British bees are dwindling at an alarming rate and their extinction would have a disastrous effect on our flora and fauna. Help Save Bees was set up by Damian Grounds to raise awareness of the plight of British bees and highlight ways in which their survival can be protected by providing suitable and sustainable habitats for honey, bumble or solitary bees. Within a few days of our ‘tweet’ we were contacted by a local friendly beekeeper to see whether our grounds would be a suitable location for one or more beehives.

Our guests are invited to enjoy the grounds surrounding their holiday cottage during their stay, including our orchard of pear, apple, cherry, greengage, plum and damson trees, which all bear beautiful fragrant blossom ideal for pollen collecting honey bees. Siting one or more beehives in the orchard would be ideal, but the more isolated spot in the middle of our adjacent field is a better option leaving the bees alone and away from any disturbance.

The field is on the edge of Broadway in close proximity to a number of gardens with no great expanses of wheat or oilseed rape nearby which will hopefully mean that the bees will produce a fragrant polyfloral honey. But before a beehive can be sited we need some honey bees!

The beekeeper, who will be tending the hives and looking after the bees, placed a swarm box on top of one of our sheds. The wooden box contained a small piece of honeycomb and a pheromone attractive to bees. Within a few days some scout bees took up residence and we were hopeful that a swarm would follow. Sure enough early one evening a swarming cloud of honey bees descended on the garden but the bees did not make the box their home, they headed for a branch of a nearby Leylandii tree!

The following morning to coax the swarm out of the tree, a rope skep was placed on the ground nearby.  The beekeeper then cut off the branch that the swarm was hanging from and covered it with the skep. By that evening, all of the bees had moved from the tree to the skep and he packed it up and took it away to transfer the swarm to an apiary to check them for disease before introducing them to a hive in our field, maybe with a newly introduced queen that he has been breeding.

It seems we have been very lucky in June: the following day a much larger swarm of honey bees moved into the swarm box. This has now been collected and we hope the swarm will populate a further hive.

Cotswolds, uploaded by Broadway Manor Cottages.

We have been delighted to see the sunshine at Broadway Manor Cottages this week. The arrival of warmer temperatures has led to a stunning display of beautiful large flower blooms in the grounds.

“We are very proud to be nominated for two prestigious awards.” said Debbie Williamson, owner of Broadway Manor Cottages. “We thank our guests for voting for us and look forward to the Awards Ceremony on 30th June”.

Alfred William Parsons, English landscape painter, watercolourist and illustrator was born on 2nd December 1847 in Laverton near Frome, Somerset. Alfred was the second of seventeen children of Dr Joshua Parsons and Letitia Harriet Parsons (née Williams). His father was a doctor with a keen interest in growing alpines which no doubt sparked Alfred’s early interest in plants and gardening.

Although Parsons started work in 1865 as a clerk in the Post Office after 2 years he left to pursue studies at the Kensington School of Art. Parsons went on to become well known as a fine botanical painter, engraver and painter of English rural landscapes exhibiting at various galleries including the Royal Academy (1887), the Grosvenor and the New Gallery.

Whilst living in London, Parsons shared his home with Edwin Austin Abbey and they painted alongside each other in adjacent studios. It is through his friendship with Abbey and Francis Davis Millet (Frank and Elizabeth Millet named their youngest son John Alfred Parsons Millet after both Parsons and John Singer Sargent) that Parsons moved to Broadway becoming a member of the Broadway Colony of artists in residence in Broadway in the late 1880s. Parsons also met Henry Harper through the Broadway Colony which led to him illustrating several editions of Harper’s New Monthly Magazine (Harper’s Magazine). Parsons also worked with his good friend Abbey on illustrations of Robert Herrick’s poems and supplied illustrations for Henry James’ essays on Broadway. 

Parsons’  fine watercolours for botanist Ellen Ann Willmott and illustrations for William Robinson, author of The Wild Garden, encouraged Parsons interest and passion in garden design. Parsons had always been an avid gardener and horticulturist and was once a judge at the Chelsea flower show.  Parsons went on to design several great gardens including Great Chalfield Manor, an Arts and Crafts garden near Melksham, Wightwick Manor near Wolverhampton and Lamb House, Rye, home of Henry James from 1898 to 1916. Parsons also designed several gardens in Broadway including Court Farm, home of Mary Anderson (de Navarro), Broadway Court with its wonderful yew topiary, Bell Farm home of the pianist and composer Miss Maud Valerie White and eventually his own at Luggershill.

Parsons became President of the Society of Painters in Water Colour in 1905 and full RA in 1911 on the acceptance of his diploma work, the oil painting Orange Lilies, which Parsons probably painted in his back garden at Luggershill.

Parsons died at Luggershill, Broadway, Worcestershire, on 16th January 1920.

©Extracts from Essays by DJTW Designs 2005

Broadway Manor Cottages - self catering Cotswold holiday cottages in the grounds of a Cotswold Manor House, Broadway, the Cotswolds.

On Saturday 10th April 2010 we welcomed three new residents to Broadway: Mrs Pepperpot (a Speckledy hen), Amber (a Cotswold Legbar) and Clara (a White Sussex). The girls have settled in well and we hope to be supplying our Cotswold holiday cottages with their eggs in the not too distant future.

The Exhibition will be held at Trinity House, 67 High Street, Broadway, from Friday 11th to Sunday 20th June 2010. Exhibits will include paintings, sculpture and letters, including a dozen or more works by Sargent and his fellow artists (Francis Davis Millet, Edwin Austin Abbey, Alfred Parsons, Phil May, Henry Boughton and Fred Barnard) who made Broadway their home during the late 19th century. Many of the paintings that will be exhibited have never been on public display before.

