What's on in and around Broadway

We have so many historic houses just a stones throw away, probably the most famous two are  Warwick Castle (25 miles approx) open every day except Christmas day and Blenheim Palace in Woodstock home to the Duke of Marlborough and strong family connections with Sir Winston Churchill. Sudeley Castle and rose garden in Winchcombe (7miles), Stanway House (2 miles), Ragley Hall at Alcester - great open air concerts in the summer months.  Other  castles are Berkeley Castle home to the Berkeley's one of England's oldest families who have given their name to such places at Berkley Square in London, Berkeley Hundred in Virginia and Berkeley University on California. Finally Broughton Castle film set for Shakespeare in Love, The Madness of King George, The Scarlet Pimpernel and 3 men and a little lady.

We are also blessed with lots of  gardens such as the National Trust Garden at Hidcote Manor nr Chipping Campden (details on this garden are listed under the South/West Devon/Cornwall leg of their map) Kiftsgate is another garden just across the road from Hidcote, also in our area is Batsford Arboretum.  Weston Birt Arboretum is worth the drive down to Tetbury at the right time of year, late spring for the Acers, azaleas and rhododendrons and in Autumn for the winter colours.  Malvern a short drive away now hosts two spectacular garden shows said to equal Chelsea - The Spring Garden Show early May and the Autumn Garden Show in November at the Three Counties Show Ground check out their site for exact dates and entrance fees.  The latest tourist attraction is the Lavender Farm at Snowshill

On an animal theme we have the Cotswold Rare Breed Farm here there is a collection of rare breed farm animals some close to extinction, for children there is a 'petting corner' and in spring you are able to watch the lambing.  Just outside Burford is the Cotswold Wildlife Park this is more of a zoo.  In the Stratford direction there is the Butterfly Farm and the Shire Horse Centre.  If you are more a hands on person and fancy a hack over the Cotswold hills you can rent horses from Gill Carenza on 0044 (0) 1386  584250  Another very interesting tourist attraction is the Falconry Centre at Batsford just outside Moreton in Marsh.  Another day out would be a visit to Berkeley Castle and the Slimbridge Wild Fowl Trust.  Leasow House is also on the doorstep of the home of the National Hunt Festival at Cheltenham we are also very close to Warwick, Stratford and Worcester race courses check out their web site for fixtures.

Prescott Hill Climb is a day for car enthusiasts, take a picnic and watch the vintage cars race up the hill against the clock.  The vintage meeting is in 'August where anything from early Vauxhalls, Bugattis and Aston Martins race up the hill.  Why not visit the Gaydon Motor Museum, a museum depicting the British Motor Industry, it has the best collection of classis, vintage and veteran British cars in the world.

For train lovers we have the GWR at Toddington train enthusiast are rebuilding the station and track in their spare time.  The train now runs from Toddington to the race course at Cheltenham check out their web site as they sometime run an evening train for 'fine dining' a novel way to go out for dinner and as it is only just down the road worth considering.  Not so far away is the Severn Valley railway.  On the train theme there is a model railway at Bourton on the Water  with a large collection of British and foreign train.

Moving on to the countryside and villages, whilst Stone Henge has been commercialised and you are only allowed to look for a distance, consider the Rollright Stones between Moreton in Marsh and Chipping Norton.  The Cotswold's has some wonderful villages many of which used to appear on chocolate boxes some of the best are Snowshill, Upper and Lower Slaughter, Stow on the Wold, Bourton on the Water (very pretty village but in my opinion best view before 10am and after 5pm when the MASS tourists have left) Stanton and Stanway, Broadway, Chipping Camden and Broad Campden of course there are many more further south Bibury and Castle Coombe

Stratford upon Avon has so much to offer the visitor whilst it can be a little 'tacky' and overdone William Shakespeare offers lots of tourist attraction a good site to visit to get some background information is Unravel the Shakespeare Story, this will take you to the Shakespeare Houses.  You can visit the Falstaff Experience tales of the bizarre and unusual to unique insights into famous historical events.  The Holy Trinity Church is England's most visited Parish Church, and for a bit of fun there is the Teddy Bear Museum.  Also the home of  The Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford upon Avon.  Book tickets on line, or take their digital tour and learn more about the life and work of William Shakespeare

Worcester home to one of the world's best know sauces, the dark and spicy Worcestershire Sauce, concocted by two chemists Lea and Perrins in 1835.  Worcester a also has a lot of history, there is the Cathedral and the Royal Worcester Porcelain factory home to the every popular 'Evesham' design table ware, and across the road form the china factory is the Commandry Museum dedicated to the English Civil War.  Worcester was also home to Sir Edward Elgar.

Pershore with its fine Norman Abbey standing along side the River Avon is fames for its elegant Georgian architecture and of course its plums.  In the Spring the AA sign the 'Blossom Route' which takes you around all the plum growing villages.

Evesham's history revolves around the Benedictine Monastery founded in the year 714 by Egwin, Bishop of Worcester who was the Abbott of what was to become one of the richest and most powerful Abbey's in the Country.  Following the Battle of Evesham on 4th August 1265 during which Simon de Montfort was killed, pilgrims flocked to his shrine.  The Dissolution in 1539 saw the ultimate destruction of the Abbey all that is left is the Bell Tower.  (Some years ago my husbands company was called upon to demolish some old cottages in Evesham and we rescued some carved Cotswold stone that was used in the construction of the abbey - it now forms part of a garden wall at Leasow House)  The Almonry Museum is a superb record of this history.

Cheltenham has much to offer visitors, several lovely parks that have helped Cheltenham win the Britain in Bloom Trophy, the Imperial Gardens where every summer an exhibition of local artists is held.  Pittville park with its two scenic lakes.  The Pittville Pump Rooms where the spa waters made Cheltenham famous.  Cheltenham was also the birthplace of Gustav Holst .  The Everyman Theatre also in Cheltenham you can check the programme and book tickets on line, Cheltenham also has an Odeon multi screen complex check on line for the latest block buster. 

Also check out the Broadway Web site  www.beautifulbroadway.com

We would like to advise guests that we are a totally NON smoking House and we reserve the right to charge clients for the dry cleaning of curtains  and laundering all the bedding if they smoke in the rooms.