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Chippenham
Chippenham is the largest town in North Wiltshire. A little over an hour's journey from central London or Heathrow airport, it offers an ideal centre for relaxation in rural Wiltshire.
Chippenham's name in Saxon times meant 'River Meadow' and its position in a crook of the River Avon has given it, through the centuries, a strategic position and power for its cloth mills. Today, the river provides a peaceful backdrop to walking and cycling routes.
In 878 the invading Danes occupied Chippenham, but after Alfred the Great led the West Saxons to victory, the Danes signed the 'Treaty of Chippenham' and retreated back to Mercia. Chippenham became Alfred's 'Royal Vill (Town) of Wessex'.
The Domesday Book recorded 12 mills on the river, and working mills lasted until the textile industry declined in the 19th century. Chippenham's position as the principal market town in north Wiltshire was secured by the Wilts & Berks Canal, its position on the London-Bristol stage coach route and, later, by Brunel's Great Western Railway which arrived in 1841.
The Yelde Hall, built circa 1500, is home to the Tourist Information Centre. In the historic council chamber on the first floor you will be transported back to 1816 and experience a lively Council meeting debating the end of the Napoleonic War and the decline of the weaving trade.
The town's Museum has excellent displays of Chippenham through the ages, plus well-researched year round exhibitions. Chippenham is also home to the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre whose archives are a great resource, especially for exploring family history.
Chippenham's industrial heritage includes the famous Western Arches designed by Brunel for the Great Western Railway; Francis Holland's tobacco factory, where cigarettes were hand-rolled until they could no longer compete with Bristol's mechanised factories; and Avonbridge House, the oldest condensed milk factory in the world.
The lower market place is known as The Shambles where, in 1580, the Lord of the Manor granted the local Guilds and Tradesmen licence to erect market stalls. There is still a market here on Fridays and Saturdays. Keep a look out for the ancient Buttercross (rescued from a hundred years of oblivion as a gazebo in Castle Combe) and also the Neeld Hall, once a covered market for the sale of corn and cheese.
A walking guide available from the Museum or Tourist Information Centre will help you search out the town's old coaching inns and half-timbered buildings as you stroll around the streets.
Within 20 minutes of Chippenham are the beautiful Bowood estate, the village of Lacock and Lacock Abbey (with the Fox Talbot photography museum), Sheldon Manor, Malmesbury Abbey, Abbey House Gardens and Lackham Country Park. While the nearby villages of Castle Combe and Lacock are world-famous for their perfect capture of the rural idyll.
>>View our suggested day trip to Lacock from Chippenham
For walkers, the Macmillan Way which winds its way along the Bybrook Valley through charming villages is not to be missed, while cyclists can enjoy the Rivers Route of the Sustrans national network along the River Avon and the old Wilts & Berks Canal. Swimming, golf, horse-riding and numerous other outdoor activities are only minutes away.
>>Download a map of Chippenham
>>Browse accommodation in Chippenham
Tempting places to eat and drink range from tea shops and cafes to pubs and restaurants, while shopping is a pleasure, with everything from major discount outlets to unique, individual retailers.
There is an excellent year-round programme of arts and entertainment on offer, and enough festivals and sports and leisure opportunities to satisfy even the most active of visitors... not to mention our outstanding range of places to visit.
© VisitWiltshire.co.uk
VisitWiltshire provides tourism services on behalf of Wiltshire Council.
