Broadway: Culture, Landscape and Walking in the Cotswolds

Broadway combines the Cotswold landscape with an unusually rich cultural history. The village lies at the foot of the Cotswold plateau within the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. To the west, the Cotswold escarpment, topped by Broadway Tower, creates a dramatic backdrop for Broadway. Anyone wishing to combine a trip with historical impressions, museums and outdoor activity will find various options for planning their days.

Landscape and distinctive buildings

The High Street is a focal point of Broadway’s medieval planned settlement and provides the village’s historic point of reference. Broadway Tower adds a distinctive feature: the Grade II-listed folly was built in 1798 by James Wyatt for Lord Coventry. Broadway Tower & Park is set within a 200-acre parkland estate. This makes it possible to combine experiencing the landscape with architecture when planning your trip, without limiting your stay to just one type of outing.

For families and other travel groups, this combination of a compact village setting, distinctive landscape and historical themes may be appealing. One day can focus more on the High Street and museums, while another can be devoted to the surrounding area and walking. Broadway is also served by bus connections to and from Evesham, Stratford-upon-Avon and Cheltenham. These connections are a relevant consideration if you are basing your choice of holiday accommodation or holiday home partly on your arrival arrangements and planned mobility.

Museums, history and local culture

The Gordon Russell Design Museum honours the design pioneer Gordon Russell and the company that bore his name. It is located in one of the former workshops of Gordon Russell Limited on Russell Square. The Broadway Museum & Art Gallery is dedicated to preserving and celebrating Broadway’s history and cultural significance. The “Fossils and Finds” exhibition presents fossils found locally, as well as artefacts from the Iron Age and the Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods.

St Eadburgha's Church also forms part of the village’s historic character. The building dates from the 12th century. The Broadway Arts Festival also celebrates Broadway’s artistic heritage and its continuing connection with a world-famous community of American artists and writers who visited and worked here in the late 19th century. The festival takes place every two years. When planning your trip, it is therefore worth considering cultural history, design and events as interests in their own right, rather than selecting solely on the basis of landscape experiences.

Walking and active days

One specific option for an active day is the circular walking route from Broadway to Broadway Tower and back. The route is 4 miles long and takes 2½ to 3 hours without breaks. This information helps you plan the walk as a programme item in its own right and leave enough time for further sightseeing. Broadway is also situated on the national long-distance trail, The Cotswold Way. The Cotswold Voluntary Wardens lead guided walks in the area around Broadway throughout the year.

Broadway Activity Park is another destination: it is open free of charge all year round. When planning your trip, you can consider it as one of several possible programme items.

More destinations for your search

If you would also like to compare other places, you can find more destinations here: Upton upon Severn, Worcester, Hopwood, Pershore, Kempsey, Rous Lench, Bransford and Peopleton.

Return to the higher-level travel overview: Worcestershire.