Shops and markets · Chipping Norton
Jaffé and Neale Bookshop and Café, Chipping Norton
An independent bookshop with a café on Middle Row in the centre of Chipping Norton, run by Patrick Neale and Polly Jaffé since 2001, with author events, a book club and cake from Friday to Sunday.
Rainy days
A long-standing independent, and a good reason to stop in Chipping Norton on a wet afternoon, with author events on its calendar. Note that the café opens only from Friday to Sunday, so a midweek visit means books but no coffee.
- Good: Independent since 2001, in the middle of the town
- Good: Author events and book signings, and a book club
- Good: Coffee and cakes from Friday to Sunday
- Good: Gifts, cards and stationery as well as books
- Worth knowing: The café is closed from Monday to Thursday
- Worth knowing: Shop closes at 5pm, or 4pm on Sundays
About
Jaffé and Neale is an independent bookshop with a café at 1 Middle Row, in the centre of Chipping Norton. Patrick Neale and Polly Jaffé opened it in 2001 on West Street, and moved to the present shop in the town centre in 2006.
It stocks books, with gifts, greetings cards and stationery, and holds book signings, talks and a book club. Talks are listed on its events page; some are free, and you reserve a place by email, as for a talk by the translator Geoffrey Strachan on 12 November 2026.
The café serves coffee and cakes on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, closing 30 minutes before the shop. That means 10am to 4.30pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 11am to 3.30pm on Sundays.
The shop opens from 9.30am to 5pm from Monday to Saturday and from 10.30am to 4pm on Sundays. It is a short walk from Chipping Norton Theatre, and from the pubs on Goddards Lane, so it fits easily into a day in town.
Opening hours and season
Closed, opens Mon 16, 09:30
| Mon | Opening | Café |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 09:30 to 17:00 | Closed |
| Tuesday | 09:30 to 17:00 | Closed |
| Wednesday | 09:30 to 17:00 | Closed |
| Thursday | 09:30 to 17:00 | Closed |
| Friday | 09:30 to 17:00 | 10:00 to 16:30 |
| Saturday | 09:30 to 17:00 | 10:00 to 16:30 |
| Sunday | 10:30 to 16:00 | 11:00 to 15:30 |
The details
- Features
- Café · Shop · Events and meetings
- History
- Opened in 2001 on West Street; on Middle Row since 2006
Photos
The café among the shelves 
The shop on Middle Row in 2015 Photo: Bill Boaden, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Location
Places to stay nearby
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The Fox, Chipping Norton
Pubs · Chipping Norton
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Verified Nov 2026
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Cotswolds Hotel and Spa, Chipping Norton
Hotel
A large golf and spa hotel at Southcombe, on the edge of Chipping Norton, with 114 rooms and suites, an 18-hole parkland course, padel, spa treatments and Greys Restaurant, plus free parking.
Verified Nov 2026
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Heythrop Park
Hotel
A Warner adults-only hotel in a Grade II* listed house of the early 1700s, on 440 acres near Enstone, selling dinner, bed and breakfast breaks with nightly entertainment, a spa, a pool and an 18-hole golf course.
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Nearby walks, places and things to do
- Alberto's, Chipping Norton 0.0 km away
- The Chequers, Chipping Norton 0.1 km away
- The Blue Boar, Chipping Norton 0.1 km away
- Chipping Norton Theatre 0.1 km away
Sights nearby
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Rollright Stones
Sight · Hill fort or barrow
Three prehistoric monuments on the Oxfordshire and Warwickshire border, built over more than 2,000 years: the Whispering Knights, the King's Men circle and the King Stone, with a legend of a king and a witch to go with them. Open daily; adults £2.