Broadway, Worcestershire
Encyclopedia
Broadway is a village
and civil parish in the Worcestershire
part of the Cotswolds
in England.
Often referred to as the "Jewel of the Cotswolds", Broadway village lies beneath Fish Hill on the western Cotswold escarpment
. The "broad way" is the wide grass-fringed main street, centred around The Green, which is lined with red chestnut
trees and honey-coloured Cotswold limestone
buildings, many dating from the 16th century.
stop on the route from Worcester
to London
, Broadway became home to artists and writers including Elgar
, John Singer Sargent
, J. M. Barrie
, Vaughan Williams
, William Morris
and Mary Anderson
. Broadway is thought to have been the model for Riseholme
, the home of Lucia
in the novels of E. F. Benson, before she moved to Tilling
(Rye) in Sussex.
However, in 2004, Worcestershire Young Archaeologists' Club, a regional branch of the Council for British Archaeology
's Young Archaeologists' Club, found evidence of earlier occupation. Their fieldwalk uncovered a large amount of Roman
and medieval
domestic waste and, most importantly, a large amount of worked Mesolithic
flints. This work puts the history of the village back 5,000 years and may be evidence of one of the first partially settled sites in the United Kingdom. It is believed that this would have been a stopping point for hunter-gatherers.
Broadway takes its name from the wide main street. In the beginning Broadway had two small streams which ran through the village, people built on either side of the streams, and a road formed down the middle. In the winter the mud from the road was piled up, and in the summer grass grew on the piles, these verges still remain today.
or see the horse racing
during the busy Cheltenham Gold Cup
week. Tourism
is important — the village is well-served with hotels, including The Broadway Hotel, Russell's "a restaurant with rooms" and The Barcelo Lygon Arms Hotel, a caravan site, holiday cottages, bed and breakfast
lodges, old pubs
including the Swan Inn and Crown & Trumpet, shops, restaurant
s and tea rooms
.
Local attractions include the Gordon Russell Museum (celebrating the work of the 20th century furniture maker Sir Gordon Russell
MC), the 55 feet (16.8 m) high Broadway Tower
on its hilltop site in the Broadway Country Park, Chipping Campden
, Snowshill
village, Snowshill Manor
(owned by the National Trust
), horse
riding and, for the many ramblers, the Cotswold Way
.
The village is overlooked by Broadway Hill, the highest point in the northern Cotwolds at 309 m (1,013.8 ft) above sea level, which is popular with hill walkers.
has been a Christian place of worship since the 12th century and continues to be a significant aspect of village life. The dedication of a Christian church to Eadburgha is not common. Eadburgha was the grand-daughter of Alfred the Great
. The story is told that as a child Eadburgha was asked to choose between receiving jewels or her own Bible, she chose the Bible.
The Church of St Eadburgha is listed as Grade I by English Heritage (Building ID: 400976). The current structure was built circa 1400 but there are elements that remain of the original 12th century building.
The main Broadway parish church is now St. Michael and All Angels. It was built in 1840 within the village of Broadway itself. It has a fine wood carved pulpit
transferred from St Eadburgha.
and running from Stratford-upon-Avon
to Cheltenham
, part of a main line from Birmingham to the South West and South Wales. Broadway station along with almost all others on this section closed in 1960; though passenger services continued until 1968, and freight continued until 1976 when a derailment at Broadway damaged the line. It was decided not to bring the section back into use and by the early 1980s, it had been dismantled.
and Cheltenham Racecourse
has since been reconstructed and reopened as a heritage railway
called the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway
. The line is now being extended northwards so that Broadway will become its northern terminus, though at present nothing remains of the original Broadway station.
In addition, the Stratford on Avon and Broadway Railway Society
aims to re-open the northern part of the line from Broadway to Stratford. This is a long-term project and, at present, the Society is concentrating on the short stretch from Honeybourne
to Long Marston
.
Thus, although Broadway has a station site and a Station Road, it is no longer served by National Rail
services. The nearest stations are Evesham, Honeybourne and Moreton-in-Marsh
, on the main line train service running between Hereford
and London
Paddington station
and on the Cotswold Line
between Oxford
and Worcester
.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish in the Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
part of the Cotswolds
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
in England.
Often referred to as the "Jewel of the Cotswolds", Broadway village lies beneath Fish Hill on the western Cotswold escarpment
Escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
. The "broad way" is the wide grass-fringed main street, centred around The Green, which is lined with red chestnut
Chestnut
Chestnut , some species called chinkapin or chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.-Species:The chestnut belongs to the...
trees and honey-coloured Cotswold limestone
Cotswold stone
Cotswold stone is a yellow oolitic limestone quarried in many places in the Cotswold Hills in the south midlands of England. When weathered, the colour of buildings made or faced with this stone is often described as 'honey' or 'golden'....
buildings, many dating from the 16th century.
