Shortlisted, 2026 British Book Awards. Book Retailer of the Year. The British Book Awards 2026 · sponsored by Penguin Random House
Family-run since 2010 Seven shops along the borders This branch · Cheltenham
01242 373 815 7 Rotunda Terrace, Montpellier Street, Cheltenham GL50 1SW
ROSSITER·BOOKS Cheltenham · Rotunda Terrace See next events
◆ Cheltenham · Rotunda Terrace · family-run since 2010

An independent bookshop on Rotunda Terrace since March 2022.

Rossiter Books on the south side of Cheltenham, between Montpellier Gardens and the Promenade. Around 7,000 carefully chosen titles, a live author events programme that runs every month, two monthly book groups, and Laurie Lee on the table where you would expect to find him. Andy and Victoria Rossiter opened the first shop in Ross-on-Wye in 2010; Cheltenham is the fourth branch, opened by Rachel Joyce on 12 March 2022.

09:30 to 17:00Mon to Sat · Sun 11 to 4
7 shopsAlong the borders
Shortlisted2026 Book Retailer
See next events ☎ Phone the shop · 01242 373 815
Watercolour painting by Marisa Giannasi of the Rossiter Books Cheltenham shopfront: a Regency stone building with arched first-floor windows, a bright teal-blue awning over the shop, a red door, and books visible through the lit windows.
◆ The Cheltenham shopfront painted by Marisa Giannasi for the Rossiter Books six-branch series
March 2022 Opened by Rachel Joyce
~7,000 Curated titles
Shortlisted 2026 British Book Awards
Family-run Andy & Victoria Rossiter
WHAT YOU'LL FIND ON THE SHELVES · CHELTENHAM BRANCH

What you'll find on the shelves this month.

Phone · 01242 373 815 →

Around 7,000 titles, weighted to literary fiction, country and nature writing, history and biography, and a strong children's section displayed cover-out. Special orders typically arrive in 48 hours from the tracked publishers. The counter signs in passing festival authors as they visit; signed copies surface on the shelves.

GENERAL FICTION

New and recent fiction.

Literary, crime, historical, the long Booker and Women's Prize shortlists, paperbacks priced to read. Counter signs on the visiting festival authors as they pass through.

Counter orders 24 to 48 hours
NATURE, LANDSCAPE & THE COTSWOLDS

Cotswolds and country.

Laurie Lee shelved at eye level, Helena Attlee, Rob Macfarlane, Robert Penn, Robin Wall Kimmerer. The local nature-writing run that Andy describes as the most-asked-for shelf for Gloucestershire walkers.

Laurie Lee in stock as standard
CHILDREN & YA

Picture, chapter, age-banded.

Board books and picture books displayed cover-out, age-banded chapter shelves, classic children's hardbacks, the long YA paperback run. Reading challenges for school holidays.

School-holiday challenges
NON-FICTION

History, biography, food, ideas.

Tudor and modern political history (Alison Weir signs at Malvern in July), food writing (The Beefy Boys at Hereford), popular science, the slim shelves of essays and memoir.

Festival signed copies surface
GIFTS & STATIONERY

Bookish gifts.

The annual Jacky Morris “Books are my Bag” tote, Slightly Foxed paperbacks, literary maps, bookmarks. National Book Tokens accepted in branch.

National Book Tokens stockist
PRE-ORDERS & SPECIAL ORDER

Bring it in for you.

Pre-order a forthcoming title with one phone call, the book is reserved with your name on it for collection at the counter. Tracked-publisher special orders typically land in 48 hours.

Reserve by phone or in person
AUTHOR EVENTS · FILTERED BY BRANCH

Author events across the seven shops.

Reserve by email · cheltenham@rossiterbooks.co.uk →

A live programme runs every month across the seven branches. Each event below names the branch it is at, the date, and the ticket price. Some tickets include a copy of the book, which the card flags. Tickets can be reserved at any branch counter, by phone on the relevant branch line, or by email.

