The village is often referred to as the "Jewel of the Cotswolds" and lies beneath Fish Hill on the western Cotswold escarpment. The "broad way" is the wide grass-fringed main street, centred around The Green - hence the village's name.
We were staying at the Lygon Arms. The history of the Lygon (pronounced Liggon) Arms can be traced back hundreds of years. Its first recorded owner - when it was the White Hart Inn - was Thomas White, a local wool merchant – the wool trade played an important part in the economy of the Cotswold in the 15th and 16th centuries. This in turn created a rapidly expanding need for resting places – such as the White Hart – for the merchants who travelled frequently between the wool towns of Broadway and Chipping Camden.
Oliver Cromwell stayed at the Inn on 2nd September 1651 –
the night before the Battle of Worcester. The room on the first floor where he
slept is named after him. In the 18th century the Inn became an
important staging post for coaches travelling through Broadway from London to
Wales. This led to the expansion of the stables. In 1820, Sir William Lygon
(who had served under the Duke of Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo) bought
the Inn.
The boys were with us and they enjoyed a game of tennis in the grounds of the hotel
Meanwhile, we explored this picturesque village ...
... which in latter days was home to various artists and writers including Elgar, John Singer Sargent, J.M. Barrie, Vaughan Williams, William Morris and Mary Anderson.
Then along part of the Cotswold Way ...
... with spectacular views back over Broadway
... to Broadway Tower, which was built on an ancient beacon site. Broadway Tower is one of England's outstanding viewpoints. On a clear day you can see as many as thirteen counties. The views encompass the Vales of Evesham and Gloucester; you may also see across the Severn Valley as far as the Welsh mountains and beyond.
It is an 18th century folly tower which was inspired by Capability
Brown whilst landscaping Croome Court for the 6th Earl of Coventry. James Wyatt
was commissioned as architect for the folly and completed the building in 1798. The architecture used a large range of
influences in one small building ranging from castle battlements and fortified
walls to balconies with French windows and roof viewing platform.
There is now a Deer Park associated with the Tower.
The following day, Al and I visited Sudeley Castle, whilst Ann and Rich played golf in Evesham
The Castle has royal connections spanning a thousand years. It was once home to Queen Katherine Parr, the last and surviving wife of King Henry VIII. Henry himself, Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey, Queen Elizabeth I and Richard III have all played a part in Sudeley’s story. King Charles I found refuge here during the Civil War, when his nephew Prince Rupert established headquarters at the Castle.
Following it’s ‘slighting’ on Cromwell’s orders at the end of the Civil War, Sudeley lay neglected and derelict for nearly 200 years. King George III was among those sightseers who came to admire its romantic ruins.
In 1837 Sudeley was rescued by the wealthy Worcester glove-makers, brothers John and William Dent. They began an ambitious restoration programme which was continued by their nephew, John Coucher Dent, when he inherited the Castle in 1855. His wife, Emma Brocklehurst, threw herself enthusiastically into Sudeley’s restoration, at the same time forging strong links with the nearby town of Winchcombe. It is the results of Emma’s dedication that are so evident in the gardens and exhibitions at Sudeley today.
Sudeley is now the home of the Dent-Brocklehursts and Lord and Lady Ashcombe.
There are 9 magnificent gardens which sweep around the Castle and grounds
We then walked back to the hotel - along the Cotswold Way. Our first port of call was Winchcombe - set above the River Isbourne, Winchcombe became prosperous from its Abbey (one of the largest Benedictine monasteries in England), its wool trade and as a producer of tobacco.
View of Winchcombe Station - on the GWR. This is a steam and diesel heritage railway and since 1981, the volunteers have restored over 10 miles of line, together with platforms, buildings, steam and diesel locomotives and rolling stock
The original Gloucestershire-Warwickshire line closed to local passenger traffic on 5th March 1960. The line continued in use for goods services until an incident at Winchcombe on 25th August 1976 effectively closed the line. I was impressed by the view.
More impressive views from the Cotswold Way ...
The 102-mile (164 km) trail runs northeast from Bath to Chipping
Campden, through or near to the following towns: Old Sodbury, near Chipping
Sodbury, Wotton-under-Edge, Dursley, Stroud, Painswick, Cranham, Leckhampton,
Cheltenham, Winchcombe, Stanway and Broadway.
Village of Stanton ...
... before returning to Broadway
On leaving Broadway we visited Worcester
Worcester, is some 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Birmingham and 29 miles (47 km) north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the middle of the city, overlooked by the twelfth-century Worcester Cathedral.
Worcester is the site of the final battle of the Civil War, where Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army defeated King Charles II's Cavaliers, resulting in the English Interregnum, the ten-year period during which England and Wales became a republic.
Worcester is the home of Royal Worcester Porcelain and the birthplace of the composer Sir Edward Elgar. It houses the Lea and Perrins factory where the traditional Worcestershire Sauce is made, and is home to one of the UK's fastest growing universities, the University of Worcester.
The name "The Old Rectifying House" comes from the fact that the rear of the building on North Parade, by the River Severn, was once part of a distillery and the name refers to the rectifying of spirits.
The main part of the distillery was across the river at the bottom of Tybridge Street. The distillery was owned by John Williams and in the 18th century was one of the most important distilleries in the Midland counties.
Al was celebrating his quarter century ...
... hoping to be a millionaire by the weekend ...
... as was Rich
We rounded off the day at Jamie Oliver's Italian restaurant in Birmingham. The perfect end to a perfect holiday
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