Woolstaplers' Hall

Woolstaplers' Hall is a historic building that is now a museum, originally believed to be the Wool Exchange Room and Merchants' Hall. It is said to have origins dating back to the 14th century, although most of the surviving construction details are from the 15th century. The building was restored by C.R. Ashbee, who made it his home after 1904. It is constructed of rubble with ashlar dressings and has stone slate roofs. The gable end faces the road and may have once been part of a larger house, with narrower extensions at the rear.

The building has two storeys, with an inserted attic and garrets that were removed by Ashbee. A prominent feature on the exterior is a flat-fronted oriel window on the upper floor, which has 1:4:1 lights, cut-away moulded corbelling, and a hipped stone roof. Above this oriel is a three-light leaded window with stone mullions and a flat cornice, also attributed to Ashbee. The gable features a blocked opening, is coped, and has an attractive saddlestone with a cinquefoil panel. To the left is an ashlar chimney with moulded capping. Below the oriel, there is a moulded doorway created by Ashbee, complete with a heavy keystone and side-lights, along with evidence of former openings.

Inside, the ground floor layout has been altered, but the first floor contains a fine chamber with notable details. This includes a vault in the oriel, a large Tudor-arched fireplace with the Calf family rebus in the spandrels, and a three-bay open roof featuring two rows of wind-braces and irregular trusses. Two of the trusses have cranked collars and clasped purlins, while the closed eastern truss may not have originally been the end truss; it now has a glazed upper apex with glass, possibly by Paul Woodroffe, displaying Ashbee's rebus.

The Calf family, who owned the house, were significant wool merchants during the later Middle Ages. C.R. Ashbee's restoration of the building was considered sensitive for its time. Ashbee, who lived from 1863 to 1942, founded the Guild of Handicraft in Whitechapel in 1885, which played an influential role in the Arts & Crafts Movement before moving to Chipping Campden in 1902. The building is graded I partly due to its historical significance and Ashbee's contributions.