The Exhibition which will include 2 preparatory drawings of Dorothy and Polly Barnard (the daughters of Fred and Alice Barnard) on loan from Tate Britain. These drawings were used by Sargent in his iconic work Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose which was painted in the gardens of Farnham House and Russell House, Broadway, during the summers of 1885 and 1886. Three watercolours, on loan from Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, will also be exhibited. One of watercolours is a portrait of Mrs Barnard and her daughter Dorothy.

This exceptional exhibition is not to be missed this summer. The Exhibition will be an ideal and interesting way to while away a few hours whilst staying in a Cotswold holiday cottage.

Broadway, the Cotswolds, originally uploaded by Broadway Manor Cottages.

In June this year the inaugural Broadway Arts Festival will be taking place in the picturesque Cotswold village of Broadway. The 2010 Festival will run from Friday 11th to Sunday 20th June and will include a number of family friendly art, music and drama events.

On Saturday 19th June there will be a Family Fun Day including a children’s procession down Broadway’s broad high street to the Village Green where there will be a village party, lit by lanterns, with live entertainment throughout the evening and a selection of food and refreshment stalls for all to enjoy.

This will be a great family event to enjoy whilst staying in a Cotswold holiday cottage this summer.

The Broadway Arts Festival Family Fun Day was reported in the Travel Section of the Guardian as one of the top 10 new family trips and activities in Britain.

During the early 1880s, William Morris, one of the key figures in this movement, adopted Broadway Tower as his holiday retreat together with his friends Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Rossetti. It is because of Morris’s views and vision that the watercolourist and garden designer Alfred Parsons first visited Broadway along with his American journalist friend Lawrence Dutton. The short walk from the Tower, down Fish Hill to the sleepy village of Broadway with its broad high street lined with honey-coloured limestone houses and cottages with the 16th century Lygon Arms Inn at its centre, was all it took to entice them to live in Broadway and thus a colony of artists, the Broadway Colony, soon followed suit.

Writers and poets were also drawn to the village during this time. Henry James, E V Lucas and Edmund Gosse were captured by the spirit of Broadway and its ‘glimpse’ of old England and felt that here they had discovered Shakespeare’s true country. They were, in fact, benefitting from the consequences of the agricultural and industrial revolutions, when labourers left the countryside seeking better work in the towns. This, coupled with the new London to Worcester railway bypassing the village, resulted in Broadway for this short time being blissfully quiet and empty. It was this reason that enabled Francis Millet and his family to rent the empty Farnham House on the village green where, in 1885, his friend John Singer Sargent, having fled Paris following the scandal and condemnation of Madame X (portrait of Mme Pierre Gautreau née Virginie Avegno), is thought to have started to paint his iconic work Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose. The work was completed during the summer of 1886 in the grounds of nearby Russell House, where the adjacent medieval Abbot’s Grange had also been converted into artist studios.

The lure of Shakespeare also brought many thespians to Broadway, with one notable actress Mary Anderson, the first American actress to play Rosalind at Stratford-upon-Avon, being so taken by the village that she and her husband Antonio de Navarro bought Court Farm and made Broadway their home. Their celebrity status brought many more artistic types to Broadway and with composer Maude Valerie White living next door in Bell Farm, intimate concerts and great composing were hence encouraged at the top end of the High Street. Edward Elgar, another Worcestershire great also found its quiet cottages and meadows most inspirational.

Being just a short distance away from Stanway House, Sudeley Castle, Snowshill Manor, Sezincote, Hidcote Manor, Kiftsgate Court and Madresfield Court (ancestral home for several centuries of the Lygon family) Broadway can boast many more interesting stories enlightening us of its creative past: from Sir Gordon Russell learning and plying his trade, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Edmund Gosse and Edwin Blashfield enjoying games of tennis at Russell House, Evelyn Waugh enjoying The Lygon Arms, Sir JM Barrie’s cricket team, the Allahakberries, playing cricket against Mary Anderson de Navarro’s team of artists on the village green, JMW Turner sketching en route to Evesham and German prisoners of war painting delightful pictures of Broadway on old bits of wood. It is clear that Broadway’s artistic path has been well trodden, inspiring many a visitor along the way.

The Broadway Colony of artists will all be commemorated in the 2010 Broadway Arts Festival, along with Sargent’s friend and illustrator Frederick Barnard, whose daughters, Dorothy and Polly are the girls dressed in white smocks seen in Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose lighting Japanese lanterns with tapers at dusk. Fred Barnard and his family also made Broadway their summer retreat during the 1880s.

During the 2010 Festival the exhibition of paintings, sculpture and letters to be held at Trinity House will include a number of works by Sargent generously loaned from public and private collections including, courtesy of Tate Britain two preparatory sketches of Dorothy and Polly Barnard the models for Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose. The exhibition will also include three watercolour drawings on loan from the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.

The 2010 Festival will also feature plays (including an original play by Hugh Brewster, Canadian author who has studied Sargent, telling the story behind the iconic painting), musical concerts, a flower festival, an Open Art Competition, an arts and crafts exhibition by the Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen and many other community based events.

1. A bridge and walkway over a mangrove swamp that will allow easier access to the Mashungu clinic for a large section of the community. The local community in Mashungu had to travel more than 40 kms to the nearest clinic for the most basic level of medical treatment. The clinic, situated on a hill overlooking the Pomene estuary, is staffed, equipped and supplied with drugs by the Ministry of Health, and deals with minor injuries and illnesses, and provides regular Doctor’s clinics, mother and child clinics and AIDS awareness programmes.
2. Equipment, materials and training for a women’s sewing collective. This will provide local women with a means of earning money by selling hand made items to the tourist market.
3. A boat and equipment for a men’s fishing collective. As well as providing a source of income, this would encourage sustainable and environmentally friendly fishing practices.

