why is cheltenham a spa town
CHELTENHAM THE SPA TOWN. Cheltenham was changed forever in the early 18th century when local people noticed pigeons pecking at salt deposits by a spring south of the town. People began to drink the water believing it would heal all kinds of illnesses.hat seems tiny to us but by the standards of the time it was a fair sized market town. However the population of Cheltenham exploded in the early 19th century. By 1851 the population of Cheltenham Spa had reached 35,000 although population growth eased in the second half of the 19th century.