History
Originally a busy stagecoachStagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
stop on the route from Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Broadway became home to artists and writers including Elgar
Edward Elgar
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM, GCVO was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos...
, John Singer Sargent
John Singer Sargent
John Singer Sargent was an American artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian era luxury. During his career, he created roughly 900 oil paintings and more than 2,000 watercolors, as well as countless sketches and charcoal drawings...
, J. M. Barrie
J. M. Barrie
Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, OM was a Scottish author and dramatist, best remembered today as the creator of Peter Pan. The child of a family of small-town weavers, he was educated in Scotland. He moved to London, where he developed a career as a novelist and playwright...
, Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams OM was an English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores. He was also a collector of English folk music and song: this activity both influenced his editorial approach to the English Hymnal, beginning in 1904, in which he included many...
, William Morris
William Morris
William Morris 24 March 18343 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement...
and Mary Anderson
Mary Anderson (stage actress)
Mary Anderson was an American stage actress.-Early life:...
. Broadway is thought to have been the model for Riseholme
Riseholme
Riseholme is a fictional Elizabethan village in the Cotswolds in the “Lucia” novels of Edward Frederic Benson . It is thought to have been based on Broadway, Worcestershire.- Lucia and Riseholme :...
, the home of Lucia
Mapp and Lucia
Mapp and Lucia is a collective name for a series of novels by E. F. Benson, and is also the name of a television series based on those novels.-The novels:...
in the novels of E. F. Benson, before she moved to Tilling
Tilling (Sussex)
Tilling is a fictional coastal town, based on Rye, East Sussex, in the Mapp and Lucia novels of Edward Frederic Benson .- Town in the novels of E F Benson :...
(Rye) in Sussex.
However, in 2004, Worcestershire Young Archaeologists' Club, a regional branch of the Council for British Archaeology
Council for British Archaeology
Established in 1944, the is an educational charity working throughout the UK to involve people in archaeology and to promote the appreciation and care of the historic environment for the benefit of present and future generations...
's Young Archaeologists' Club, found evidence of earlier occupation. Their fieldwalk uncovered a large amount of Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
and medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
domestic waste and, most importantly, a large amount of worked Mesolithic
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
flints. This work puts the history of the village back 5,000 years and may be evidence of one of the first partially settled sites in the United Kingdom. It is believed that this would have been a stopping point for hunter-gatherers.
Broadway takes its name from the wide main street. In the beginning Broadway had two small streams which ran through the village, people built on either side of the streams, and a road formed down the middle. In the winter the mud from the road was piled up, and in the summer grass grew on the piles, these verges still remain today.
Modern times
Today, Broadway is a centre for arts and antiques and serves as a natural base from which to explore The CotswoldsCotswolds
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
or see the horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
during the busy Cheltenham Gold Cup
Cheltenham Gold Cup
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in the United Kingdom which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 miles and 2½ furlongs , and during its running there are twenty-two fences to be jumped...
week. Tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
is important — the village is well-served with hotels, including The Broadway Hotel, Russell's "a restaurant with rooms" and The Barcelo Lygon Arms Hotel, a caravan site, holiday cottages, bed and breakfast
Bed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
lodges, old pubs
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
including the Swan Inn and Crown & Trumpet, shops, restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s and tea rooms
Tea house
A tea house or tearoom is a venue centered on drinking tea. Its function varies widely depending on the culture, and some cultures have a variety of distinct tea-centered houses or parlors that all qualify under the English language term "tea house" or "tea room."-Asia:In Central Asia this term...
.
Local attractions include the Gordon Russell Museum (celebrating the work of the 20th century furniture maker Sir Gordon Russell
Sydney Gordon Russell
Sir Gordon Russell was an English designer, craftsman and educationist.He came under the influence of the Arts and Crafts movement from 1904 after his father had moved to Broadway in the Cotswolds to be hotelier at the Lygon Arms, through the Guild of Handicraft, the community of metalworkers,...
MC), the 55 feet (16.8 m) high Broadway Tower
Broadway Tower
Broadway Tower is a folly located on Broadway Hill, A44 between Evesham and Moreton-in-Marsh, one mile south-east of the village of Broadway, Worcestershire, England, at the second highest point of the Cotswolds after Cleeve Hill. Broadway Tower's base is 1,024 feet above sea level. The tower...
on its hilltop site in the Broadway Country Park, Chipping Campden
Chipping Campden
Chipping Campden is a small market town within the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. It is notable for its elegant terraced High Street, dating from the 14th century to the 17th century...
, Snowshill
Snowshill
Snowshill is a small Cotswolds village in Gloucestershire, England, located near to Broadway, Worcestershire.Snowshill is best known for nearby Snowshill Manor, a National Trust property open to the public...
village, Snowshill Manor
Snowshill Manor
Snowshill Manor is a National Trust property located in the village of Snowshill, Gloucestershire, England.-History:Snowshill Manor was the property of Winchcombe Abbey from 821 until 1539 when the Abbey was confiscated by King Henry VIII during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.Between 1539 and...