All donations to the project will be gratefully received. We are proud to confirm that 100% of money donated will be spent on the project itself. The easiest way to donate is online through our JustGiving website:

http://www.justgiving.com/Robbie-and-his-Dad. Gift Aid is automatically processed in these online donations.

Broadway still delights the visitor. The geese on The Green that James went on to describe may be missing but the village’s ‘broad way’ lined with its red horse chestnut trees and honey-coloured Cotswold limestone buildings, many dating back to the 16th century with some parts of The Lygon Arms appearing to date back to the 14th century, still does not fail to charm visitors to this most picturesque English village.

Dickens went on to write a great number of novels until his death in 1870. The majority of Dickens’s novels were published serially in weekly or monthly instalments by the publishers Chapman & Hall and it was Chapman & Hall that commissioned Frederick Barnard (1846 - 1896) to illustrate 9 volumes of Dickens’s works published between 1871 and 1879. These included David Copperfield, Nicholas Nickleby, Bleak House and A Tale of Two Cities.

Frederick or Fred Barnard later moved to Broadway in the 1880s with his wife Alice (nee Faraday) and they became members of the Broadway Colony of artists living in the village at that time. The daughters of Fred and Alice Barnard, Polly and Dorothy, are the two girls depicted in John Singer Sargent’s iconic painting Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose that was painted in Broadway between 1885 and 1886 and is currently on display in the Tate in London.

The title of the painting comes from the song The Wreath, by the 18th century composer Joseph Mazzinghi, which was popular in the 1880s. Sargent and his circle (the Broadway Colony) frequently sang around the piano in Broadway. The refrain of the song asks the question ‘Ye shepherds tell me have you seen my Flora pass this way?’ to which the answer is ‘Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose’.  Following the exhibition of the painting at the Royal Academy in 1887, it was bought for the Tate Gallery where it is currently on display.

The Broadway Colony of artists, which also included American artists Francis Millet and Edwin Austin Abbey, writer Henry James, actress Mary Anderson, English poet Edmund Gosse, watercolourist and garden designer Alfred Parsons, will all be commemorated in the Festival, along with Sargent’s friend and illustrator Frederick Barnard, whose daughters, Dorothy and Polly are the girls seen in Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose lighting Japanese lanterns with tapers at dusk. The Tate is lending the Festival two sketches of Dorothy and Polly and these can be viewed along with other works of the period in an exhibition at Trinity House, Broadway, during the Festival.

The Festival will also feature plays (including an original play by Hugh Brewster, Canadian author who has studied Sargent, telling the story behind the iconic painting), musical concerts (including music by Joseph Mazzinghi), a flower festival in St Michael and All Angels’ Church, an Open Art Competition for artists based in Gloucestershire, Wawickshire and Worcestershire, an arts and crafts exhibition by the Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen in the 12th century St Eadburgha’s Church on the Snowshill Road and many other village based events for all to enjoy culminating in a village celebration on Broadway’s village green outside Farnham House.

• Sunday 3oth May there will be an ‘Asparagus Themed Market’ on the Village Green to tie in with the British Asparagus Festival that takes place in the Vale of Evesham from 23rd April to 21st June 2010.
• Sunday 27th June, the middle weekend of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships, a ‘Strawberry Themed Market’ will take place on the Village Green.
• Sunday 15th August, the Village Green will be host to a ‘Plum Themed Market’ during the middle of the 2010 Pershore Plum Festival.

The Markets will open at 10am selling a wide range of local delicious produce. The stalls will be staffed by the producer, their family or an employee who is directly involved with the growing and production of the local products that will be on sale. A visit to a Farmers’ Market is healthy and fun for all ages and a great place to buy local food produced for local people!

Dry stone walls are an important feature of the British landscape and have existed in the Cotswolds since the Neolithic period 6,000 year ago when many of the long barrows on the Cotswolds had dry stone walls at their entrances and along their sides. Built of the local Jurassic limestone, most of the dry stone walls which can be seen today in the upland areas of the Cotswolds, separating the fields and lining the roadsides, were mostly built in the 18th and 19th centuries. 

Over recent years, many walls have fallen into a state of disrepair as the walls are expensive to maintain and can be replaced more cheaply with fencing. The art of dry stone walling was a dying skill throughout Britain. Today, however, dry stone walling is prospering with the recognition of the environmental value of walls, being a sustainable product made from natural materials.

With regular maintenance a dry stone wall can stand for well over 100 years and at the same time offer shelter and habitat for a wide variety of flora (walls are a particularly important habitats for lichens, mosses and ferns) and fauna (insects, spiders, snails, birds and small mammals such as voles, mice and rabbits).

This year, 2 day dry stone walling courses (£80 per person) are being held in the Cotswolds in Long Compton near Shipston-on-Stour starting on Saturday 1st May, near Tetbury starting on Saturday 17th April and Saturday 8th May, in Lansdown on Saturday 5th June and Saturday 24th July, at Huntsmans Quarry near Stow-on-the-Wold on Saturday 7th August, at Crickley Hill overlooking the Vale of Gloucester on Saturday 28th August and in Bradford on Avon on Saturday 2nd October.

Our Cotswold holiday cottages at Broadway Manor Cottages are open all year round and are an ideal location to stay whilst attending a dry stone walling course and learning a traditional rural skill. For more information about our holiday cottages in Broadway and the dry stone walling courses in the Cotswolds contact us.

The route from Toddington to Cheltenham is a 20-mile round trip.  From Toddington the line passes by the National Trust’s Hailes Abbey, through Winchcombe (home of Sudeley Castle), occasionally stopping at Gotherington Halt (on request) and on to the station at Cheltenham Racecourse. Trains pass through some of the most spectacular scenery with fantastic views across the Vale of Evesham towards the Malvern Hills and of Cleeve Hill near Cheltenham, the highest point in the Cotswolds.

