Chipping Campden

Chipping Campden received its market charter from King Henry II in 1185, though the town's architecture largely reflects its later prosperity as a centre of the medieval wool trade. The Cotswold Lion sheep, prized for its long fleece, made the wool merchants of Campden wealthy enough to invest heavily in the town's built fabric.

St James's Church, the town's 15th-century perpendicular wool church, is considered one of the finest examples of the type in the Cotswolds. The church was largely financed by wool merchants, most notably William Grevel, whose memorial brass is the largest medieval brass in Gloucestershire. Grevel's house on the High Street, built around 1380, survives as one of the oldest domestic buildings in the town.

The Market Hall on the High Street, built in 1627, was constructed for the sale of cheese, butter, and poultry. It is an open-sided Jacobean structure with a gabled roof and is now in the care of the National Trust. Along with the church and the almshouses, it forms the architectural core of a High Street that historian G.M. Trevelyan once described as the most beautiful village street left in England.

What is the Arts and Crafts connection to Chipping Campden?

In the spring of 1902, architect and designer C.R. Ashbee relocated his Guild of Handicraft from Whitechapel in London to Chipping Campden, bringing around fifty craftsmen and their families. The Guild set up workshops in the Old Silk Mill on Sheep Street, producing silverwork, jewellery, furniture, and printing. It closed in 1908, but several craftsmen remained. George Hart, one of the silversmiths, stayed on, and his descendants still operate a silversmithing workshop in the Old Silk Mill. Court Barn Museum, adjacent to the church, holds examples of Guild work and tells the story of Ashbee's experiment.

What walks and attractions are near Chipping Campden?

Dover's Hill, a natural amphitheatre on the Cotswold escarpment above the town, is the site of Robert Dover's Cotswold Olimpick Games, held annually on the Friday after the Spring Bank Holiday. The games began in 1612 and include events such as tug of war and shin-kicking.

The Cotswold Way long-distance path passes through Chipping Campden, and the town serves as the northern terminus of the 102-mile route to Bath. The surrounding countryside includes easy walks to neighbouring villages including Broad Campden and Blockley, both within a few miles.

Chipping Campden suits those with an interest in architecture, medieval and crafts history, and good food. Several independent restaurants and pubs operate in the town, and the broader north Cotswolds area adds Bourton-on-the-Hill, Moreton-in-Marsh, and Hidcote Manor Garden (a National Trust property three miles away) within easy reach.