A market town with a population of just under 30,000, Chippenham is located in the English county of Wiltshire about 13 miles to the east of Bath and 96 miles west of London. It is located on the River Avon. It is widely believed that a settlement was located in the area as far back as Roman Times. Most significantly, Alfred the Great owned a hunting lodge in the area.
The town started to grow in 1841 with the arrival of the railways and while the town had always historically been a market town, it eventually change to a commuter town for people working in the city of Bath.
If of the town played an important part in the Anglo Saxon era. In 853 AD, it was the place of marriage between her sister of Alfred the Great and the then King of Mercia. 25 years later, the town was siege to buy the Vikings from Denmark although Alfred managed to escape. Eventually Alfred’s defeated the Danes later in the year and they eventually surrendered to him.
Chippenham was also mentioned in the Domesday Book and he was said that the town has a population of about 700 in the year 1086. Back then the town was known as Cepen. During medieval times, the town became significant in the wool industry which was rapidly increasing in those times. After 1611, the town was very hard hit by the plague, recession and falling production of corn.
Famous sites to visit a in Chippenham include the Buttercross, which is a stone structure built in 1570 in the centre of the town. It was used as part of an undercover market. The tourist information of the town is located in the Yelde Hall, also in the centre of the town. The town is also home to a number of festivals, the most famous one being the annual Chippenham Folk Festival held between the 26th and the 30th of May
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For accommodation in Chippenham check this list of Chippenham hotels. |