Trains operate on certain days of the year and during the summer months and Bank Holidays there is a frequent service. The GWR also runs trains to and from Cheltenham Racecourse on race days (trains run during Cheltenham Gold Cup Festival week in March and the Cheltenham Open in November) and holds many special events during the year. Last year ‘Hogwarts Express’ (no. 5972 “Olton Hall”) from the Harry Potter films was a popular visitor and Thomas the Tank Engine often puts in an appearance.

This year the GWR is celebrating its 175^th anniversary with the Cotswold Festival of Steam from 29th May and 6th June 2010. Many events and themed days are planned and there will be an impressive array of locomotives and displays.

A visit to the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway is always a great way to spend time whilst visiting the Cotswolds and the Cotswold Festival of Steam will no doubt appeal to all ages.

For this and other Cotswold events in 2010 click here.

On Sunday 3rd January 2010, The Independent on Sunday highlighted the Festival as a must-see attraction for those on ’staycations’ in June and reported that the events being held in the village will be a great way to pass the time while staying in a Cotswolds holiday cottage.

The 2010 Festival is the first of a series of biennial Festivals that will take place in the village to celebrate the link Broadway has with the painter John Singer Sargent and other members of the Broadway Colony; Henry James, Frank Millet, Mary Anderson, Alfred Parsons, Edwin Austin Abbey, Edmund Gosse and Sir James M Barrie.

The Festival opens on Friday 11th June with an exhibition of Sargent’s work at Trinity House, High Street, Broadway. Paintings by other members of the Broadway Colony will also be on show. During the week there will also be a Flower Festival, musical concerts, plays, talks, tours and an art and craft exibition.

Indeed, Festival week in June will be a great time to visit Broadway and the Cotswolds. For more information click here.

     For details of our Cotswold holiday cottages; Willow Cottage (sleeps 4),
Corner Cottage (sleeps 4), The Stables (sleeps 3), Sheldon Cottage (sleeps 2) and Rafters (sleeps 2)
visit our website http://www.broadwaymanor-cottages.co.uk.

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2009 A Year for Awards,  A New Year, New Names and New Features,  Green Tourism,  Festivals and Special Offers.

See our website www.broadwaymanor-cottages.co.uk for more details.

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January 2010

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I couldn’t resist the temptation to take some photos and I have compiled a video with some of them. I hope you enjoy watching it!

The  Heart of England Excellence in Tourism Awards 2009 celebrates the cream of the West Midlands’ tourism industry. The annual awards were announced at a ceremony at Birmingham’s ICC on 29th October 2009 hosted by BBC presenters Suzanne Virdee and Nick Owen.

Hundreds of entries were received for the awards and we are delighted to announce that Broadway Manor Cottages was awarded Silver in the self catering category.

Broadway Manor Cottages: award winning self catering Cotswold holiday cottages
 in the picturesque village of Broadway, The Cotswolds

Broadway, Worcestershire, 14^th December 2009

Broadway Manor Cottages is the first self catering holiday cottage business in Worcestershire to be awarded a prestigious SILVER grading by the Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS) reflecting their dedication to sustainability and green tourism.

The GTBS is the UK’s leading green tourism certification scheme which recognises and rates businesses demonstrating high levels of commitment to protecting the environment and promoting sustainability with Bronze, Silver and Gold awards. The GTBS is now recognised by UK Government as a crucial part of its drive towards sustainability. Businesses are graded by a qualified assessor against over 150 separate measures of best practice, covering energy and water efficiency, waste management, bio diversity and more.

Broadway Manor Cottages, which has only been in business since October 2006, has managed to bring all of its five holiday properties up to the GTBS Silver standard which is awarded to businesses showing very good environmental practice. By agreeing to the GTBS Code of Conduct Broadway Manor Cottages has made a commitment towards reducing the impact of their business on the environment.

“We are very proud of our achievement which follows on from our successful completion of the VisitBritain Green Start scheme last year. We are dedicated to making our cottages and apartment some of the most environmentally friendly places to stay in Worcestershire and the Cotswolds.” said Debbie Williamson, owner of Broadway Manor Cottages.

The 4 star Cotswold holiday cottages and apartment are located in the grounds of a Cotswold Manor House dating back to the 16^th century a short walk from the centre of the Broadway. The surrounding grounds attract a wide variety of wildlife and guests are encouraged to shop locally and to leave the car behind and ‘Enjoy a Car Free Day’ as a number of footpaths, including The Cotswold Way National Trail cross the grounds.

“We closely monitor our water and energy usage and have recently installed solar power panels to heat some of the water used on site and have increased our loft insulation across all of our properties. We encourage our guests to recycle and compost and provide our guests with jute shopping bags to take shopping rather than use plastic bags. We will continue to look at other ways to reduce the environmental impact or our business such as the introduction of LED lighting and we hope to join a local Visitor Payback Scheme.” explained Debbie Williamson.

2, The Willows is our Cotswold holiday cottage that sleeps 4, located in the corner of a quiet courtyard in the extensive grounds of a Cotswold manor house in Broadway, which dates back to the 16th century.

Since we started renting out the cottage in October 2006 we have made a number of changes and the cottage has been totally redecorated and the rooms refurbished. This weekend we replaced the double bed in the cottage’s spacious main bedroom with a ‘zip and link’ superking bed. Guests now have the option of a comfortable 6ft superking bed or 2 full size single twin beds in the main bedroom in addition to the twin beds in the second bedroom.

We provide all bedding, white towels and crisp white linen for guests during their stay. All electricity and gas is also included and for guests booking stays of 7 nights or more we provide a ‘welcome hamper’.

