|
CHIPPING CAMPDEN , six miles northwest of Moreton-in-Marsh, gives a better idea than anywhere else in the Cotswolds as to what a prosperous wool town might have looked like in the Middle Ages. The houses have undulating, weather-beaten roofs and many retain their original mullioned windows, while the fine Perpendicular church dates from the fifteenth century, the zenith of the town's wool-trading days. Inside, an ostentatious monument commemorates the family of Sir Baptist Hicks, a local benefactor who built the nearby almshouses and the market hall in the High Street. His own home was burnt down during the Civil War, but you can glimpse the ruins over the wall beside the church. A fine panoramic view rewards those who make the short but severe hike up the Cotswold Way northwest to Dover's Hill (follow Hoo Lane north off the High Street). Since 1610 this natural amphitheatre has been the stage for an Olympics of rural sports, though the event was suspended last century when games such as shin-kicking became little more than licensed thuggery. A more civilized version, the Cotswold Olimpick Games , has been staged each June since 1951: no shin-kicking, but still the odd bit of hammer-throwing and tug-of-war pulling. Such a museum-piece as Chipping Campden must inevitably cope with a bevy of visitors in summer. Try to stay overnight and explore in the evening or at dawn, when the streets are empty and the golden hues of the stone at their richest. Public transport to the area is good, with frequent bus services to Moreton, Evesham and Stratford. The standard of pubs is good, but the Eight Bells Inn , around the corner from the church, is particularly cosy, and it serves top food. There's a window in the floor showing the passage once |
|
Cotswold House Hotel, The Square, Chipping Campden GL55 6AN
Noel Arms Classic, High St, Chipping Campden GL55 6AT Red Lion Inn, Lower High St, Chipping Campden GL55 6AS The Kings Arms, The Square, Chipping Campden GL55 6AW Charingworth Manor , Charingworth, Chipping Campden GL55 6NS Three Ways House Hotel , Mickleton, Chipping Campden GL55 6SB |
| Holiday Cottages |
| Chipping Campden Hotels and Chipping Campden Cottages |
| Home |