History of 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.

The location for the Tower was wisely chosen, a dramatic outlook on a pre-medieval trading route and beacon hill.

Wyatt designed his “Saxon Tower” as an eccentric amalgamation of architectural components ranging from turrets, battlements and gargoyles to balconies.

Broadway-Tower-history

William Morris at The Tower

Throughout the centuries, Broadway Tower has always inspired and with this inspiration came a large number of uses. One example is as home to the printing press of Sir Thomas Phillips, perhaps the greatest collector of manuscripts and books in history. Indeed it was whilst staying at Broadway Tower that William Morris started his campaign for the preservation of historic monuments.

Members of the Arts and Crafts movement used Broadway Tower as a holiday retreat. Pre-Raphaelite artists William Morris, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones were frequent visitors.