Broadway In The Cotswolds – Discover Broadway with our guide to the picture-postcard village, including walks, places to stay and things to do
Our guide to Broadway in the North of the Cotswolds AONB explores the village’s location, where to stay, where to eat and the best places to visit. Why go there?
Broadway In The Cotswolds
If you’re looking for a village with accolades like “Jewel of the Cotswolds” or “Show Village of England”, Broadway ticks all the boxes. It lies below Fish Hill on the Western Escarpment, on the northern tip of the Cotswolds on the Worcestershire-Gloucestershire border. Its history dates back to Saxon times, and although the oldest buildings date back to the 1300s, most date from the mid-17th century.
Broadway In Cotswolds, Uk Editorial Stock Photo. Image Of Europe
Many of the buildings are built of Cotswold stone, giving it a warm and homely feel, and the village is named after its wide, grassy main street. There’s plenty to shop, or you can head south-east on the Cotswold Way National Trail to Broadway Tower and take in the beautiful view thanks to its elevated vantage point, 300 meters above sea level.
Ornithologists may prefer to head to the Broadway Gravel Pit, but the Batsford Arboretum is also a short drive away. If you visit after March, also check out Snowshill Manor and Gardens, run by the National Trust.
The village of Broadway is on the northern border of the Cotswolds AONB in the county of Worcestershire. The Cotswold Way long-distance footpath passes through the village, which is 100m above sea level.
Fancy a traditional Cotsworlds break? Then stay at Cowley House B&B, a mid-18th-century Cotswold stone house with original features found in every room. Prices start from a very reasonable £89 per room based on twin sharing or £87 for single occupancy. Part of the deal includes a hearty Cotswolds breakfast sourced from local ingredients.
Things To Do In Broadway
With the Crown and Trumpet serving up smashing pub fair specializing in local ingredients (including Cotswold beef) and prices to suit all budgets, you’re spoiled for choice as you’d expect in a tourist-friendly village like this. It is also a favorite of CAMRA with its own range of specially brewed seasonal beers.
The Lygon Arms hosted King Charles I – who met with close friends at the pub – and Oliver Cromwell at different times during the Civil War. Cromwell actually slept at the inn.
The picturesque village of Broadway, with its warm, honeyed cottages, is the perfect base for a winter stroll. Take time to pass the pubs, cafes, tea rooms and shops along the High Street – offering art and antiques, country clothing and gifts – then head into the Cotswold Hills to discover Broadway Tower.
In snowy or frosty weather, this unusual folly, the brainchild of landscape designer Capability Brown and completed in 1798 by architect James Wyatt for the sixth Earl and Countess of Coventry, looks even more impressive. Inside, you can watch a show (£5 for adults) and admire the surrounding countryside from the rooftop viewing platform. On a clear day, it is possible to see 12 counties. /Walk-Broadway-Worcestershire
Pretty Cottages Along High Street, Broadway, Cotswolds, Worcestershire, England, Uk, Western Europe. Stock Photo, Picture And Royalty Free Image. Image 33923370
The prosperity of this town – 20 minutes south of Broadway – is reflected in its buildings, from a magnificent church with a series of fearsome gargoyles to several grand merchant houses, built mainly of warm, golden Cotswold stone.
It’s a town that repays time spent wandering its streets, but for those Christmas extras who need to walk, it’s a perfect center for country walking as it lies in the valley below the Cotswold Escarpment. It takes you back to the Middle Ages and long before Christmas celebrations, when rituals took place 4000 or more years ago. /go-out/walks/winchcombe
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A Weekend In The Cotswolds: 2 Day Cotswolds Itinerary
If you live locally, we have all kinds of additional, useful information like Clubs & Groups, Broadway Magazine, etc. under the Village Community menu option.
The beautiful and historic Cotswold village of Broadway is a memorable place to stay and the perfect base for visiting the local area and enjoying wonderful walks. The pretty high street is lined with horse chestnut trees and has a mix of period houses and the picturesque. The honey colored Cotswold stone cottages have attracted visitors for centuries. This village map may be useful to refer to during your visit.
The Lygon Arms Hotel on Broadway High Street is steeped in history. During the Civil War, Oliver Cromwell actually spent the night at the Inn before the Battle of Worcester, but King Charles I had used the building earlier. His royal supporters were met and assembled.
The village originally centered around the old church, St Edburghs and stream at Bury End (records from c860) and is recorded in more detail in the Domesday Book of 1086. Records mention a “broad road” running from St Edburga to Nether End. (north of the church where the old chapel was built – now the site of St Michael’s). The present High Street grew as the center of the village gradually extended northwards to its present location. A coaching route opened over Fish Hill in the 1500s and Broadway became a busy stagecoach stop on the way from Worcester to Oxford and London. Many inns were built to accommodate travelers. William Morris, John Singer Sargent, Francis de Millet, J.M. Famous artists, writers, and performing artists like Barry and Mary Anderson also have interesting artistic legacies. Furniture designer Gordon Russell grew up on Broadway and had a workshop here – now we have a great design museum.
Dog Friendly Broadway, Cotswolds
Often referred to as the ‘Jewel of the Cotswolds’, Broadway lies on the western Cotswold escarpment below Fish Hill, in the county of Worcestershire and close to the Gloucestershire border. Broadway is just 2 hours away from central London and such places are easily accessible. Stratford upon Avon with its Shakespeare Theatre, Warwick with England’s finest medieval castle, Regency Cheltenham, Oxford with its University Colleges and Bath with its Roman Baths.
There is accommodation to suit all budgets, from bed & breakfasts to hotels or self-catering cottages, with rooms available from £100 to £600. The Broadway walking trail is on “The Cotswold Way”, which runs from the market town of Chipping Campden to the city of Bath. If you don’t feel like walking the entire trail, it’s fun to walk a few hours on a local trail.
In the heart of England, The Cotswolds is the largest of the 40 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) in England and Wales, known and appreciated by visitors from all over the world. Broadway ~ The Village for All Seasons ~ is beautiful any time of year.
Click here to view the local events diary – featuring a wide variety of events from food festivals to late night Christmas shopping. The Intrepid Guide contains affiliate links. These commissions help defray the ever-increasing costs of keeping this site active. Thanks for reading!
Things To Do In Broadway, Cotswolds
Plan your perfect visit to Broadway, an elegant village often referred to as the “Jewel of the Cotswolds”. From eating the best fish and chips in the Cotswolds to climbing the Broadway Tower for stunning views, here are the best things to do in Broadway!
Broadway, just 25-minutes from Stratford-upon-Avon, is a large village that once formed part of the road linking London and Wales via Worcester, with its chestnut-lined high street and wide “broadway”. Broadway’s grass-fringed main street is lined with former coaching inns and honey-coloured Cotswold limestone cottages, many dating from the 16th century. Today, these buildings are home to beautiful antique shops, cozy tea rooms, art galleries and luxury hotels.
From where to stay to where to eat, here’s the best of Broadway, The Cotswolds.
Broadway’s high street is made up of a delightful cluster of former coaching inns. The most photogenic of these is just beyond the round-about at the top of the high street. With the bustling village behind you, this quiet residential area is a lovely place to meander and explore its many beautiful facades.
Peak Wisteria, Broadway, Cotswolds
The Millennium Garden is quite literally a hidden gem and one of the most commonly missed spots on Broadway. Tucked away next to the Broadway Museum on High St, this small precinct was created to celebrate the turn of the 21st century, hence the name Millennium Garden.
This easy-to-miss idyllic garden has many benches that mesmerize the rolling Cotswolds hills.
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