Cavendish House

Cavendish House, Cheltenham

Promenade frontage, circa 1931

Cavendish House is Cheltenham's oldest and leading department store (established in 1823), located on The Promenade. Its establishment was of great significance for Cheltenham's future reputation as a leading shopping centre. Known as 'Cavendish House' from its early days, its name was officially adopted with the registration of a limited liability company in 1883. The store became part of the House of Fraser group in 1970.

History

The Cheltenham store was opened in 1823 as one of the provincial branches of Cavendish House (originally called Clark & Debenham), a London-based drapery business run by the business partners Thomas Clark and William Debenham.

The premises were refurbished a few times in the 1800's, whilst remaining largely on the same location. The most substantial refurbishment was in 1931, with the creation of its distinctive Art Deco pre-Brutalist 287-foot frontage on the Promenade. The entrances on Regent Street retain the older Victorian and Art Nouveau stylings. The inside of building remains a rabbit-warren of steps and rooms, a legacy of the various expansions. The once famous food hall, which sold a wide range of delicatessen items, has given way to other retail categories; the uniformed concierges at the main entrance who kept 'undesirables' from entering the premises has also disappeared.

References

• Records of Cavendish House Co Ltd, department store, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England and London, England, Archives Hub
• Moss, Michael and Turton, Alison, A Legend of Retailing. House of Fraser (London, 1989)