holdings and the field pattern in the de la Bere sale plan is clearly maintained in the street pattern of modern Tivoli. Continue reading
THE HISTORY OF TRADING IN TIVOLI by Brian Torode
Perhaps the earliest mention in print that we have of Tivoli is to be found in the ‘Cheltenham Looker On’ for 1834, where Tivoli is included in a survey of new buildings in the town. Three buildings were under construction and four had been completed but not yet occupied. These properties were in what is today Tivoli Road – then just referred to as Tivoli. Continue reading
THE DIARY OF JOHN CROOK 1913-1993
John Crook was a member of St Stephen’s Church, Tivoli, Cheltenham for the greater part of the twentieth century. Before his death in 1993 he prepared the contents of this booklet at [Brian Torode’s] suggestion, as a personal record of the changes which he had witnessed during his lifetime, in Tivoli, Whaddon and the Forest of Dean. Continue reading
FURTHER HISTORICAL NOTES ABOUT THE TIVOLI AREA
Tivoli and The Park – rough notes for the ‘Tivoli Story’, with references to Tivoli streets and inhabitants, compiled by Brian Torode. Continue reading
Hatherley Park – In July 1935 Cheltenham Corporation purchased eleven acres of the Hatherley Court Estate in preparation for the provision of a ‘fine recreation ground of especial value to dwellers in the Tivoli district.’ Continue Reading
Memories of Tivoli by Dollie Ellis – childhood memories of her schooldays, local shops and neighbours. Continue reading