Detailed Review
The Lygon Arms was established as an inn in 1532 by the Whyte family, in the quiet village of Broadway. During the time of the infamous King Henry VIII it was known as the White Hart Inn.
In the last few years it has undertaken extensive restorations, without forsaking the tradition and antiquity that has made it the famous hotel it is today. Boasting a luxurious spa - voted one of the top ten in the country, having a restored thatched roof cottage in its grounds as a private annexe, state-of-the-art conference facilities, salubrious accommodation and sumptuous cuisine, The Lygon Arms is a favourite for country breaks, relaxing weekends and corporate gatherings alike.
Press Quotes
“There is something thrilling about standing in the room where Charles I stayed, and then another room where Oliver Cromwell ate his dinner before the Battle of Naseby, although it must be pointed out that they were not there on the same night. That’s the thing about the Lygon Arms: history has seeped into the very fabric of this 16th-century inn in the Cotswold village of Broadway.” The Times 04
Independent Reviews
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"Ancient, evocative coaching inn, with good spa and restaurant; multi-million pound room upgrades underway"
The Lygon Arms
By Angela Moore
The Lygon Arms has been a coaching house for 500 years; while landlord John Trevis was carving ‘1620’ above the door to mark the year he took it over, the Pilgrims were setting sail for the New World. You can sleep in the same room as Charles I, who rallied his Cavalier supporters here, or Oliver Cromwell, who met here with his generals (you can imagine him being a horrible fellow guest).
All this history lives on in original flagstones, crooked beams and oak panelling; there are secret passageways and vast inglenook fireplaces and lots of fascinating nooks and crannies. There is also furniture and art that has been handed down from the very start of its life as an inn, including some fine Jacobean paintings. It overflows with atmosphere and character, without feeling Disney-fied.
The inn is a surprisingly large maze of buildings, twisty corridors, outbuildings and gardens. The outbuildings are now mainly given over to a spa, complete with a heated indoor pool that has a retractable roof for the summer time. There are three acres of planted gardens, with a tennis court and croquet lawn.
The Lygon Arms is wise enough to keep its guests fed and watered in very fine style. The restaurant, in a dramatic baronial hall built to house the North Cotswold Hunt during their annual Ball, was awarded its first Michelin star in 2005. It’s a grand space, better for dinner en famille than for romantic dalliance. Service is formal yet solicitous and friendly, though the hotel staff is rather more on the ball than the restaurant staff. After dinner, retire to one of the bars, a little snug with battered leather armchairs in front of a delightfully wonky inglenook fireplace that’s big enough to park a car in. Fantastic.
The rooms
There are 69 rooms and suites, half in the original building and half in the Garden and Orchard wings. Naturally, for such an ancient building, they are all different in style and layout. The further you go up the scale from double and twins to deluxe kings and queens, the more original features you get – exposed beams, fireplaces, original leaded windows. Décor tends towards the traditional and English, very comfortable, not too chintzy, not too imaginative. Amenities are decent - good solid stuff.
Suites are wonderful. The Broadway Suite has a large, old-fashioned bathroom, a glorious four-poster and a proper fireplace with logs stacked next to it in the sitting room. The Charles I Master Suite has 16th-century panelling on the walls, a roll-top bath and lots of furniture that’s original to the room – hard to get more evocative than this.
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