After Fish Hill, from the A 44, here following a fairly winding course, a side road goes off left to Chipping Campden, the most northerly point in the Cotswolds and one of the prettiest and most appealing little towns in England. The town is a popular tourist destination with many inns, restaurants and specialty shops.
Chipping Campden (pop. 2
,000) was once the center of the wool trade, home in the 14th and 15th centuries to many wealthy wool merchants, who built themselves magnificent houses in the town. The finest (late 14th century) belonged to William Grevel, referred to by a commemorative brass in the 15th century church as "the flower of the merchants of all England". Other outstanding buildings are the Town Hall, the Woolstaplers' Hall (partly 14th century), the old Grammar School (1628), the Market Hall (1625) and the late 14th century almshouses.