Cotswold Charm

Welcome to our beautiful town, Chipping Campden. Campden is one of the most beautiful tourist destinations in the UK. With easy road access, it is ideal for a full vacation or just a short break. The central, location in the North Cotswolds makes an ideal base for your accommodation for a touring holiday.

You can enjoy the delights not only of this charming old wool merchants' town, but also the nearby surrounding shire counties of Oxfordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. From Blenheim Palace and the Cotswolds to the south, to Worcester and the Malverns to the west plus Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick (with the best medieval castle in Europe) all within an hour's journey.

A brief history
There was a settlement in Campden by the 7th century and, almost certainly, long before that. The Saxon 'campa' 'denu' is an accurate description as the meaning is literally 'a valley with cultivated fields ringed by unfenced hill pastures'. The word 'Chipping' meaning 'market', was not added until much later when the town had a market. Little is known about Campden before theNorman Conquest and the Domesday Book recorded a population of about 300.

Campden becomes a town
Campden is a very early example of town planning. The Lord of the Manor, Hugh de Gondeville was granted a market charter by King Henry II in 1185 and set out the plan of the town.  The main street followed the natural route of the River Cam, a curve that helps to make the High Street so attractive. He laid out regular plots of land called burgages to be occupied for a fee by craftsmen, traders and others providing services to the community. An aerial view of the town today clearly shows evidence of these burgage plots.

Campden - centre for the wool trade
The Cotswolds became very prosperous in the 14th and 15th centuries and Campden, in particular, thrived. The wool from the long-backed Cotswold Lion sheep was prized across Europe. William Grevel, the son of a local man, became one of Campden's (and, by repute, one of England's) most successful wool merchants. In about 1380 he built a new house in the High Street (Grevel House) that still stands today. The Woolstaplers Hall on the other side of the High Street was built in the 14th century by Robert Calf and illustrates how Campden had become an important collecting point for fleece, later sold to Flemish and Italian clothiers.

A great wool church
St. James' Church was largely built during the 15th century and is known as one of the great 'wool churches' of the Cotswolds. A memorial brass in the church describes William Grevel as 'the flower of the wool merchants of all England'. It is known that William Grevel left money to complete building work but it is highly likely that there were other wealthy donors. The church is spacious and well lit by large windows and built in the Perpendicular style. 

Sir Baptist Hicks builds Campden House

Sir Baptist Hicks was a major 17th century benefactor of the town. He built the Almhouses and then in 1613-20 he spent the vast sum of £29,000 to build a magnificent house with banqueting halls and ornate chimneys. In 1627, he built the Market Hall to provide shelter for stallholders selling cheese, butter, poultry and vegetables. His title, Viscount Campden, passed to Edward Noel, the husband of his eldest daughter Juliana. During the Civil War the house was occupied and fortified by Royalist forces but the garrison was withdrawn in 1645 and, before leaving, the soldiers burnt the house to the ground - whether by design, accident or fit of pique is unknown. As they were known Royalist supporters, the family was fined the enormous sum of £9,000 following the end of the Civil War.

The Lodge Gates

A time of decline
Agriculture was in national decline during the 18th and 19th centuries and Campden suffered accordingly.  Fleeces were no longer 'golden' as it was impossible to export wool and to convert the wool into finished cloth required more water than could be gained from the River Cam. The Old Silk Mill, founded in 1790, was used for silk throwing but was unable to compete and was abandoned by 1842. In 1836 a Cotswold parson wrote 'Campden is a dull, clean, disused market town'.  A railway did eventually come to Campden during the 1840s and there were still six to ten trains a day stopping here in 1939 - but it has since closed. By the end of the 19th century the population had decreased by a quarter and one in ten of the cottages stood empty. This made Campden ideal for the relocation of C.R. Ashbee's Guild of Handicraft in 1902.

20th century Campden
F.L. Griggs, the etcher and engraver, came to Campden in the early years of the 20th century.  He fell in love with the town and stayed. Although not a rich man, he bought Dover's Hill when he realised it was threatened with development as a hotel complex. His friends were persuaded to reimburse him and Dover's Hill was subsequently passed to the National Trust for the
enjoyment of all.

In February 1970 the whole of the High Street was designated as a conservation area. There have been new developments, mainly on the outskirts of the town and also some infilling. Most are in natural or reconstituted stone and with few exceptions blend in with all that has gone before.  Once again, Campden is a planned town.

Into a new century
Whilst other small communities have languished and lost many of their shops and services, Campden still has its full complement thanks, in large part, to its visitors. As well as being able to buy everyday essentials (Campden boasts a butcher, two bakers and a candlestickmaker as well as a greengrocer, a supermarket and a chemist!), visitors can spend time discovering the many other delightful shops. There are numerous places to stay ranging from bed and breakfasts to character hotels – all with something unique to offer. You will also find inns, restaurants and tearooms to suit every taste and budget.

