Trip to Cotswolds - day 1

Date: 29th Dec 2007
Venue: Cotswolds

We started our journey at around 9.30am and reached Chipping Campden village
(a town in Cotwolds) at around 11am. We headed for our 1st destination which
is Broadway.

Background of Broadway:
Broadway Cotswolds England UK in the English county of Worcestershire is often
referred to as the 'Jewel of the Cotswolds' and the 'Show Village of England' because
of it's sheer beauty and magnificence. The 'broad way' leads from the foot of the
western cotwolds escarpement with a wide grass-fringed street lined with ancient
honey coloured limestone buildings dating back to the 16th century. The village
has one of the longest High Streets in England.
Broadway village became a busy staging post on the route from Worcester to
London as coaches had to harness extra horses for the long pull up Fish Hill.
As many as 33 inns existed within the village to service the many travellers
passing through - three exist today.It was the inspiration to a number of writers
and artists including Henry James, J.M.Barrie,Vaughan Williams, Elgar, John Singer
Sargent, and William Morris of the Arts and Crafts movement. By the 1880's a small
band of American artists headed by Francis Davis Millet discovered Broadway as a
'quaint reflection of a long ago country village'. Henry James (1843-1916, an
expatriate American writer who settled in England and eventually became a British
citizen) said: "Broadway and much of the land about it are in short the perfection
of the old English rural tradition."
The village's "broad way" (actually called High Street) lined with red chestnut trees,
reflects the varied architectural history from grand Georgian buildings to ones of
humbler though quaint beginnings that even reaches back, in places, to the
Romans.There was Abbots Grange (pretty much abandoned and deteriorating
when Millet arrived) dating to the 14th century, the oldest domestic building in the
village and one of the oldest in the country. There are Tudor Houses dating from
1660's and along with parts of the Lygon Arms Hotel and St. Eadburgha's Church
which has been a place of worship for almost 1000 years. The old church is one mile
out on Snowshill Road.
Broadway is crammed with some of the country's best art galleries, which can be
all too tempting at times! (We should add though that the prices are usually well
out of our league!). Haynes Fine Art is at Picton House ( see picture). We
understand that Haynes spent around £250,000 on renovating Picton House a few
years ago. Another gallery of interest is the John Noot Galleries which are actually
located in three places in Broadway, the smallest of which is probably the one at the
famous Lygon Arms hotel on the High Street.





Look!!!! My name!!!!


Methodist church at Broadway




Shop selling candy


Shop selling painting


Shop selling candle


Mushroom tree???

After about 2 hours walk in Broadway village, we headed for Broadway Tower.


Broadway Tower





Sun ray from the clouds


You will know how strong is the wind only when you get
up to the top of the tower







Broadway Tower was built in the late 18th century by the Earl of Coventry
and on a clear day has views over 13 counties. Set on high the Cotswold
escarpement, at a height of over 1000 feet above sea level, be prepared to
be buffeted if the winds are high!Broadway Tower sits in an area known as Broadway
Tower Country Park. Inside Broadway Tower you can find exhibitions covering
the history of the tower and of William Morris who used to spend holidays in
Broadway Tower.

Broadway Tower was completed in 1799 from designs by the famous architect
James Wyatt. It was built for the 6th Earl of Coventry as a folly to his Springhill
Estate. Legend has it that its purpose was that of a signalling tower between
Springhill and the Earl's family estate at Croome Court near Worcester, which
can be seen from the Tower. Many famous people have had associations with
the Tower including Sir Thomas Phillipps (who used it to house part of his world
famous collection of ancient manuscripts) and the pre-Raphaelite painters William
Morris, Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones.


After Broadway, we went back to Chipping Campden for dinner. We can't believe
that almost all the shops had closed by 5.30pm. We looked for a place to have
dinner but surprisingly only 3 restaurants are still on business at that town.
We went into one of the restaurants (Red Lion) and thought of having dinner
immediately as we had not taken lunch and was very hungry. However, we have
to wait until 6.30pm as dinner only served at 6.30pm........ oooh!!!!!!


Starter: Leek & potato soup with garlic bread


Smoked salmon


Lamb shank