Our business, Broadway Manor Cottages, received a Heart of England Excellence in Tourism Silver Award in October 2009 and all of our cottages have a 4 star EnjoyEngland grading (our cottage The Stables received a Gold award from EnjoyEngland in September 2009). We have also recently been inspected by the Green Tourism Business Scheme and are awaiting the outcome of their visit.

For up to date rates and availability of our cottages in the picturesque Cotswold village of Broadway please see our website: www.broadwaymanor-cottages.co.uk.

Starting at the stone bridge on Vineyard Street (about 200 yards before the entrance to Sudeley Castle, home of Lord and Lady Ashcombe and the Dent Brocklehurst family), the walk follows the Cotswold Way, passing by St Peter’s Church across fields to Corndean Lane.  A short walk along Corndean Lane to Winchcombe Cricket Club (which, given its fabulous location and immaculate cricket square, must be one of the most picturesque cricket clubs in the area), the walk then follows the Cotswold Way up the hill towards Humblebee Wood.  Some sections of the walk here are fairly steep providing a good excuse to stop and rest whilst taking in the wonderful views back down the hill over Winchcombe towards Toddington and Broadway in the far distance. Despite the haze of the late afternoon sunshine, Damien Hirst’s Toddington Manor was clearly visible, shrouded in the plastic sheeting covering the extensive scaffolding surrounding the 19th century building.

At the top of the hill beyond the kissing gate, the Circular Walk bears right, away from the Cotswold Way up the lane to Hill Barn Farm at the top of the hill. The trees lining the lane provided cool dappled shade and the brambles a plentiful supply of blackberries to snack on.

At the top of the hill beyond the farm, the walk rejoins the Cotswold Way heading eastwards towards Belas Knap at the far end of the field. To the left of the footpath the hedgerow of hawthorn was covered in a blaze of bright red berries and the blackthorn in wonderful dark blue sloes. It’s going to be a good year for sloe gin!

Belas Knap is a Neolothic long barrow or burial chamber, 986 feet (300m) above sea level. ‘Belas’ is possibly derived from the Latin word bellus, meaning beautiful and ‘Knap’ is probably an old English term for the top, crest, or summit of a hill. Belas Knap measures about 178 feet (54m) long, 60 feet (18m) wide and nearly 14 feet (4.3m) in height. There are four burial chambers which were first excavated in 1863 and since then hundreds of human bones have been uncovered along with horse and pig bones, some over 6,000 years old. All was quiet on the grassy mound this sunny autumn afternoon!

Leaving Belas Knap through a lovely old iron kissing gate, the walk down the hill following the Cotswold Way provides fantastic views over Sudeley Castle before descending down through Humblebee Wood back to Corndean Lane. The walk then leaves the Cotswold Way and continues along Corndean Lane where looking up the hill across the field on the right there was a large scarecrow just like the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz. 

At Humblebee Cottages the walk picks up the old route of the Cotswold Way back down towards Winchcombe, passing through Wadfield Farm with its attractive symmetrical 18th century farmhouse.  Again the walk affords fantastic views of the surrounding Cotswold countryside whilst meandering across fields and stiles back to Winchcombe.

Further details of this and other Circular Walks can be found on the Cotswold Way National Trail website.

Broadway Manor Cottages: award winning self catering Cotswold holiday cottages
 at The Manor House, Broadway, The Cotswolds

The Daily Telegraph recently reported a warning from fruit famers that ‘Damson jam could become a thing of the past, because of a lack of demand for the traditional fruit’. Old damson trees are not being replaced at the end of their life (usually damson trees bear fruit for around 30 years) because demand for the fruit has fallen and as a consequence damson orchards around the country are disappearing. Today damsons are a rare sight in supermarkets and few preserve manufacturers now produce damson jam purely it seems because it is unfashionable, not because it is any more difficult or expensive to make than other jams or preserves.  Indeed in 2007 Boris Johnson reported on his successful homemade damson jam when commenting on the EU’s 2001 directive on jams, jellies, marmalades and sweetened chestnut purees which sets standards on the composition and labelling of the products covered by the directive.

I have made several pounds of damson jam in the last few days and have placed many more pounds of damsons in the freezer for use at a later date.  I intend to give Delia’s Spiced Damson Chutney a go and will try making Damson Gin after the success of our Sloe Gin a couple of years ago. I hope our damson tree keeps producing fruit for many years to come.

The Stables is located on a quiet rural lane at the foot of the Cotswold escarpment with views over undulating fields that were once farmed and ploughed during Anglo-Saxon times using the ridge and furrow method and are now home to flocks of sheep including our own pet Dorset sheep.  The surrounding mature hedgerows are home to a number of owls who can often be heard calling in the depths of night.

The Stables has its own gated driveway and private garden, with arbour and garden furniture, which is screened from the neighbouring Manor House.  The cottage provides ground floor accommodation with a large entrance hall, spacious vaulted sitting/dining room with comfy large leather sofa and digital Freeview TV, opening into the kitchen which has been equipped to a high standard and includes an integrated fridge, dishwasher and washing machine (there is also a separate freezer and tumble dryer).  The large main bedroom with superking (6ft) bed, or two 3ft single beds if preferred, has an en-suite bathroom with a P shaped bath with curved glass shower screen allowing a much larger shower area without losing the luxury of a full size bathing area.  The single bedroom, furnished with a 3ft single bed is situated next to the separate shower room with wc and basin.

Guests staying at The Stables are invited to enjoy the grounds of the adjacent Manor House which dates back to the 16th century and has links to the Sheldon family.   The grounds of several acres include a manorial fishery home to ducks and moorhens, an orchard, woodland areas and a hard tennis court. 

The centre of beautiful Broadway with its wide range of shops, restaurants and pubs is just a few minutes’ walk from the cottage, along a footpath across neighbouring fields.

