Broad Campden

Broad Campden is a small hamlet a mile south of Chipping Campden, quiet and largely undisturbed despite its proximity to one of the most visited towns in the Cotswolds. The hamlet consists of a loose collection of Cotswold stone cottages and farmhouses along a lane, without the formal village plan of larger settlements. Its gentle, unassuming character has attracted writers and artists precisely because it asks nothing of visitors.

The small Chapel of St Michael and All Angels was converted from a medieval building by the Arts and Crafts architect C.R. Ashbee around 1905, when Ashbee moved his Guild of Handicraft from the East End of London to Chipping Campden. The Ashbee connection gives Broad Campden a specific place in the history of the Arts and Crafts movement, and several guild members settled in and around the hamlet during the early twentieth century.

The surrounding countryside is among the finest in the northern Cotswolds, with open wolds walking in all directions. The lane between Broad Campden and Chipping Campden, running through orchards and small fields, is one of the more pleasant short walks in the area. Blockley and Bourton-on-the-Hill are both within easy reach for those exploring this corner of the north Cotswolds on foot.