A Mr John Hampton was the first person to make a successful descent by a parachute. The event took place on October 3rd 1838 from a balloon which ascended from these gardens. Mr Hampton's descent lasted 12 minutes 40 seconds and he landed at Badgeworth. The parachute was rigid, made of canvas stretched over a framework of whalebone ribs and bamboo stretchers attached by a copper tube to a wicker basket.

The Bandstand, Montpellier Gardens, Cheltenham
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by Cheltenham Civic Society on 03 October 2008

Colour: green

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