Broadway Stars: Art, Literature and Village Life in the Cotswolds

Broadway’s honey-stoned elegance tends to mask its amusing array of stories, starring artists and actors, celebrity cricket matches, and a drunken parson whose son brought disgrace to his family. On this walking tour, you’ll hear about its charming quirks, and find out how the village’s most peaceful street was once more like a motorway.

The tour starts near the village entrance, from where you’ll walk the length of Broadway’s famously wide High Street (possibly the origin of the village’s name). Along the way, you’ll hear how the decline of the medieval wool trade ended up preserving the town’s architectural heritage. I’ll take you to Russell House, where John Singer Sargent painted his masterpiece Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose, and where Sir Gordon Russell revolutionized 20th-century furniture design, creating pieces that furnished Britain’s post-war homes.

I’ll show you where some of the artistic and Bohemian ’Broadway colony’ lived, worked, and played. You’ll also learn how a famous American actress became the village’s major benefactor, where bulls were once baited for entertainment, and where travelers had to dismount and push their carriages uphill. The tour ends at Pike Cottage, where you’ll learn about the old turnpike system that once controlled access to this historic coaching route.

Along the way, you’ll have a chance to:

• Hear about Frank Millet’s artist colony that attracted luminaries like Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, and John Singer Sargent
• Discover Mary Anderson’s journey from California stage star to beloved local who gifted Broadway its community hall
• Visit the historic Lygon Arms, a 14th-century inn that has hosted everyone from King Charles I to Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor
• Learn about eccentric local characters like the obsessive book collector who filled Picton House with so many volumes his family could barely move
• See Broadway’s distinctive old buildings, including timber-framed houses that were dismantled and rebuilt
• Admire the famous Shakespeare Cottages, once home to glove-makers and now among the most photographed buildings in the Cotswolds

On this delightful 45-minute stroll through one of England’s most beautiful villages, you’ll see the Broadway that has inspired artists and captivated visitors for centuries.