Chippenham

Chippenham is a market town situated in Wiltshire, England, which lies 21 km (13 mi) east of Bath and 163 km (101 mi) west of London. In the 2001 census the population of the town was recorded as 28,065, however, Council projections for 2009 estimate the population at 42,060.

The town was established on a crossing of the River Avon and is believed to have existed as some form of settlement since before Roman times. It was a royal vill, and probably a royal hunting lodge, under Alfred the Great. Kings lodge school, a primary school in Chippenham was named after King Alfred's Hunting lodge. The town continued to grow when the Great Western Railway arrived in 1841, and while historically a market town the economy has changed to that of a commuter town.

Chippenham is twinned with La Flèche in France and Friedberg in Germany. The town's motto is "Unity and Loyalty".

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