The History of the Proscenium Building

 The Gardens Gallery is located within the Proscenium Building in the beautiful Montpellier Gardens in Cheltenham.

Opened on the 19th July 1900, the building was a new companion to the bandstand that had provided musical performances since 1864.  The Proscenium provided a venue for vocal concerts and other cultural events.

During concerts an awning was placed between the Bandstand and the Proscenium Building to provide cover for the audience. The seating had reversible backrests.

Concerts were held regularly until 1937. Subsequently a brick built building was added to the front which was used as a gym centre as can be seen in the above watercolour sketch by Alwyn Sampson dating back to the 1980s. The brick building was removed in 1999.

Between 1999 and 2006 the Proscenium Building fell into disrepair.

Montpellier Gardens and the Proscenium Building were extensively refurbished in 2006/2007 thanks to a substantial grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Public Parks Initiative Programme and a significant contribution from Cheltenham Borough Council.

The Cheltenham Borough Council leased the building to The Gardens Gallery Community Interest Company (see About Us) who converted the interior into into an art exhibition space.

The Gardens Gallery was officially opened on the 9th June 2007 by international artist P J Crook.   Since then it has provided local artists with an outstanding space in which to exhibit their art and for other community arts related activities to take place.