Rafters is a fully self-contained apartment situated on the first floor above a converted stone coach house in extensive peaceful grounds in a rural setting a few minutes walk from the centre of the village of Broadway.  The apartment has a wealth of exposed oak beams dating from the middle of the 1700s and a Sheldon Shield depicting 3 sheldrakes and dated 1768 can be seen in the Cotswold stone in the gable end of the apartment.

The apartment sleeps 2 in its vaulted double bedroom with en-suite bathroom which was fully refurbished last month and comprises a bath, over-bath power shower, wc and basin. Rafters’ vaulted sitting/dining room is very comfortably furnished with a dining table large enough to seat 4, armchair and a large leather sofa perfectly positioned to curl up on in front of an energy saving flat screen digital freeview tv with digital radio.  The kitchen, also recently refurbished, is fully-equipped with an electric hob, electric fan oven, microwave and fridge.  If required, there are laundry facilities (washing machine and tumble dryer) in our nearby Cotswold holiday cottages at The Willows (located in a nearby courtyard in the grounds).

Guests staying at Rafters have access to a hard tennis court in the grounds, free WiFi access during their stay and are invited to wander and sit in the gardens.  The Cotswold Way National Trail crosses the adjacent field and there are many footpaths in the area opening up the beautiful Cotswold countryside to explore on foot.

Situated on the first floor, Rafters has lovely views across the surrounding gardens and pond towards Broadway Tower on top of the Cotswold escarpment.  For further information about this gem of an apartment in The Cotswolds which is available to rent all year round contact us.

In mounting their bid for the 2012 Olympics the British Olympic Association referred to Dover’s Games as “the first stirring of Britain’s Olympic beginnings” and in 2012 the Robert Dover’s Olimpick Games will celebrate their 400th anniversary.

Three hundred and ninety eight years ago, Robert Dover (1575 - 1641), revived the spirit of Ancient Greece on the hillside which has since been named after him.  Today the games are held annually at the end of May.  This year’s games which took place in glorious evening Cotswold sunshine included; a 5 mile run, junior race around the hill for under 15s, tug o’war, shuffle board race, gurning and the slightly crazy Shin-Kicking British Championships.

The 2009 Games were opened at 7.30pm by Father John Brennan (as Robert Dover) and Paul Dare (as Endymion Porter).  Hundreds of people gathered on the hill to enjoy the sunshine and be entertained by the competitors, especially those competing in the obstacle race to become Champion of the Hill, the Tug o’War and British Shin-Kicking Championship (an event where the competitors wear white coats and stuff straw down their trouser legs to protect their shins).

After the events, a huge bonfire was lit by the Scuttlebrook Queen followed by a fantastic firework display that lit up the sky. This was followed by a torchlit procession down the hill to Chipping Campden Square where ‘The Copycats’ played into the night.

Sargent was born on 12th January 1856 in Florence, Italy.  His American parents, Dr Fitzwilliam Sargent and Mary Newbold Singer, had settled in Europe and the family travelled extensively throughout France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.  A well-educated man, Sargent developed an early interest in art attending arts schools in Italy and Germany before entering the studio of Carolus-Duran in Paris in 1874.  

Whilst in Paris, Sargent became well known for his portraits.  He first exhibited at the Salon in Paris in 1877 where his portrait of Fanny Watts was displayed.  Sargent’s work continued to be exhibited at the Salon until 1884 when his portrait Madame X of Madame Gautreau (a French society beauty) caused a great scandal.  Shortly afterwards Sargent travelled to London where he met up with Henry James.  James became a great influence on Sargent encouraging him to stay in England and introducing him to Edwin Austin Abbey.  During the summer of 1885, at Pangbourne, whilst on a boat trip with Abbey, Sargent had an accident which led to him recuperating in the quiet village of Broadway in The Cotswolds.

Francis D Millet, a great friend of Abbey’s, had already made Broadway his home, renting Farnham House ovelooking the village green. Sargent joined Millet and Abbey, initally lodging at The Lygon Arms.  They were joined by Frederick Barnard and Alfred Parsons and are affectionately know as the ‘Broadway Colony’ of artists.  Shortly before Christmas 1885, a studio had been created at  Abbots Grange next door to Farnham House and the following year Millet and Abbey rented Russell House nearby.  It was at this time that Sargent painted Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose, a fine painting in the Impressionist style of two little girls lighting Japanese lanterns in a garden with flowerbeds of lilies, carnations and roses and at twilight.  The painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy in March 1887 and it was purchased by the Chantrey Bequest Trustees for the Tate Gallery in London.

Sargent visited Monet (whom he had known since his days in Paris) in Giverney during the summer of 1887, returning to England to paint before travelling to America where he had exhibited since 1887.  Sargent was already a renowned painter in America and his first solo exhibition in Boston in early 1888 was a great success.  Sargent returned to England in May 1888 renting Calcot Mill in Oxfordshire before moving to Fladbury in Worcestershire not far from Broadway.  Sargent received several commissions from America and he continued to travel to Europe and around England.  In 1893 Sargent exhibited his portrait Lady Agnew of Lochnaw at the Royal Academy Exhibition to great acclaim and the following year he was elected to the Royal Academy.

During the 1890s Sargent was in great demand to paint portraits, however, from 1907 he concentrated on watercolours, spending many summers in Venice.  During his latter years Sargent painted a number of murals for the Boston Public Library (Triumph of Religion on display in the Sargent Hall) and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.  Sargent also served briefly as an official war artist in 1918 spending three months on the western front. 

Sargent died in 1925 and is buried in Brookwood Cemetery, Surrey.

Cotswold Holiday Cottages in Broadway, May 2009. 