4 June 2026
Monmouth branch

Bethany Handley

My Body is a Meadow

£12 Reserve →
19 June 2026
Hereford branch

Helena Attlee

The Fire in the Mountain

£10 Reserve →
20 June 2026
Hereford branch

The Beefy Boys

Great British BBQ

Free, please reserve Reserve →
27 June 2026
Monmouth branch

Maggie Aderin-Pocock

Starchild

£15 / £8 student Reserve →
1 July 2026
Malvern branch

Alison Weir

The Boleyn Secret

£10 Reserve →
14 July 2026
Malvern branch

Joanna Miller

The Eights

£7 / £10 with book Reserve →

The Cheltenham branch hosts evening events on a rolling cadence; June's Cheltenham slot is currently being confirmed with the publisher. Subscribe to the branch newsletter at the till or by email to be the first told.

CHELTENHAM BOOK GROUPS · TWO MONTHLY, CAPPED AT 15

Two monthly book groups at the Cheltenham counter.

Both groups meet at 6pm on the first weekday of the month (Tuesday for one, Thursday for the other), capped at 15 people so the conversation stays at the table. A ticket includes the book itself, a stamp on your Rossiter loyalty card, and refreshments at the meeting. The next three picks are below.

Reserve a seat · cheltenham@rossiterbooks.co.uk

First Tuesday

First Tuesday of every month, 6pm

  1. May Fundamentally Nussaibah Younis
  2. June The Hearing Trumpet Leonora Carrington
  3. July Godwin Joseph O’Neill
First Thursday

First Thursday of every month, 6pm

  1. May Fundamentally Nussaibah Younis
  2. June The Hearing Trumpet Leonora Carrington
  3. July Godwin Joseph O’Neill
FAMILY-RUN SINCE 2010 · SEVEN SHOPS ALONG THE BORDERS

From one shop in Ross-on-Wye to seven along the borders.

Andy Rossiter spent around 22 years in management at Waterstones and Ottakars, joining originally as temp work helping to relocate the Bath store and, in his own words, “loving the environment”. In March 2010 he and Victoria opened the first Rossiter Books in Ross-on-Wye. Monmouth followed in September 2011; Leominster, Cheltenham, Malvern, Hereford and Ledbury followed in the next decade and a half.

The Cheltenham branch opened on 12 March 2022, the fourth shop, with Rachel Joyce (author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry) cutting the ribbon and signing books. Two months later The Gruffalo visited for the summer holidays. The shop occupies 7 Rotunda Terrace, on the south side of Montpellier, a four-minute walk from the Imperial Square pitch where the Cheltenham Literature Festival raises its tents every October.

March 2010
First Rossiter Books opens in Ross-on-Wye.
September 2011
Monmouth opens, the second shop.
March 2022
Cheltenham opens on Rotunda Terrace, Montpellier, ribbon cut by Rachel Joyce.
Spring 2024
Featured as Slightly Foxed Quarterly's Bookshop of the Quarter.
March 2026
Shortlisted, British Book Awards Book Retailer of the Year, alongside Waterstones and World of Books.
April 2026
Seventh shop opens in Ledbury, completing the borders run.
SISTER SHOPS · ALONG THE ENGLISH-WELSH BORDER

The seven shops, in the order they opened.

Each branch carries the same Rossiter Books selection, weighted to the tastes of the local high street. Cheltenham is the fourth, opened in 2022. Ledbury, the seventh, opens in April 2026.

Watercolour strip painting of the six existing Rossiter Books shopfronts, painted by Marisa Giannasi, showing each shop’s distinctive facade along the English-Welsh border.
The first six shopfronts painted by Marisa Giannasi. Ledbury (number seven) joins the strip in spring 2026.
  1. 01 Ross-on-Wye est. 2010 the first shop
  2. 02 Monmouth est. 2011 second branch
  3. 03 Leominster   border-country
  4. 04 Cheltenham est. 2022 this branch
  5. 05 Malvern est. 2023 Worcestershire
  6. 06 Hereford   cathedral city
  7. 07 Ledbury est. 2026 opening April
VISIT · 7 ROTUNDA TERRACE, MONTPELLIER

Find us on Rotunda Terrace, between the Gardens and the Promenade.

