Cheltenham Town Hall

After completion in 1903 this became the successor to the Assembly Rooms (now Lloyds Bank) as the principal venue for major concerts in Cheltenham.

In March 1927 it hosted the Holst Festival, with Gustav conducting two performances by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra of The Planets Suite. This was the town’s way of honouring its most famous son, with Holst being deeply touched, calling it ‘the most overwhelming event of my life’.

The Town Hall was also where Gustav conducted the British premiere of Egdon Heath in February 1928. The work was subtitled ‘A Homage to Thomas Hardy’, with Egdon Heath being a fictional place in Hardy’s Wessex, featuring in the novel Return of the Native. Hardy accepted the dedication in August 1927 but sadly died in January 1928 before the piece’s first performance.