May is a great month to visit The Cotswolds.  The weather is warm now spring is well and truly underway, the skies are often blue, the grassy wolds are green, bluebells carpet the woodlands and the fields are full of frolicking spring lambs.

Our three delightful Cotswold holiday cottages, The Willows, are located in a secluded courtyard in the peaceful rural grounds of a historic manor house originally built in 1539 in Broadway, in the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. 

Two of the cottages, 1 and 2, The Willows, have 2 bedrooms and sleep 4 guests. Each cottage has a double bedroom (with four-poster bed) and twin bedded room. Both cottages have fully-equipped kitchens, sitting rooms furnished with comfy leather sofas and bathrooms with over-bath power showers.

Our third cottage, 3, The Willows, sleeps 2 in its romantic galleried double bedroom with ironwork four-poster bed accessed from the cottage’s living room by a spiral staircase. The living room is spacious with a fully-equipped kitchen area, dining space and comfy leather sofa to curl up on in front of the cottage’s energy saving flat screen digital TV.

All of the cottages are furnished and decorated to a high standard. Crisp white linen, fluffy white towels and complimentary toiletries are provided to ensure that our guests have a comfortable stay.

The grounds surrounding the cottages are a haven for wildlife. It is not unusual to see badgers, foxes or a number of different species of birds and their offspring all of whom make the grounds their home albeit in a set, den, nest in the eaves of the barn or in a crack in a Cotswold stone wall, on one of the ponds, or in one of the many trees. Children staying with us will love our friendly pet Dorset sheep and lambs.

Our guests are invited to enjoy the gardens surrounding the cottages and for the more energetic there is a tennis court in the grounds. A footpath crossing our adjacent field leads to the centre of the village which meets with The Cotswold Way National Trail opening up a number of lovely walks in the area.

Broadway is ideally located for exploring the beautiful Cotswolds renowned for its picturesque ancient villages with their honey-coloured stone buildings, rolling hills (wolds), miles of Cotswold stone walls and acres of beech woodland. Within a short distance of the cottages are a number of wonderful gardens, historic houses and country and farm parks to visit. Stratford-upon-Avon, Cheltenham,Oxford and Bath are all within easy driving distance.

More information and photos of our 4* rated Willows Cottages can be found on our website www.broadwaymanor-cottages.co.uk.

2, The Willows, Cotswold Holiday Cottage, Broadway, The Cotswolds - Double Bedroom, originally uploaded by Broadway Manor Cottages.

Our three holiday cottages at The Willows are individually furnished and decorated with a four-poster bed in each cottage.

In the main bedroom of our 2 bedroom cottage, 2, The Willows, there is a white painted ironwork double four-poster bed that was handmade locally. Matching pine bedside tables, chest of drawers and double wardrobe complement the pine doors throughout the cottage.

The cottage is located in a courtyard in the peaceful grounds of a historic manor house (originally built in 1539) on a quiet rural lane in Broadway. Upstairs, the twin bedroom has 2 full sized pine single beds and the bathroom has an over-bath power shower. Downstairs, the fully-equipped kitchen is spacious with kitchen table and chairs. The large sitting/dining room with extending dining table and chairs, has a stone fireplace with coal effect stove fire, comfy leather sofa and armchair and a digital Freeview TV and DVD player.

There are laundry facilities on site, plenty of parking and a tennis court for guests to enjoy during their stay. The cottage is within easy reach of a number of picturesque Cotswold villages, National Trust properties, glorious gardens, The Cotswold Way National Trail and award winning pubs and restaurants.  Further information can be found on our website: www.broadwaymanor-cottages.co.uk.

It is recorded in the Worcester County Archives that in 1539, at the time of the Dissolution of the Monastries, Ralph Sheldon, son of Baldwin and Jane Sheldon, acquired several acres of land at West End, Broadway, from John Stonywell, a Benedictine Monk, Abbot of Pershore and Bishop of Polizzi and built himself a manor house.

The Sheldon Shield of 3 sheldrakes dated 1768 can still be seen in the gable end of Rafters.

Spring Flowers at Broadway Manor Cottages, originally uploaded by Broadway Manor Cottages.

Spring is a lovely time to take a walk around the the gardens surrounding The Willows Cottages and Rafters apartment at The Manor House. On the banks of the monastic fishery you will find a mass of pale yellow cowslips Primula veris. There is also a wonderful display of daffodils, tulips and grape hyacinths in the grounds and the trees in the orchard (pear, cherry and apple) are bursting into blossom.

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Our Dorset sheep and lambs, originally uploaded by Broadway Manor Cottages.

After a number of requests; here is an update and photo of Muffin and Cookie.

The twin ewe lambs were born on Saturday 4th April, West End, Broadway. After a bit of a shaky start and a few bottles of milk to help them on their way, they are now doing very well. Mum, Abbie, seems to have a very relaxed approach to motherhood often letting them out of her sight and it is their half-sister, Lily, who responds to their bleating when they have got separated.

Our other Dorset ewe, Evie, gave birth on Monday - more details and a photo to follow. Both Evie and her lamb (yet to be named) are doing well.

1, The Willows - Cotswold holiday cottage, originally uploaded by Broadway Manor Cottages.

Our Cotswold holiday cottage 1, The Willows has a delightful main bedroom with a fabulous antique double four-poster bed. We provide all bedding (pillows and duvets) and crisp white bed linen and fluffy white towels to make your stay as comfortable as possible.

The cottage is very popular with our guests. It is located in a courtyard in the peaceful grounds of a historical Cotswold manor house, a few minutes walk from the centre of the picturesque village of Broadway.

