Broadway Tower in the Cotswolds

Broadway Tower was the brainchild of the great 18th Century landscape designer, Capability Brown. His vision was carried out for George William 6th Earl of Coventry with the help of renowned architect James Wyatt and completed in 1798.

 It is one of England’s outstanding viewpoints and at 1024 feet (312m) above sea level, it is the second highest point on the Cotswold escarpment with unrivalled views.

Known as the Highest Little Castle in the Cotswolds, Broadway Tower has a Saxon look with circular arches over the windows and entrance. There are three turrets, three canted sides and numerous gargoyles and balconies. On a clear day you can see up to 16 counties from the top of the Tower.

In 1827 Sir Thomas Philipps acquired the Tower and used it to house his printing press and collection of over 60,000 manuscripts and printed books. Although Sir Thomas amassed the largest collection of manuscript material in the 19th Century he didn’t quite achieve his ambition to own “one copy of every book in the world”.

Broadway Tower was a countryside retreat for members of the Arts & Crafts movement and in the late 19th Century Sir Edward Burn-Jones rented the Tower with his friend William Morris. Morris mounted expeditions to Broadway Tower and frequently visited with his daughter May. 

William Morris was so inspired by Broadway Tower and other ancient buildings that he founded the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings in 1877. 
Broadway Tower was the perfect choice for the Royal Observers Corps to track enemy planes over England during the wars of the 20th Century. In 1943 a bomber crashed into Beacon Hill 200m from Broadway Tower and the tenant farmer, who was also a member of the Royal Observer Corps, tried to save the lives of the men in the plane. He was later recognised by Sir Winston Churchill for his efforts. 

During the “Cold War” in the late 1950’s the role of Broadway Tower was changed to monitor nuclear fallout in England and an underground Bunker was built 50 yards from the Tower. Manned continuously from 1961 and designated as a master post, the Nuclear Bunker was one of the last bunkers constructed and, although officially stood down in 1991, the bunker is now one of the few remaining fully equipped facilities in England.