About the town » Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire, England, Great Britain

Minchinhampton is an ancient market town, located on a hilltop 4 miles south-south-east of Stroud, Gloucestershire, England, in the Cotswolds. The town is twinned with Nkokoto, in Tanzania. Nearby is Minchinhampton Common, a recreation area for walkers and golfers, 580 acres of which is managed by the National Trust. The Common is also used as grazing land for the cows of local farmers in the summer. On the Common are long parallel ditches and mounds which formed part of a large Iron Age fort. There are good views from the Common, west over the Severn estuary into Wales, and east to the Golden Valley and further into the Cotswolds. Minchinhampton Common is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Main article: Minchinhampton Common The town's shops are clustered in and around the High Street and comprise a general store, two hairdressers, Boots the Chemist, a ladies' boutique, a butcher's shop, a local organic dairy outlet, two restaurants, a cafe, a Post Office, an electrical retailers, an antiques shop, an estate agency and several charity shops, together with The Crown Inn. There is also a doctors' surgery, library, dentist, school, youth club and sports facilities. The main square has a War Memorial and an early Market House, where a market is held every Thursday. The 17th-century Market House was given to the town in 1919 by the Lord of the Manor Lt. Col. H. G. Ricardo. It was restored in 1944.