Chipping Sodbury

About

Chipping Sodbury is a medieval market town edging the southern end of the Cotswold Escarpment. The High Street is home to a wide variety of shops, restaurants and public houses, including the traditional butchers, bakers and greengrocers.


The town has an unusually wide main street and there is a rich assortment of architectural style from early Tudor through the 16th and 17th centuries into the grander Georgian and terraced late Victorian. As a small market town Chipping Sodbury is proud of it’s heritage and many of the events and festivals that take place here have done so for centuries. The farmers market runs twice a month and the Town Hall hosts numerous fairs and sales throughout the year.

The town is frequently described as being on the edge of the Cotswolds. In reality only the east side of the parish, including Old Sodbury is strictly in the hills.

In close proximity to Bath and Bristol, Chipping Sodbury is also within easy reach of many other towns, places of interest, excellent shops and beautiful scenery. Nearby towns and villages include Badminton, Castle Coombe, Chepstow, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Stroud, Tetbury, Thornbury and Cirencester.


Chipping Sodbury’s History


Chipping Sodbury High Street is thought to be the widest street in England. This is partly because of the substantial markets held in the town from the Middle Ages, and partly because at one stage several buildings occupied the middle of Broad Street towards the lower end of the main thoroughfare.

From the outset, Chipping Sodbury was dominated by agricultural produce. By the 13th and 14th centuries wool from the Cotswolds was being traded and there is evidence that weaving also became an important industry in the town and that the tanning of leather was also being carried out. The facades of many of the buildings in the Town date from the 18th and 19th Centuries. Many of these often hide far older structures.

Today, the town is still a popular destination for shoppers and visitors. It retains the feel of a village and many local families have remained here for hundreds of years. The numerous fairs and festivals as well as the diverse range of societies and groups all play a part in making the town a successful and vibrant community.