About Broadway & the Cotswolds
Broadway may be a small Cotswold village, but it's certainly big in stature. Belonging to the county of Worcestershire and located close to the border of Gloucestershire, its reputation as a gateway to the Cotswolds attracts many UK and international visitors seeking to get a taste of the idyllic quintessential English countryside.
The name Broadway ('broad way') actually derives from the description of its wide main road, which is known today as the High Street. It is the High Street (one of the longest in England) which runs through the village that was important for early settlements in the area. Once believed to be a stopping point for hunter-gathers, Broadway later became a toll-road in the 18th century during the same time it served as a prominent stagecoach stop on the route between Worcester and London. Over time with the emergence of the railway, Broadway was less relied upon as a transportation route and instead became a peaceful countryside sanctuary for many famous overseas artists, designers and writers of the day, such as Edward Elgar, JM Barrie and John Singer Sargeant.
This uprise in the creative influence had a profound effect on the village. Such was the influence Broadway had in the arts community that it later went on to play an important role within the Arts and Crafts movement. Many members of the movement, including the pioneer William Morris, frequented Broadway Tower as a holiday retreat in a bid to the appreciate beauty of nature. It was this influence that inspired a young Gordon Russell to open a workshop on the High Street manufacturing affordable furniture that was taken from style of the Arts and Crafts movement.
In more recent times, Broadway continues to have a strong association with Arts - there are many art galleries and antiques shops in the village, as well as the Gordon Russell Museum, the acclaimed Ashmolean Museum and the hugely popular Broadway Arts festival. More practical services are also on hand in the community, there is a tourist information centre, a doctors, a dental and veterinary practice, a supermarket, a post office and many churches of different faith. With so many needs catered for, Broadway has in many ways become a microcosm of the Cotswolds.
This website aims to provide visitors and residents of Broadway with a comprehensive guide to relevant businesses, with contact details and information available for a huge range of services local to Broadway.
For more information about Broadway or this website please contact: info@visit-broadway.co.uk
