Broadway History Society

26/08/2026

Get ready for the new season of Broadway History Society talks … starting on Monday 21 September 2026 with “Sir Thomas Phillipps – The Man Who Collected Everything” - Speaker: David Ella … bookmark the BHS website for more info on all the new seasons talks >>

Meetings and TalksProgramme of Talks 2026/2027 Meetings are held in the Lifford Memorial Hall, Lower Green, Broadway WR12 7BU and start at 7pm (doors open at 6:35pm). There is limited parking behind the Hall.Annual Membership: £10 (includes FREE entry to the season’s nine talks)Non-Members: £5 p...

27/06/2026

A walk through the past: "Broadway Photographs 1880-1920"

© 2026 Tom Morris. All Rights Reserved~~~~~TOM MORRIS - "Broadway Photographs 1880 – 1920"talk held at MONDAY 19 JANUARY 2026 at 7pm-8.15pmLifford Hall, Broa...

21/06/2026

🏺 8,000 years of history, buried beneath Broadway.

In 2016, flood works along Badsey Brook uncovered something extraordinary. Stone Age tools, a Bronze Age Beaker pot, Roman farmsteads and Saxon settlements, all preserved beneath our feet.

Our new exhibition, Buried Lives, brings it all to light. Opening 4 July - included in your standard entry.

Tudor House, 65 High Street, Broadway · Open Mon–Sat 10am–4:30pm

02/06/2026

An entertaining HTV program from 1986. It was written and produced by a Clive Gunnell who was on a walk through the Cotwolds. He chatted with local characters who you may have known, and visited Broadway Tower.

An entertaining HTV program I recorded almost 30 years ago. It was ...

28/05/2026

Snowshill NT features on BBC2 on 5th June and follows hot on the heels of Michael Yardley’s recent fascinating talk on Snowshill & Charles Wade for BHS ☺️

📢 We have an announcement... we’re going to be on TV!

We are so excited to announce Snowshill Manor and Gardens will feature in the new series of BBC Hidden Treasures of the National Trust in episode four: Collectomania

See the Snowshill team in action on Friday 5 June at 9pm on BBC Two 🎉

Over the next few weeks, we will be taking a deeper dive into what was discussed in the episode, looking closely at the objects featured and the team that work behind the scenes.

Stay tuned!

09/05/2026

For those of you who were unable to attend, or simply wish to watch again in the comfort of your own home, we are delighted to share with you, on the BHS Youtube Channel, the recent highly entertaining talk given by Broadway resident Christopher Hotten KC, entitled:

JAMES LEES-MILNE: "The Man Who Saved England"

https://youtu.be/oQ6ocmqI6hE?si=E7-Ep5KbwE_fvCUT

James Lees-Milne was born and brought up at Wickhamford Manor, a few miles from Broadway. In the mid 1930s he became Secretary to the Country Houses Committee of the National Trust, a role which he occupied full and part-time until the 1960s. He played a pivotal role in persuading many owners of Country Houses, burdened by death duties and the cost of maintenance, to transfer their properties to the National Trust and save them for the nation. This talk focuses on his north Cotswold connections and the houses he saved that are local to Broadway - including Snowshill Manor, Hidcote, Coughton Court and Charlecote. JLM was a prolific, witty and often acerbic diarist, as we will hear.

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Christopher Hotten was a Queen’s (now King’s) Counsel for almost 25 years until he retired from practice in 2018. He appeared in over 100 homicide cases, acting for both the prosecution and defence. He lives in Broadway and has involved himself in the Broadway Trust and the Gordon Russell Design Museum.

08/05/2026

NEXT MEETING - Monday 18th May 2026 7pm - 8.20pm (talk preceded by the short AGM)
SNOWSHILL MANOR and the extraordinary Charles Paget Wade
talk by: Michael Yardley in the Lifford Hall WR12 7BU
Doors open 6.35pm - FREE to paid-up BHS members
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Snowshill Manor, just a couple of miles from Broadway, was the unusual home of Charles Paget Wade, who delighted in creating a stage for his life and passions: his eccentric life is reflected in the house and garden. Michael Yardley will tell us more about Wade’s life, his purchase, restoration and subsequent gift to the National Trust of Snowshill Manor and the extraordinary collection of 22,000 hand-made objects.
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After a career in retail banking, Michael and his wife returned to the Cotswolds to run a B&B near Mickleton before retiring to Broad Campden. He joined the National Trust as a volunteer gardener in 1999 and continues to work at Hidcote Manor and Snowshill Manor, more recently as a guide and tour leader which he finds most fulfilling.
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Photos: Snowshill Manor in 2026 and 1919

