History of the Chipping Campden Market Hall
Chipping Campden Market Hall stands in the centre of Chipping Campden High Street. This beautiful and iconic Market Hall is surrounded by ancient houses made from the local honey-coloured stone, and it’s easy to imagine the market-place alive with the bustle of traders from centuries past.
Built in 1627 by the town’s wealthy benefactor, Sir Baptist Hicks, this landmark of the town was built to provide shelter for traders. Back then, townsfolk would trade goods like cheese, butter and poultry. Walk along the ancient stone-paved floor today, and you’ll get a sense of how important this building is to the town. The stone has been lovingly worn away by hundreds of years of bustling trading. You can almost hear the shouts and echoes from market traders, long since gone.
In the 1940s it was almost sold to an American, but local people heroically raised the money to buy it first. They gave it to the National Trust so that people young and old could continue to cherish this delightful building.
Not only is the building iconic to Chipping Campden but also to the Cotswolds. The Market Hall was built by Sir Baptist Hicks to provide shelter to traders. To this day, the hall is still used by Traders. The Market Hall building is now in the care and ownership of the National Trust.