Before we left the Cotswolds, we had the opportunity to visit another one of the charming villages there: Broadway. That was the first place I stayed in this area back in 1981. I remember the B&B where we stayed being thatched and old. Not much has changed about this place since then other than there is now a bypass so the lorries and coaches that used to shake all the ancient buildings can no longer drive through it. Our first view was of the cenotaph there still draped with poppies from the D-Day remembrances a few days ago.
Below is a photo of the Lygon Arms, a very famous hotel in this village with a very long history. I have copied the information from the hotel website to give an idea of its impressive pedigree.
At The Lygon Arms, you can visit the suite that Oliver Cromwell stayed in the night before the Battle of Worcester in 1651. See the carvings of John Trevis’ name on the arch of the front door, etched into the hotel’s history in 1620. The Lygon Arms has roots reaching right into the 1300’s. It’s a historic hotel in the Cotswolds, with a typically Cotswolds history. The predominantly Tudor coaching inn stands in Broadway, which was a key connection between Wales, Worcester and London in Elizabethan times.
Owners have changed, names have altered, but visitors have always flocked to The Lygon Arms, a charming hotel enshrouded in history. The hotel’s name has changed throughout history, and the first written record refers to it as The White Hart, in 1377. The hart, a mature stag, was a personal symbol of King Richard II (1367 – 1400). The hotel’s name would change several times, reflecting the political changes of each era, showing how much history would shape the enchanting hotel. The coaching inn would come into its own when it would serve as a touch-stone for both sides of the English Civil War in 1649. The English Civil War pit Queen Elizabeth’s cousin Charles I against the forces of the English Parliament, and some of that played out within the very walls of The Lygon Arms itself.
The suite now known as the impressive King Charles I Suite was where King Charles I and his supporters would assemble. The King’s coat of arms stands regally over one of its fireplaces today. Visitors will also notice that the face of the royal lion is missing, presumably hacked off by Parliamentarians. The other side of the English Civil War, the Parliamentary army, also stayed at The Lygon Arms, then known as the White Hart Inn, in 1651. The bedroom now known as The Cromwell Room was where Oliver Cromwell slept the night before the Battle of Worcester. This battle would finally destroy the royalist cause. A copy of his ‘warts and all’ portrait hangs next to a huge seventeenth century fireplace in The Cromwell Room today.
The Cotswold coaching inn would continue to act as a staging post for mail coaches between London and Wales throughout the eighteenth century, offering a change of horses and even providing coach-and-four for guests who needed onward transport. It remained an important stop-off on the trading routes. By the 1900’s, the hotel was owned by Sydney Bolton Russell whose son began to restore antique furniture for the hotel in a loft over the Lygon’s coach house. Gordon Russell would become one of England’s leading designers in the 1930’s, creating the iconic Murphy Radio Cabinet and the seating for Coventry Cathedral. Some of his pieces sit in the hotel still today. As the 1900’s progressed, inventions such as the motorcar and charabanc would elevate the hotel into a destination in its own right rather than a staging post.
King Edward VII motored to the hotel in 1905 and in 1913, as did his grandson, the playboy prince and future King Edward VIII. The hotel became synonymous with the English middle classes who followed suit, and in the interwar years and beyond The Lygon Arms remained a popular choice for celebrities. Big names were drawn to the hotel for its historic prestige and The Lygon Arms boasts one of the most glamorous guest books in the world. Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor stayed here in 1963 at the height of the scandal surrounding their affair. Other film star couples followed suit including Mary Pickford and Charles ‘Buddy Rogers’, Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson, Moira Shearer who at the time was much better known than her husband Ludovic Kennedy, to name just a few of the famous names who have passed through the doors. Today the hotel’s guest book is still in use and counts not just actors and movie stars, but politicians, prime ministers and even Prince Phillip on its pages.
Needless to say, I haven't even bothered to find out what a room here would cost. I would be that it is totally out of sync with my budget! I do confess, however, that on one visit here, I did eat in the pub.
So, here are some more photos of the charming villages lining the High Street.
Our return route to Bourton on the Water, took us through some beautiful countryside and one or two more pretty little villages including Snowshill.
For our last dinner in Bourton, we ate at the highly recommended Rose Tree Restaurant. It was a perfect end to our stay in the Cotswolds.
So, Sunday, we headed further north (only about 25 miles) to Stratford -Upon-Avon where the main attractions here are Shakespeare's Birthplace and Anne Hathaway's Cottage in the nearby village of Shottery. The hotel is about a 15 minute walk into the town which worked well, The sun was out so we walked into town and the main street (Bridge Street) was closed for a weekend market. We browsed the stalls but weren't tempted to buy anything - good thing as I can barely lift my suitcase as it is!
We continued to the Avon river with its Ferris wheel on one side (it seems many towns over here have one of these now), parks and longboats plus lots and lots of swans and Canada geese!
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| Shakespeare's Birthplace |
So, with that, I think my blogging duties for this trip are over. I am pretty clear that driving to Heathrow and dropping a rental car off isn't very interesting for anyone to read about! So, next up will be in September when I head to Venice for a two week cruise to Athens that will take me to a number of places I have never seen. After that, I will meet up with my sister in Frankfurt but our plans for those two weeks are yet to be finalized.
Safe travels everyone and have a great summer!
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