Chipping Campden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chipping Campden |
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 St James' church |
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 Chipping Campden
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| Population | 2,288 (2011 Census) |
| OS grid reference | SP155395 |
| Civil parish |
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| District |
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| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CHIPPING CAMPDEN |
| Postcode district | GL55 |
| Police | Gloucestershire |
| Fire | Gloucestershire |
| Ambulance | Great Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament |
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Chipping Campden is a lovely market town in the Cotswold area of Gloucestershire, England. It's famous for its beautiful High Street. This street has many old buildings from the 14th to the 17th centuries.
Long ago, in the Middle Ages, Chipping Campden was a busy place for trading wool. Rich wool merchants helped the town grow. One of the most famous was William Greville. The buildings on the High Street are made from a special local stone called Cotswold stone. This stone gives the town its unique look. Most of the town centre is a protected area. This helps keep the old buildings safe. Chipping Campden is also the end point of the Cotswold Way. This is a long walking path that is 102 miles (164 km) long. The town has even hosted its own special games, called the Cotswold Games, since 1612!
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History of Chipping Campden
The name Chipping means 'market' or 'market-place'. It comes from an old English word. You can find this word in other towns like Chipping Norton.
Old Buildings and Their Stories
One of the oldest buildings is the Market Hall. Sir Baptist Hicks built it in 1627. It is still used today! This hall was a shelter for merchants. They sold their goods there. The open arches let in light and customers. In the 1940s, people wanted to sell the hall. But local people raised money to buy it. They then gave it to the National Trust to protect it.
The Church of St James is a large and beautiful church. It is known as a "wool church." This means it was built with money from the wool trade. It has old medieval altar cloths from around 1500. There are also monuments from the 17th century. One monument is for Sir Baptist Hicks and his family. Another plaque honors William Grevel. He was called "the flower of the wool merchants of all England." His home, Grevel's House, was built around 1380. You cannot visit it today.
The almshouses on Church Street were built in 1612. Sir Baptist Hicks also provided these. They were homes for 12 older people. They are still used for this purpose today. The Old Silk Mill in Sheep Street is a three-story building. It was first used for spinning silk thread. It closed in 1860. Later, in 1902, it became the main office for the Guild of Handicraft. The Court Barn, near the church, is now a museum. It celebrates the Arts and Crafts movement in the area.
Sir Baptist Hicks also owned Campden House. He bought the land after 1608. He added a large house and became the first Viscount Campden. Sadly, the house was destroyed in 1645. This happened during the English Civil War. It was likely burned by Royalists. They did this to stop their enemies from using it. Today, only a gatehouse and two special banqueting houses remain. The Landmark Trust has restored these.
Lady Juliana Noel, Sir Baptist's daughter, lived nearby. Her family lived in the converted stables. This building is now called The Court House. Her family still lives there today.
In 1970, the High Street and much of the town centre became a protected area. This helps keep its historic look.
There are two historic gardens close by. One is Hidcote Manor Garden. It is an Arts and Crafts style garden. The National Trust owns it. The other is Kiftsgate at Mickleton. This garden is privately owned but open to visitors. About two miles west, you can find old earthworks. These are the remains of a motte-and-bailey castle.
How Chipping Campden is Governed
Chipping Campden is part of the Campden-Vale voting area. This area stretches north to Mickleton. In 2011, about 5,888 people lived here. The town has a local government called a town council. It has 11 councillors. One councillor is chosen to be the mayor for a year.
The Chipping Campden Council meets every second Tuesday of the month. These meetings are held at the Chipping Campden Town Hall. Anyone can attend council meetings. There is also time for people to ask questions.
Schools in Chipping Campden
Chipping Campden has two primary schools. They are St James’ & Ebrington Church of England and St Catharine's Catholic. The town also has a secondary school, Chipping Campden School.
Getting Around Chipping Campden
The Chipping Campden railway station used to be on the Cotswold Line. But it closed in 1966. Since 2014, people have talked about reopening it.
The closest train station is at Moreton-in-Marsh. It is about eight miles away. Great Western Railway runs trains from there. They go to London Paddington and Worcestershire Parkway. They stop at places like Reading, Oxford, and Evesham.
