The Lygon Arms

About The Lygon Arms

The Lygon Arms sits on the high street in Broadway, one of the best known villages in the northern Cotswolds. The building is Grade II* listed and parts of it date from the 1300s, when it operated as a coaching inn. Charles I and Oliver Cromwell are both recorded as having stayed here during the Civil War, and the Great Hall retains its barrel-vaulted ceiling, minstrels' gallery and stone fireplaces from that period.

Rooms are split between the original inn and later additions, with a further four in Orchard Cottage, a thatched building in the walled garden. The historic rooms have low beams, uneven floors and four-poster beds; the newer wing rooms are larger and more conventional in layout. Bathrooms have been fully modernised throughout. Some rooms face the high street, others look over the gardens at the rear.

The hotel has a spa and health club with a dual-level indoor swimming pool, gym, treatment rooms and a tennis court. Dining is split between the Lygon Bar & Grill, which serves grills and British classics, and a more casual bar menu. Afternoon tea is served in the Great Hall. There is parking on site, which matters in Broadway, where street parking is limited.

It suits couples wanting a comfortable base in a well-known Cotswold village, walkers on the Cotswold Way, and anyone who wants period character without giving up a pool and spa. Broadway Tower, Snowshill Manor and Chipping Campden are all within a short drive. The high street position means shops, galleries and pubs are on the doorstep, though it also makes the front of the hotel busier than a country house setting.