A brief History of St. Luke's

St. Luke's was built in a wave of growth in the mid-1850's. Services were held for a while in school premises on Bath Road but in response to the need a new church building was errected.

The building was concecrated on 7th November 1854. It was designed by F W Ordish and from the beginning followed the style which the Victorians called "Geometric Decorated Gothic". Today the tower is fairly substantial but the oddly-shaped "broaches" on its corncers betray the original intention to build a tower some 40 feet higher still!

The local edition of "The Buildings of England" noted the "ugly fat broaches" but states that St. Luke's has many details that are "delightfully perculiar" including the window traceries. Look out, too, for the painted carvings of angels and bishops in the corners of the church.

The church was built partly as a chapel for Cheltenham College, whose boys had previously attended Christ Church. It was designed to seat 1,100 people and, at various times, it has had 3 separate galleries in use.

Want to know more?

A History of St Luke's Church Cheltenham - 1854-2004 by Alan Munden, published by the PCC, printed by AST Print Group Ltd.  Available by application via this website. 72 pages. Price £5.

Church registers and other records relating to the Parish of St Luke and St John are held at the Gloucestershire Archives, where you can use the Online Catalogue to find relevant records under reference P78/7 (Cheltenham, St Luke: Anglican Parish) (or follow this link)

You can find details of both the St John's and the St Luke's war memorials, and the people listed there, if you follow the link to our Web Sites page.

Information about the St Luke & St John Ecclesiastical Charity (St Luke's Church Hall) can be found on the Church Hall, Legal Details page.

Looking Outward

The church isn't just a Victorian building on a traffic island in Luke's Road! It is a community of people - a mix from many different backgrounds, brought together by the discovery the Jesus Christ makes a difference in their lives.

As the past has seen the building change to meet the needs of the people, so too will the future. We have created a level path to our South door to improve access, and have redeveloped the west section of the nave to enhance the quality of church worship and fellowship. We have installed a new sound system including "Loop" system to help those with hearing dificulties. Most recently we have replaced the church lighting and improved the toilet facilities.