The cottage is 4* rated self catering accommodation and also has a twin bedded room, bathroom with bath and over-bath power shower, spacious sitting room with ‘Freeview’ TV, stone fireplace with electric ’stove’ fire and cosy corner leather suite to curl up on. The kitchen is a kitchen/diner which is fully equipped with gas hob, electric fan oven, microwave and fridge. The cottage also benefits from a downstairs cloakroom with wc and basin.

The surrounding extensive grounds of the nearby manor house are a haven to wildlife and a tranquil spot in the beautiful Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

‘In Tudor Days a Road of Inns - Now the Setting of a Cosmopolitan Colony of Artists and Musicians. Fringed by the purple Cotswold Hills in the country known to all Americans who motor to Stratford-on-Avon and Warwick, lies Broadway in Worcestershire, noted for its beautiful old Tudor Street, its gardens, and its colony of artists. Situated one hundred miles from London, Broadway has been famous since Charles II’s time, when it was the only “changes horses” point for all coaches between Worcester and Town. The village consists of one long generous street, bordered with typical seventeenth century houses and cottages, back of which are walled gardens filled with forgotten Elizabethan flowers and box and yew. Among the Americans attracted to this out-of-the-world corner is …Mrs. Frank Millet, whose husband, the delightful artist and man of rare social charm, was lost on the “Titanic” … she has long made her home at Broadway, in the lovely old “Swann Inn” - a famed coaching inn in the time of Charles II, now known as “Russell House.” Mr. and Mrs. Millet were among the charter members of the artist colony at Broadway.

The little Tudor village has fame of later date, for it is rich in Pre-Raphaelite associations. Rosetti, Burne-Jones, Walter Pater, and William Morris used to gather here and discuss ideals in a Norman tower on the Cotswold Hills, plainly visible from the village. Among the Royal Academicians who have felt the charm of this picturesque English village have been Alma- Tadena, John Sargent… Musicians and writers, too, add their salt to the Broadway community; among them Sir Edward Elgar, Sir James Barrie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle…

The historic interest of the old “Swan Inn” attaches itself to Mrs. Millet’s residence “Russell House.” In no place in England perhaps has the spirit of a byegone day been retained with so clever and artistic a development modern comfort and luxury.’

Prior to living in Russell House, Francis Millet, his family and the colony of artists, lived at Farnham House on The Green in Broadway which they had leased for a year prior to moving to Russell House in 1886.
 

The present church of St Eadburgha’s dates back to the late 12th century and at this time of year the churchyard is covered with snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis), recently blanketed by inches of snow.  The church has several later additions and was subject to extensive repairs in 1866 and more recent repairs following the July 2007 floods when the church was severely flooded, mostly by runoff from the Cotswold escarpment flowing down Coneygree Lane, across the Snowshill Road and into the church.

In the churchyard there is a wonderful lychgate built as a memorial to the American, Francis Davis Millet.  Francis Millet (Civil War soldier, painter, mural decorator, sculptor and writer) was born in Massachusetts on 3rd November 1846.  He spent many years of his life painting and living in Broadway with his wife and family at Farnham House and Russell House. 

Francis Millet died when RMS Titanic sank on 15th April 1912 on his way to New York from Southampton.  His paintings can be seen in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Detroit Insitute of Art and the Tate Gallery, London.  Millet was the first director of the American Academy in Rome and his painting ‘Between Two Fires’ painted c1892, which hangs in the Tate, was probably painted in the refectory of the 14th century Abbot’s Grange, Broadway, which he used as his studio.  Millet restored Abbot’s Grange from its monastic ruins and it became part of the artists’ colony in Broadway he helped create.  Did he also paint ‘A Cosey Corner’ in 1884 and other works in Abbot’s Grange?  Millet was acquainted with the impressionist painter John Singer Sargent and his ink drawing of ‘Mr Sargent at work on Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose’ in a garden in Broadway c1885-86 is owned by the Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC.  Sargent’s painting ‘Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose’ hangs in the Tate Gallery in London.

The walk up to Broadway Tower (located at the second highest point on the Cotswold escarpment at 1024 ft/312m above sea level) via Coneygree Lane (the old main road to London opposite St Eadburgha’s Church on the Snowshill Road) in the snow and ice was worth the fabulous view from the top down across Broadway covered in its white blanket of snow towards the Vale of Evesham where there were huge patches of green where the snow had already melted.

Walking back down Coneygree Lane I wondered where the name had come from.  Did it have anything to do with rabbits?  A little research later - it seems that it does.  A ‘coneygree’ was a Medieval domestic rabbit warren (to house rabbits farmed for their fur and for the table) usually found close to a manor or monastery.  The coneygree, looked after by warreners, was built in a mound in a ‘pillow’ or ‘cigar’ shape with a flat top often surrounded by a moat (as rabbits will not cross water and therefore escape).  Some examples still exist in England and next time I walk up Coneygree Lane I will keep an eye open to see whether there are any signs of them in Broadway.

Early in the morning, we refilled the bird feeders here at Broadway Manor Cottages and within minutes we had Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tits visiting the peanut and seed feeders whilst the Robins and Blackbirds darted around in the deep snow beneath waiting for the scraps to fall.  We also had a fleeting visit at the peanut feeder from a Greater Spotted Woodpecker until a pair of Crows turned up looking for scraps. A solitary Magpie also spent ages making a large hole in the snow with its wings to get at the grass beneath - presumably to peck at the worms and other insects in the soil.

Tonight as temperatures are falling and with more snow forecast tomorrow we are steadily working our way through the log pile.  

Snow last fell here during the first week of January and because of the extremely cold temperatures (-10 degrees centigrade at one stage) it lasted a couple of days before it melted away - just long enough to go sledging on the hill opposite.  Our Dorset sheep, Lily (in the front of the photo), Abbie, Evie and Henry (at the back) didn’t seem to mind the snow either.  Their compact woolly fleece certainly kept them warm.