Chipping Norton

The highest town in Oxfordshire, with marvellous views
Formerly a major wool-trading (‘Chipping’ means market) town : as with so many others in the Cotswolds, owes its prosperity to that industry
Bliss Tweed Mill, built in 1872, was designed to look like a magnificent country house. Now converted into apartments, the mill retains its handsome appearance
Bliss cloth coats were still being manufactured in the late 20th century: they were reckoned to last a lifetime
The wide High Street and Market Place have many 18th century frontages: the neo-classical Town Hall of 1842 dominates
Church of St Mary the Virgin, one of the finest in Oxfordshire, is a reminder of 15th-century wool-trade wealth based on sheep called 'Cotswolds Lions'
Rollright Stones nearby are a Bronze Age circle of 1800 - 550 BC