Broadwell, Gloucestershire

Broadwell, Gloucestershire

Summary

One of the undiscovered beauty spots of the Cotswolds, Broadwell has it all; a broad village green ringed by lovely Cotswold stone cottages, a gentle stream running through the village, a popular inn, and a Norman church with some intriguing historical monuments.

Broadwell is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. At that time it had 46 inhabitants, and the church of St Paul dates in part to that period. During the later Middle Ages, the estate belonged to the Benedictine order of monks.

The large village green - the largest that I can recall anywhere in the Cotswolds - was donated to the village by Lord Ashton in the late 20th century.

Beside the green runs a gentle stream, a tributary of the Evenlode. The road is forced to ford the stream, which is no more than a few inches deep. The Fox Inn stands beside the green, offering good pub fare and local Donnington ales.