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.