Broadway - The Village For
All Seasons
Welcomes Visitors From Around The World To Enjoy Its Hotels, Bed and Breakfasts,
Holiday Cottages, Restaurants, Pubs, Shops,
Galleries, Broadway Tower, Beautiful Cotswold
Countryside, Homes and Gardens
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You may find this information helpful when researching the area
prior to your visit:
The Lygon Arms Hotel Broadway
In the 17th century, it served both sides of the Civil War - Oliver Cromwell
stayed here before the decisive battle of Worcester in 1651 (Cromwell Room) and
Charles I also used The Inn to meet his supporters.
The Cotswolds, now designated an Area of Outstanding
Natural Beauty Cotswolds, were the setting for bloody battles and violent
skirmishes during the English Civil War. The English Civil War was in fact two
civil wars, 1642 to 1645, and 1648 to 1649, fought between King Charles I and
the Royalists ("Cavaliers") and the supporters of Parliament
("Roundheads"). These wars would lead to the trial and execution of
Charles I, the exile of his son (later to become Charles II), and the
replacement of the English monarchy with the Commonwealth of England and later
the Protectorate under the personal rule of Oliver Cromwell. There were many
reasons for the Civil War, not least of all Charles' temperament and
personality. Charles was arrogant, conceited and like his father James, a
strong believer in the divine rights of kings. From 1625 to 1629, Charles
argued with Parliament over most issues, but money (Charles had none) and
religion (he had married a Catholic Queen) were the most common ones. When
Parliament refused to do as Charles wished, he dissolved it. Charles needed
money to pay for a war against the Scots and levied heavy taxes on the people.
By 1642, relations between Parliament and the King had broken down. Charles
left London to head for Oxford to raise an army to fight Parliament for control
of England, and the Civil War had begun.
The Cotswolds were of great strategic importance in the Civil War; the King had
his headquarters at Oxford and the Parliamentarians had garrisons at Gloucester
and Bristol with sympathisers at Malmesbury and Cirencester.
Edgehill, at the northern edge of the Cotswolds, was the site of the first
battle of the Civil War on 23rd October 1642. The battle, which began in the
late afternoon, was long and bloody and the following day neither side wished
to resume the fighting. The King moved on to London whilst the Parliamentarians
retired to Warwick.
In 1644 King Charles I took refuge at the White Hart Royal Hotel, a 17th
century coaching inn in Moreton-in-Marsh. He is also reputed to have stayed at
the Lygon Arms in Broadway which, at the time of the
Civil War was called the White Hart. Oliver Cromwell also stayed here - you can
still stay in The Cromwell Room where he slept in 1651.
It is quite sobering to think that this beautiful region of England, today so
peaceful and tranquil, was the setting for many bloody battles and skirmishes
in the mid 17th century. Visitors from all over the world come to enjoy the
picturesque villages and the stunning landscape of the Cotswolds, little
knowing that over 360 years ago, thousands of men fought and died in these same
fields and villages.
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