Local buses are run by different companies. These include Stagecoach Midlands and Pulham Coaches. They connect the town to places like Cheltenham, Evesham, Mickleton, Moreton-in-Marsh, and Stratford-upon-Avon.
The Cotswold Games
Since the early 1600s, Chipping Campden has hosted special country games. These became known as Robert Dover's Cotswold Olimpick Games. The games stopped in 1852. But they were brought back in 1963 and are still held today!
The Olimpicks happen every summer. They are on the Friday evening after the late Spring bank holiday. This is usually in late May or early June. They take place on Dover's Hill, near Chipping Campden. A unique sport in these games is shin-kicking! People stuff hay into their trousers to make it a bit softer.
To end the games, there is a huge bonfire and firework display. Then, people carry torches back into town. They dance to a local band in the square. The Scuttlebrook Wake happens the next day. Locals dress up in fun costumes. They follow the Scuttlebrook Queen. She rides in a decorated dray pulled by the town's Morris Men. After this, there are prizes and dancing. The two primary schools perform Maypole and Country dancing. The Morris Men also dance. The celebration continues with a fair until midnight.
In 2019, the games included a children's half-mile Junior Circuit race. There was also a Championship of the Hill race for adults. A Tug O’War competition was also held. The organizers also planned fireworks, a torchlit procession, and marching bands.
Media and Music
Local news and TV shows come from BBC West Midlands and ITV Central. You can get TV signals from Sutton Coldfield or Lark Stoke transmitters.
The town also has local radio stations. These include BBC CWR and BBC Radio Gloucestershire. Other stations are Heart West and Greatest Hits Radio South West. There's also North Cotswold Community Radio. This is a local station that broadcasts from the town.
The town's local newspapers are the Chipping Campden Bulletin and Cotswold Journal.
Since 2002, Chipping Campden has hosted a well-known music festival. The 2020 festival was planned for May. But it was cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Arts and Crafts Movement
In the early 1900s, Chipping Campden became a centre for the Cotswold Arts and Crafts Movement. This happened when Charles Robert Ashbee moved his Guild and School of Handicraft here in 1902. The movement focused on making things by hand. It was a reaction against machines taking over. This meant old craft skills were being lost. The Guild of Handicraft made metal items. They created jewellery, enamels, and ironwork. They also made furniture.
Many artists and writers came to live in the area. One was F. L. Griggs, an etcher. He built Dover's Court, one of the last Arts and Crafts houses. In 1929, he helped set up the Campden Trust. This group wanted to protect Dover's Hill from building. Griggs also helped restore old houses on the High Street. He worked hard to keep the town beautiful. In 1934, he raised money to buy the Coneygree field. He gave it to the National Trust to protect it. Many of Griggs' etchings are kept at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
H. J. Massingham, a writer about the English countryside, also lived nearby. So did Arthur Gaskin. Ananda Coomaraswamy, a philosopher, and his wife Ethel Mairet, a weaver, settled in Broad Campden. Ashbee changed an old chapel for them.
In 2005, a group of traditional craftspeople moved into The Old Silk Mill building. By 2019, there were 28 members in this group.
Notable People from Chipping Campden
- Graham Greene, a famous English novelist and writer, lived here from 1931 to 1933.
- Ernest Henry Wilson, a plantsman, was born in the town. There is a garden dedicated to him.
- Sir Percy Hobart, a military leader in the Second World War, came from Chipping Campden. He led the local Home Guard during the war.
- Frederick Landseer Maur Griggs has a special plaque in the town.
- Sir Gordon Russell, a well-known furniture designer, went to school here. He built his home, Kingcombe, in 1925 and lived there until he died.
Twin Towns
Chipping Campden is twinned with:
- Pont-d'Ouilly, France
Images for kids
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Chipping Campden Market Hall
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East Banqueting House and St James, Chipping Campden
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St James' church, Hicks Memorial
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Chipping Campden Town Hall
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Former site of the Chipping Campden station
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Cotswold Games, 1636 woodcut
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Charles Robert Ashbee, founder of the Guild and School of Handicraft. Portrait by William Strang, 1903
See also
In Spanish: Chipping Campden para niños
