Broadway and The Cotswolds

Broadway

The village of Broadway is often referred to as the 'Jewel of the Cotswolds' and the 'Show Village of England' because of its sheer beauty. The 'broad way' leads from the foot of the Cotswold escarpement with a wide grass-fringed street lined with ancient honey coloured limestone buildings dating back to the 16th century. It is one of the longest High Streets in England.

Chipping Campden

Chipping Campden is one of the loveliest small towns in the Cotswolds and a gilded masterpiece of limestone and craftmanship. The main street curves in a shallow arc lined with a succession of ancient houses each grafted to the next but with its own distinctive character.

"Chipping" means market or market place from the old English "Ceping", & Chipping Campden was one of the most important medieval wool towns and famous throughout Europe.Campden was established in the 7th century and derives its name from the Saxon "Campa-denu" or "Campadene", meaning a valley with fields or enclosures of cultivated land.

Chipping Campden's church, St. James, at the north end of the town is one of the finest 'wool' churches in the Cotswolds, with a magnificent 120ft (36 metre) tower and a very spacious interior. The church is famed for having one of the oldest altar tapestries and largest brass rubbings in England.

In 1970 the High Street and much of the rest of the town was officially designated a conservation area to preserve the ancient town for centuries to come.