Join us on the 12th September to celebrate Chipping Norton’s history and heritage. The Town Hall will be open for all to explore – with exhibitions from the museum, talks highlighting local stories, themed walks around the town, and refreshments. There will also be several other events occurring in the town, so read on for more info!
📍Chipping Norton Town Centre
📆 Saturday, 12th September
⏰ 10:00am onwards
Town Hall
The Town Hall will be open for all from 10am.
The Council Chamber will host two talks throughout the morning:
- Simon Townley: ‘The Market Square: 800 years of change’ 10:15am, 11:45am
- Simon Draper: ‘Bliss Mill – the business, the buildings and the strike of 1913-14’ 11:00am, 12:30pm
The Lower Hall will be taken over by exhibitions from the Chipping Norton Museum, who will also be offering refreshments
Town Hall – Exhibitions
Living History Trail
This self-guided tour takes approximately one hour and explores the heart of the Town Centre. The route includes five key locations, where speakers will share fascinating insights into each site’s history and purpose, as well as stories of the people who lived and worked there. At the final location, you’ll also learn about some of the individuals who were brought to trial, bringing the town’s past vividly to life.
These tours will be at 14:00, 14:30, and 15:00.
Help shape the future of the Town Hall & meet the architects
In the Upper Hall, visitors can take part in a range of activities designed to gather ideas and feedback for the future conservation and revitalisation of the Town Hall. Architects from Purcell will also be on hand to discuss emerging plans and hear your thoughts on the building’s future.
Chipping Norton Museum
Chipping Norton Museum will be freely open to the public for extended hours. The Museum’s collection began with a large donation of agricultural tools from Mr Tom Pitt of Chadlington, many of which are still on display today. However, over the years, acquisitions have expanded the collections and we now have varied displays of items of local interest. Even locals are bound to learn something new about their town within this impressive collection of history.
Middle Row
Claire Jarvis from The Fibreworks will be hosting local Cotswold sheep outside the shop on Middle Row. Visitors can meet these distinctive sheep, learn about their wool, and discover the important role they have played in the area’s textile heritage.
There will also be live spinning demonstrations throughout the day, giving visitors the chance to see how fleece is transformed into yarn using traditional techniques. Whether you’re already interested in textiles or completely new to spinning, this is a great opportunity to watch skilled craftspeople at work and learn more about this historic craft.
There will be a humorous historical talk from Richard Martin taking place at the Art & Talking art centre at 7:00pm.
Richard Martin of Cotswold Woollen Weavers will talk from the perspective of someone who cares for history and has made a lifetime’s living from wool. There is also a small exhibition of Chipping Norton artefacts, including original copies of Art & Language published in Chipping Norton, and a painting exhibition by Pato Bosich. The sculpture garden gives a unique perspective on historic buildings in the centre that has been likened to St Paul de Vence.
St. Mary’s Church
St. Mary’s Church will be open as usual but with an exclusive opening of the Trinity Room for this occasion. The Trinity Room is a first-floor meeting room, not normally open to the public, that was created in 2011 from a space formerly occupied by 2400 organ pipes. The leaded glass in its windows is the oldest in the church. For Heritage Open Day, St Mary’s Church has kindly agreed to give visitors a rare opportunity to explore this enchanting hidden space and a special display of interesting artefacts, hidden treasures and fascinating stories from the long history of the church.
