Some places are planned stops. Others become the reason you’re glad you took the detour. Broadway Tower was definitely the second kind. Sitting high above the Cotswolds, this little castle-like tower looked almost unreal against the blue sky — and somehow the whole place felt even better in person than it did in the photos.
Why Broadway Tower was worth the stop
We visited Broadway Tower during our Cotswolds weekend, and it ended up being one of my favourite stops of the entire trip. After seeing some of the region’s famous villages packed with visitors, arriving up here felt completely different. There was space, open countryside and enormous views stretching away from the hill — with this wonderfully strange little tower sitting right in the middle of it all.
I hadn’t really come for the inside of the tower, either. For me, the appeal was the setting: walking towards it across the hill, seeing it from different angles and simply spending some time there. It has that slightly romantic, almost fantasy-like quality that photographs struggle to capture.
What actually is Broadway Tower?
Despite looking like a miniature medieval castle, Broadway Tower is actually a folly — a building created largely for decoration and to add drama to the landscape. The idea came from celebrated landscape designer Capability Brown for George William, the 6th Earl of Coventry, and architect James Wyatt designed the distinctive “Saxon” tower. It was completed in 1798.
Its position was no accident. Broadway Tower stands high on Beacon Hill, an ancient beacon site on the Cotswolds escarpment. Wyatt gave it turrets, battlements, balconies and gargoyles, creating something deliberately romantic rather than historically accurate — which probably explains why it looks as though it belongs in a storybook.
The tower later developed a surprisingly colourful history. Sir Thomas Phillipps installed a printing press there in the 19th century, and it became associated with the Arts and Crafts movement, with visitors including William Morris, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones. The site even played a role in 20th-century defence: a Royal Observer Corps post and later a Cold War nuclear monitoring bunker were established nearby.
The views are half the reason to come
Broadway Tower sits on one of the highest points in the Cotswolds, so the tower itself is only part of the attraction. The surrounding hilltop opens out into huge views across the countryside, and on a clear day it feels as though you can see forever.
I actually preferred being outside, walking around the tower and taking in the landscape rather than rushing to tick off the interior. Every few steps seemed to give me another angle for a photo — and with the tower, the open countryside and that ridiculously blue sky, I probably took far more than I needed. 😆
Do you need to go inside Broadway Tower?
We didn’t go inside Broadway Tower — and I honestly didn’t feel as though we had missed the best part of the visit. For me, the highlight was the tower in its landscape: walking around it, photographing it from different angles and taking in the views from Broadway Hill.
You can buy a ticket to explore the Tower Museum and climb to the rooftop viewing platform, but there’s also a grounds-only ticket if you’re more interested in the surrounding parkland and deer park. Two public footpaths cross the estate, so you can still enjoy views of the tower without buying an admission ticket, provided you stay on the designated rights of way.
For me, Broadway Tower was all about its extraordinary setting. We didn’t need to climb to the top to feel that the stop had been worthwhile. If you’re planning a Cotswolds road trip, it’s worth deciding beforehand whether you want to explore the estate or simply admire the landmark from the public paths. Either way, check the official admission information before setting out.
I’m always looking for places where you can enjoy the scenery without paying for every attraction along the way. Back in Dorset, I’ve collected 12 free things to do in Dorset, from historic ruins to spectacular coastal viewpoints. Some have parking charges, but none requires an admission ticket for the main experience.
Planning your visit to Broadway Tower
📍 Location: Broadway Tower, Middle Hill, Broadway, Worcestershire, WR12 7LB. It’s around a mile south-east of Broadway village, just off the A44 between Evesham and Moreton-in-Marsh.
🚗 Parking at Broadway Tower: Parking costs £3 for up to four hours or £6 for the whole day. The car park is open from 8am to 5pm, with the gates locked at 5:15pm, so make sure you’re back at your car in time! Check the official Broadway Tower website for the latest parking information.
🎟️ Tickets: There are different tickets depending on whether you want to explore the grounds or also visit the Tower Museum and rooftop viewing platform. You can buy tickets online, including on the day of your visit.
🕐 Opening times: The country park and car park are open daily. From April to October, the Tower Museum is normally open from 10am to 5pm, with last admission at 4:45pm. Winter hours are shorter, and opening times can change in severe weather.
🐕 Dogs: Dogs are welcome around the estate and on the circular walk but need to be kept on a lead because of the deer. They aren’t allowed inside the Tower Museum.
☕ Food: There are two cafés on the estate — Morris & Brown and Tower Barn — so you can easily turn a quick tower stop into a longer visit.
Check the official Broadway Tower website for current ticket prices and opening information.
How long should you allow?
If you mainly want to see the tower, walk around the grounds and take some photos, I’d allow around an hour. Give yourself longer if you want to go inside, walk through the deer park, stop at one of the cafés or visit the Cold War nuclear bunker.
Is Broadway Tower worth visiting?
For me, definitely. Broadway Tower was one of those places that looked interesting when I added it to the route but turned out to be far more memorable once we actually arrived. It isn’t a huge attraction that needs half a day — and perhaps that’s part of what I liked about it.
You can walk around the hill, admire the slightly eccentric little tower, look out across the Cotswolds and simply enjoy being somewhere beautiful for a while. You don’t have to turn every stop into a major sightseeing mission.
And that’s probably why Broadway Tower fits One More Stop so well. Sometimes the places you remember most aren’t the ones you built the entire trip around. They’re the ones that make you think, we might as well stop here while we’re passing — and then make you very glad you did.
See Broadway Tower in 35 seconds
A quick look at Broadway Tower, the deer park and the views that made this one of my favourite stops in the Cotswolds.
One more stop nearby…
Broadway Tower works particularly well as part of a Cotswolds road trip rather than as an isolated destination. Broadway village is just down the hill, with its honey-coloured stone buildings, shops and cafés, while Dover’s Hill gives you another excuse to stop for sweeping countryside views.
From there, Chipping Campden is an easy next stop and was part of our route too. If you’re travelling through the northern Cotswolds, it’s very easy to combine several places without spending hours driving between them. Other chapters of our trip include the surprisingly dramatic history of Upper Slaughter, the lovely but very busy riverside scenes in Bourton-on-the-Water and our seven-in-the-morning visit to [Stanton — COMING SOON]. Explore them all through our growing Cotswolds collection.
I love building road trips around several smaller stops rather than spending the entire day at one attraction. If you’re exploring closer to the south coast, I’ve also put together 12 day trips from Bournemouth by car, with castles, coastal walks, historic towns and countryside stops that are much closer to home.
Our route: Stanton → Snowshill → Broadway → Broadway Tower → Dover’s Hill → Chipping Campden → Moreton-in-Marsh
A little tower, a very memorable stop
Looking back at our Cotswolds trip, Broadway Tower is one of the places I remember most fondly. Not because we spent hours exploring it or ticked off every attraction, but because the setting was genuinely beautiful. A curious little tower on top of a hill, huge countryside views and one of those rare moments when there was absolutely no reason to hurry.
And perhaps that’s the best thing about a road trip. You can plan the route, choose the destinations and work out the distances, but you never quite know which place will stay with you afterwards. For me, Broadway Tower was one of those unexpected favourites — and I’d happily make the detour again.
One journey. One story. One more stop.