CHIPPENHAM

town, North Wiltshire district, administrative and historic county of Wiltshire, England, on the River Avon. Chippenham was the site of a royal residence during the Dark Ages and appears in Domesday Book (1086) as a crown manor. St. Andrew's Church dates from the 12th century. From the 16th century the town was a woolen centre. The London-Bath road, a major English routeway, crosses the River Avon at Chippenham by a stone bridge of 22 arches. Milk distribution and processing now form the town's main industry; other activities include food processing, tanning, furniture making, and electrical engineering. Pop. (1991) 25,961.