The shop sits at 7 Rotunda Terrace, on the south side of Cheltenham's town centre. The Rotunda itself (the Regency spa pump room of 1817, now a Lloyds bank) anchors the end of Montpellier Walk; we are a minute up Rotunda Terrace from the corner. Two minutes' walk from Montpellier Gardens, five minutes from the Promenade, ten minutes from Imperial Square where Cheltenham Literature Festival raises its tents every October.

Mon
09:30 to 17:00
Tue
09:30 to 17:00
Wed
09:30 to 17:00
Thu
09:30 to 17:00
Fri
09:30 to 17:00
Sat
09:30 to 17:00
Sun
11:00 to 16:00 a quieter morning, ideal for browsing
Address
7 Rotunda Terrace, Montpellier Street, Cheltenham GL50 1SW
Phone
01242 373 815
Email
cheltenham@rossiterbooks.co.uk
Parking
The Rotunda car park (south end of Montpellier Walk), two minutes' walk.
Accessibility
Step-free entrance through the main door. Counter happy to fetch high-shelf titles or set a stack of picture books on a low table.
7 Rotunda Terrace, Montpellier, Cheltenham GL50 1SW. Walk south down Montpellier Walk from the Promenade, around the Rotunda, and we are on the right. Open in Google Maps ↗
CONTACT THE CHELTENHAM SHOP · ORDERS, EVENTS, BOOK GROUPS

Ask us about any title, any event, any group.

The counter handles special orders, event reservations, and book-group sign-ups by phone and by email. Phone is fastest during shop hours; email is fastest outside them.

“Cheltenham is very lucky to have this lovely addition to its charms.”
Sue Wilsher, Through the Bookshelf, October 2022

Send a note to the counter.

Notes route directly to cheltenham@rossiterbooks.co.uk. Phone 01242 373 815 for anything urgent.

FAQ

Five questions the counter answers most.

For anything not here, phone 01242 373 815 or email cheltenham@rossiterbooks.co.uk.

What are the actual opening hours of the Cheltenham shop? +

Monday to Saturday, 09:30 to 17:00. Sunday, 11:00 to 16:00. Sunday is a quieter morning and a good window for browsing without a queue at the till. The shop sits two minutes from Montpellier Gardens and a five-minute walk from the Promenade.

How do I get tickets for an author event at the Cheltenham shop, and can I see only the Cheltenham ones? +

Yes. The events programme below is filtered by branch by default, so you only see Cheltenham events unless you switch the filter. Tickets are bought either in person at the till on Rotunda Terrace, by phone on 01242 373 815, or via the Buy Tickets link on the event card. Some events include a copy of the book in the ticket price, which the event card flags.

How do the two book groups work, and can I join one? +

The First Tuesday and First Thursday groups each meet at 6pm on the corresponding day of every month, capped at 15 people. A ticket gets you the book, a stamp on your loyalty card, and refreshments at the meeting. Picks are made by the counter staff, ranging from contemporary literary fiction (Younis, O’Neill) to canon recoveries (Carrington). To join, either reserve at the till or email cheltenham@rossiterbooks.co.uk.

Can I order a specific book in if you do not have it on the shelf? +

Yes. The counter can special-order any in-print title from the tracked publishers, usually in 24 to 48 hours. Phone 01242 373 815 to reserve. We accept National Book Tokens. Pre-orders for forthcoming titles are noted by hand, the book is reserved with your name on it for collection at the till on publication day.

Where is the shop, what is the parking like, and is it accessible? +

The shop is at 7 Rotunda Terrace, Montpellier Street, GL50 1SW, on the south side of the town centre. The Rotunda public car park is at the south end of Montpellier Walk, two minutes’ walk. Step-free entrance through the main door. The counter is happy to fetch high-shelf titles or pull a stack of children’s picture books to a low table for a browse with small children.