The origin of Chipping Norton like many ancient towns is not clear, however it is likely that people lived here and visited The Rollright Stones which lie on a prehistoric track on a neighbouring ridge.

Chipping Norton began as a few houses with a church and castle at the bottom of the hill. Only the earthworks of the castle remain, but the church is a fine example of a “wool church” enlarged by local merchants who grew rich on the profits of the Cotswold wool trade.

The  hexagonal porch is a feature unique to the church and there are many ornate gravestones that hark back to the town's prosperous past.

The pictures here are reproduced by kind permission of Sacred Destinations where more fanatstic photographs of the church may be found.

In 1835 the Municipal Corporations Act was passed, and in 1841 the Borough Council decided that the old Guildhall was inadequate for their purposes, and resolved to  build a new Town Hall in the market place,  designed by George Repton, which would be more appropriate and would reflect the new “status” of the town.

In Victorian times the Bliss family ran a wool manufactory near to the town centre but later built in the valley at the bottom of the town. This building was destroyed by fire in 1872, but replaced by the building which still remains today, now converted into luxury flats.

At one time there was also a brewery, an iron foundry, a tannery, glove making and later in the war an aircraft factory, and in more recent times  the famous furniture firm, Parker Knoll.

The detail on this page has been kindly provided by John Grantham a life-long resident, town councillor, field reeve & leading authority on Chipping Norton. John has written two fantastic books about the town. They are "The Regulated Pasture; A history of Common Land in Chipping Norton" and "Chipping Norton Town Hall Past & Present." Both books are available from Jaffé & Neale.

John runs a regular weekly walk (one hour long) every Wednesday (come rain or shine) leaving at 10:00am from the Town Hall steps. He peppers his walks with stories and ancdotes bringing alive the history of the Town.