Living The Dream

This young man was having a great time playing and singing on The Prom to earn a few quid. The photos may not be the best (he was moving around a lot) but they show him giving it his all.

Skater Boy

Fakie, Heel Edge, Nollie, Primo. Mean anything to you? No, me neither! Apparently they are all terms used in skateboarding. For all I know this group of lads could be performing each and everyone of them! I spotted them honing their skills in Montpellier Gardens. The gardens have a skateboard park but these four were practising on the flat area in front of the cafe, it may have had something to do with a large group of older kids using the skating equipment, I guess they were waiting their turn.

Have we got any skateboard demons in our midsts?!

_

Chetenham College

This is the view from the balconies in yesterdays post. It is the world famous Cheltenham Boys College. Well, it allows girls now but locally it is known as the Boys College. The college dates from 1841 and has been on this site, in these Gothic Revival buildings since 1843. It was opened as Cheltenham Proprietary College and was founded to educate the sons of gentlemen. The college took in day and boarding students, and still does, with many surrounding streets having halls of residence. The college was originally split into Classical and Military schools but this ended in the middle of the last century. The college is one of several independent fee paying schools in Cheltenham, educating students between 13 and 18 years old. The college grounds are very large with many buildings and the huge chapel (on the left of the photo) was built in 1893-96 for the college's 50th Jubilee celebrations! The college also hosts the Cheltenham Cricket Festival, which started yesterday, and has been held there since 1872.

So, what do you think about the modern Century Court (see yesterdays post) being built opposite the classic Cheltenham College? Now you can see what all the fuss was about at the time!

_

Towering Above

As a follow up to last weeks photo of the gold eagle at the base of Eagle Tower here is the building itself. Its Cheltenhams tallest building at 161 feet and was opened in October 1968. The tower was first used by Eagle Star Insurance and is now rented out floor by floor to several different companies. The tower is a fine example of how not to build a 60's office block! By many in the town it is seen as an eyesore but, although its not attractive, I like it. I suppose I like it because its always been there and Cheltenham would look odd without it (you can see it from all sorts of different places in and around town). Several members of my family worked there when it was Eagle Star and, on the occasional Saturday morning, when I was a little boy, I used to go to 'work' there with my Dad!