15/04/2026

>> Reminder ... Next talk - MONDAY 20th APRIL 2026
7pm - 8.15pm in the Lifford Hall WR12 7BU
Doors open 6.35pm
by Christopher Hotten KC
JAMES LEES-MILNE: "the man who saved England"

James Lees-Milne was born and brought up at Wickhamford Manor, a few miles from Broadway. In the mid 1930s he became Secretary to the Country Houses Committee of the National Trust, a role which he occupied full and part-time until the 1960s. He played a pivotal role in persuading many owners of Country Houses, burdened by death duties and the cost of maintenance, to transfer their properties to the National Trust and save them for the nation. This talk focuses on his north Cotswold connections and the houses he saved that are local to Broadway - including Snowshill Manor, Hidcote, Coughton Court and Charlecote. JLM was a prolific, witty and often acerbic diarist, as we will hear.

Next talk - MONDAY 20th APRIL 2026
7pm - 8.15pm in the Lifford Hall WR12 7BU
Doors open 6.35pm

by Christopher Hotten KC
JAMES LEES-MILNE: "the man who saved England"
(photo: James Lees-Milne)

James Lees-Milne was born and brought up at Wickhamford Manor, a few miles from Broadway. In the mid 1930s he became Secretary to the Country Houses Committee of the National Trust, a role which he occupied full and part-time until the 1960s. He played a pivotal role in persuading many owners of Country Houses, burdened by death duties and the cost of maintenance, to transfer their properties to the National Trust and save them for the nation. This talk focuses on his north Cotswold connections and the houses he saved that are local to Broadway - including Snowshill Manor, Hidcote, Coughton Court and Charlecote. JLM was a prolific, witty and often acerbic diarist, as we will hear.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Christopher Hotten was a Queen’s (now King’s) Counsel for almost 25 years until he retired from practice in 2018. He appeared in over 100 homicide cases, acting for both the prosecution and defence. He lives in Broadway and has involved himself in the Broadway Trust and the Gordon Russell Design Museum.
~~~~~~~~~~~
This talk is FREE to paid-up BHS members. Subscriptions are now due for the 2025-26 season. £10 per person entitles you to FREE entry to all the remaining talks this season. If you haven't already subscribed, please pay now by BACS - click here for details. Alternatively we accept cash payment on the door. (Visitors pay £5 per talk, cash on the door.)

03/04/2026

Next talk - MONDAY 20th APRIL 2026
7pm - 8.15pm in the Lifford Hall WR12 7BU
Doors open 6.35pm

by Christopher Hotten KC
JAMES LEES-MILNE: "the man who saved England"
(photo: James Lees-Milne)

James Lees-Milne was born and brought up at Wickhamford Manor, a few miles from Broadway. In the mid 1930s he became Secretary to the Country Houses Committee of the National Trust, a role which he occupied full and part-time until the 1960s. He played a pivotal role in persuading many owners of Country Houses, burdened by death duties and the cost of maintenance, to transfer their properties to the National Trust and save them for the nation. This talk focuses on his north Cotswold connections and the houses he saved that are local to Broadway - including Snowshill Manor, Hidcote, Coughton Court and Charlecote. JLM was a prolific, witty and often acerbic diarist, as we will hear.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Christopher Hotten was a Queen’s (now King’s) Counsel for almost 25 years until he retired from practice in 2018. He appeared in over 100 homicide cases, acting for both the prosecution and defence. He lives in Broadway and has involved himself in the Broadway Trust and the Gordon Russell Design Museum.
~~~~~~~~~~~
This talk is FREE to paid-up BHS members. Subscriptions are now due for the 2025-26 season. £10 per person entitles you to FREE entry to all the remaining talks this season. If you haven't already subscribed, please pay now by BACS - click here for details. Alternatively we accept cash payment on the door. (Visitors pay £5 per talk, cash on the door.)

03/04/2026

A recording of Malcolm Rogers recent talk, entitled "Musicians of the Broadway Colony 1880-1910", is now available on the Broadway History Society YouTube channel for those who missed it or would like to see and hear it again.

The talk includes many excerpts of music, including some rare 78rpm recordings. Please see the description field in the YouTube video for details and credits for each piece of music.

We are very grateful to Malcolm for his generosity in allowing this, and also to our committee member Julian Crook for his skill and hard work in putting the recording and video together.

Here is the link to Malcolm's talk:

Malcolm Rogers, CBE - "Musicians Of The Broadway Colony 1880-1910"talk held on 16th March 2026 at Lifford Hall, Broadway, WR12 7BUAlthough the artists and wr...