Typeface: Cheltenham

Cheltenham is a serif typeface developed in the late 19th Century. It's a very attractive typeface with thin strokes, similar to Times New Roman, but it's distinct in that it has a small x-height. This is best seen in sample texts, like the typeface name above. It's not so obvious from the character tables below.

Looking at the word "Cheltenham" reminds me of something I should have mentioned in my previous type face posts: the small letter T usually has a smaller ascender than the other small letters. This is the case with the other typefaces, but it stands out more clearly in the case of Cheltenham, because the ascenders are so large in comparison with the x-height.

Notice the quirks of the Cheltenham font. Unlike the other typefaces I've shown so far, the capital A has a small upward stroke which is almost like an additional serif. The capital J has a descender! The capital W has lines which cross in the middle.

This three-way comparison with Times New Roman and Century Schoolbook highlights Cheltenham's distinctive capital letters.

Cheltenham's italic font is interesting. The capital letters are merely tilted, with the exception of the A and the W. The A has lost its mini-serif at the top, and the centre strokes of the W no longer cross one another.

Just look at the small letters. Most of the modifications, such as the small A and F, are typical for italic serif fonts, but the small letter K has a descender, which is highly unusual. Another drastic modification is the small letter P. In the regular font the small P and Q are symmetrical, apart from the details of the serifs. In the italic font the small P is a completely new letter, with strokes that cross at the top left, and open at the bottom. Stunning!

The bold font becomes slightly more formal. The capital A still has its mini-serif at the top, but the capital J no longer has a descender, and the centre strokes in the capital W don't cross.

The numbers are a new design. The digit 1 has a bottom serif, which is missing in the regular font. The digits 3, 5 and 9 have new bulbs.

The bold italic font is based on the bold font rather than the italic font. The capital letters are tilted versions of the bold font. The quirks of the small letters are missing, i.e. the small K doesn't have a descender and the small P is closed. Curiously, the small letter F doesn't have a descender either. That's an unusual feature for a bold italic serif font.

I keep changing my mind which special characters to include in my character tables. I started with the currency symbols, pound, dollar and euro. Then I removed the euro symbol, because it's missing from some of my fonts. Then I added the ampersand and the German double S (which looks like the Greek beta). Now I've put the euro symbol back. I think I'll stick with these five special characters, but no promises. These characters are a useful inclusion for Cheltenham. Note that the italic ampersand is playfully light, unlike in the other three versions. The bold italic SS has no descender. There's a loop at the bottom of the pound symbol in the regular and the bold font, but it's missing in both italic fonts.

P.S. I know the 4 is missing from the last table. The digit is faulty in the font included with Word Perfect Office 2000. I'll have to correct it when I have time.