The parish church has been a focal point for Campden life for many centuries. There is uncertainty about the date of the earliest church on the site but one is likely to have been in existence by 1170, when Henry II visited Campden to confirm the town’s first charter. Over the next 200 years the church was greatly enlarged and in the fifteenth century there were major alterations, prompted by the town’s growth with the wool trade. The guide to St. James Church, which can be purchased in the Church, gives details of the architectural history and the many features that have been added over the centuries.
Some visitors who come the church are interested in their family history or the history of church and town: Chipping Campden History Society liaises with the Church to provide answers from the graveyard plans, the parish registers and the Churchwardens’ Accounts, all of which have now been transcribed.
CCHS Members are also undertaking studies of aspects of the Church’s history which are being added to this website.