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Chippenham and Malmesbury Town Guide

NESTLED in a curve of the River Avon, The town of Chippenham is a mixture of ancient and modern.

From the stone age Hint Wades discovered beneath the ground, to the contemporary local industry, Chippenham reflects the development of human life in the region over thousands of years.

The town has a distinguished Saxon history, and was once an important residence of King Alfred the Great. In medieval times Chippenham was a town built on cloth, with a prosperous weaving and dyeing industry.

The Victorians brought the railways, and the legacy of Isambard Kingdom Brunel is evident in the town centre, with the Great Western Arches.

The town became a thriving centre of the cheese trade and the Neeld family built a hall to house the market. With a colourful past, Chippenham is a forward-looking and modern town with a wealth of contemporary industry. With a mainline railway station and proximity to the M4 it enjoys excellent communication links