Cheltenham Group

The Cheltenham Group was founded in 1920 with the aim of bringing together local professional artists and to jointly exhibit their work. Harold Holden, then Head of the Cheltenham School of Art was the first Chairman of the group. He was followed by R.R. Tomlinson, later principal of the Central School of Art in London, and then for 13 years by Alfred Thornton. During these early years there were other exhibitors who were to become well known in their chosen fields. These include Albert Rutherston, Charles Gere, and James Bateman and then Rutherston's brother William Rothenstein, at one time Principal of the Royal College of Art who became the Group's President in 1939. The years during World War II saw little activity but, by 1949 the group was back exhibiting, with 19 of its 30 members having survived the war to make a link with the generations to come. William Simmonds, the respected local craftsman and wood-carver, was by then President. Currently, the group has over 40 members who include artists Jacqueline Williams and Trevor Challinor.