Robert Dover's Cotswold Olimpick Games
Robert Dover's Cotswold Olimpick Games are held annually on the Friday evening after the Spring Bank Holiday on Dover's Hill above Chipping Campden. A 20th century 'Robert Dover' (Father John Brennan) opens the Games in front of Dover's Castle. Teams compete for the Championship of the Hill, with a traditional sack race, use of straw bales, and water. The Champion of the Hill is the athlete who best succeeds with the field events of 1636, particularlyspurning the barre. Tugs of War and shin-kicking are keenly contested.

On the upper level of the hill, demonstrations include Campden's Morris Men, two bands, dog and falconry displays, while in a second arena athletes give instructions on Backsword and Single Stick fighting and Tae Kwondo. As dusk falls, the hill is lit by a bonfire and fireworks display.

Then, led by Robert Dover and two bands, the torchlight procession moves from Dover's Hill to the Square in Chipping Campden where pageantry and dancing bring the occasion to a fitting end.

The present Games continue the spirit of the original Games. They date from 1612 when they were first organised by Robert Dover (1582-1652) 'with leave from James I', They were held on the Thursday and Friday of Whit-week, and included horse-racing, coursing, jumping, wrestling, backswords, pike drill, and country dancing. Robert Dover, a lawyer, presided over events ceremonially dressed in James I's clothes, and a feature of the hillside was Dover's Castle mounted with cannon to begin events.The Games were popular with people from all ranks of society. William Shakespeare may well have attended them.

A picture of Robert Dover and his Castle, with the events in progress, formed the frontispiece to Annalia Dubrensia (1636), poems by well known men - Michael Drayton, Ben Jonson, Thomas Randolph - in praise of Dover. The Games were called Olimpick and were compared with the Greek Olympics (776BC-394AD). The title was used thereafter, long before the present series ofOlympic Games dating from 1896.

The Civil War ended the original Games, but they were continued after 1660 for nearly two hundred years. Known as Dover's Meeting, they included wrestling, backsword fighting, dancing jigs, and a smock race for a Holland shift. Vivid accounts of them in the 18th century were provided by William Somervile and Richard Graves. In the 19th century the Games included backsword fighting for twelve guineas, wrestling for belts, dancing, jumping in bags, and jingling matches. Shin-kicking bouts were keenly contested.

The Games were suspended in 1853 with the enclose of Weston sub Edge. In 1929 Dover's Hill became National Trust property. The Games were held in 1951 to celebrate the Festival of Britain and were fully revived with the founding of Robert Dover's Games Society in 1965. In 1982 the British Olympic Association recognised the Games as part of its pre-history.

Members are now looking towards 2012 as an important occasion for the Cotswold Olimpicks. On Friday, 1st June 2012 the Society will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Games. The London Olympic Games and Paralympics follow some seven weeks later. Plans are afoot for Chipping Campden to celebrate the major contribution made by Robert Dover and his Cotswold Olimpick Games to Olympic history and the ideals of sport. If you would like to know more, go to the website www.olimpickgames.co.uk
The 2011 Games will be held on Friday evening, 3rd June.

Scuttlebrook Wake
Scuttlebrook Wake takes place on the Saturday following Dover's Games. Its main features are a street procession with the Bretforton Silver Band providing music and the Campden Morris Dancers drawing the trolley bearing the Queen elect, followed by decorated floats and those who have dressed appropriately for the occasion. In the Square the new Queen is crowned by the retiring Queen, followed by dancing by local children and by the Campden Morris Men.After the dancing, the band leads the parade to the Almshouses, and the parade is then brought back to Scuttlebrook where the Queen officially opens the Street Fair. The activities of the afternoon provide a joyful, colourful and memorable occasion for local residents and visitors.

Scuttlebrook Wake has a long history. It was a traditional Whitsun Club Wake. At the foot of the 1818 poster for Dover's Meeting, after mentioning a Main of Cocks, a theatrical performance, Ordinaries, Balls, Consorts each day and a Stewards Ball on the Friday evening, it adds: 'On Saturday a Wake will be held in Campden and all Diversions as usual.'

The Wake is named after the Cattlebrook or Scuttlebrook which used to run as an open stream down Leysbourne, the north end of the High Street, until about 1831 when it was covered over with a pump erected to serve local inhabitants.

The present Scuttlebrook Wake has been celebrated in its present form since 1938 when the first Scuttlebrook Wake Queen was crowned. Festivities were interrupted by the war but the Wake was revived in 1948. Five local girls and one boy are chosen each year as Queen, Attendants and Page. The final occasion for the Queen and Attendants is to appear at the official opening of Robert Dover's Cotswold Olimpick Games on the Friday evening a year later. The Queen oversees the lighting
of the bonfire. On the following day she crowns her successor.