Market Hall

Chipping Campden's Market Hall was built in 1627 by the town's wealthy benefactor, Sir Baptist Hicks, to give shelter to traders, and for generations townsfolk bought and sold cheese, butter and poultry beneath its roof. It stands in the middle of the High Street of this small Cotswold town, surrounded by ancient houses of the same honey-coloured local stone, and its arches open straight onto the street. Walk across the old stone-paved floor and you can see how hundreds of years of trading have worn it uneven. In the 1940s the hall was nearly sold to an American, but local people raised the money to buy it first and gave it to the National Trust. Reviewers often find a few market stalls trading under the roof. Tips from visitors: the hall itself takes only a few minutes, so pair it with a wander through the town's shops, tea-rooms and pubs.