(owned by the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
), horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
riding and, for the many ramblers, the Cotswold Way
Cotswold Way
The Cotswold Way is a long-distance footpath, running along the Cotswold Edge escarpment of the Cotswold Hills in England. It was officially inaugurated as a National Trail on 24 May 2007 and several new rights of way have been created.-History:...
.
The village is overlooked by Broadway Hill, the highest point in the northern Cotwolds at 309 m (1,013.8 ft) above sea level, which is popular with hill walkers.
Churches
The original parish church of Broadway actually lies almost a mile outside of the village. Nevertheless, the Church of St EadburghaEdburga of Winchester
Saint Eadburh was the daughter of King Edward the Elder of England and his third wife, Eadgifu of Kent. There is little contemporary information for her life, but in a Winchester charter dated 939, she appears as the beneficiary of land in Hampshire granted by her brother King Athelstan.She was a...
has been a Christian place of worship since the 12th century and continues to be a significant aspect of village life. The dedication of a Christian church to Eadburgha is not common. Eadburgha was the grand-daughter of Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great was King of Wessex from 871 to 899.Alfred is noted for his defence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of southern England against the Vikings, becoming the only English monarch still to be accorded the epithet "the Great". Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself...
. The story is told that as a child Eadburgha was asked to choose between receiving jewels or her own Bible, she chose the Bible.
The Church of St Eadburgha is listed as Grade I by English Heritage (Building ID: 400976). The current structure was built circa 1400 but there are elements that remain of the original 12th century building.
The main Broadway parish church is now St. Michael and All Angels. It was built in 1840 within the village of Broadway itself. It has a fine wood carved pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
transferred from St Eadburgha.
Broadway, Worcestershire railway station
Broadway was once served by a railway line, a relative latecomer in British railway history, opened in the early 1900s by the Great Western RailwayGreat Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
and running from Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
to Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
, part of a main line from Birmingham to the South West and South Wales. Broadway station along with almost all others on this section closed in 1960; though passenger services continued until 1968, and freight continued until 1976 when a derailment at Broadway damaged the line. It was decided not to bring the section back into use and by the early 1980s, it had been dismantled.
Heritage railways
The stretch between ToddingtonToddington railway station
Toddington railway station serves the village of Toddington in Gloucestershire, England. Since 1984 it has been the main base of operations for the heritage Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway. The station is located on the Honeybourne Line which linked and and which was opened by the Great...
and Cheltenham Racecourse
Cheltenham Racecourse railway station
Cheltenham Racecourse railway station is a railway station serving Cheltenham Racecourse on the outskirts of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, England....
has since been reconstructed and reopened as a heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
called the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway
Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway
The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway is a volunteer-run heritage railway on the Gloucestershire/Worcestershire/Warwickshire Borders that has reopened the closed railway line between Laverton Halt and Cheltenham Racecourse railway stations in Gloucestershire/Worcestershire., it currently...
. The line is now being extended northwards so that Broadway will become its northern terminus, though at present nothing remains of the original Broadway station.
In addition, the Stratford on Avon and Broadway Railway Society
Stratford on Avon and Broadway Railway
The Stratford on Avon and Broadway Railway project aimed to re-open the closed railway from Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire to Honeybourne railway station for main-line connection...
aims to re-open the northern part of the line from Broadway to Stratford. This is a long-term project and, at present, the Society is concentrating on the short stretch from Honeybourne
Honeybourne railway station
Honeybourne railway station serves the village of Honeybourne in Worcestershire, England. It is on the Cotswold Line and was formerly a junction with four platforms.-History:...
to Long Marston
Long Marston, Warwickshire
Long Marston is a village about southwest of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England. The southern and western boundaries of the parish also form part of the county boundary with Worcestershire.-History:...
.
Thus, although Broadway has a station site and a Station Road, it is no longer served by National Rail
National Rail
National Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies as a generic term to define the passenger rail services operated in Great Britain...
services. The nearest stations are Evesham, Honeybourne and Moreton-in-Marsh
Moreton-in-Marsh
Moreton-in-Marsh is a town and civil parish in northeastern Gloucestershire, England. The town is at the crossroads of the Fosse Way Roman road and the A44. The parish and environs are relatively flat and low-lying compared with the surrounding Cotswold Hills...
, on the main line train service running between Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Paddington station
Paddington station
Paddington railway station, also known as London Paddington, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex.The site is a historic one, having served as the London terminus of the Great Western Railway and its successors since 1838. Much of the current mainline station dates...
and on the Cotswold Line
Cotswold Line
The Cotswold Line is an railway line between and in England.-Route:The line comprises all or part of the following Network Rail routes:*GW 200 from Oxford*GW 310 from Wolvercot Junction*GW 300 from Norton Junction*GW 340 from Worcester Shrub Hill...
between Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
.