The Lygon Arms

Over the front door of the Lygon Arms, John Trevis carved his name and the date, 1620, by which time there had been an inn on the spot for nearly two and a half centuries. It saw both sides of the Civil War. Charles I met his supporters here, and Oliver Cromwell took a room before the Battle of Worcester in 1651; the inn has been tactful about it ever since, giving the king a suite and Cromwell a portrait, by the 17th-century fireplace in the Cromwell Room. From the High Street it is a long run of honey-coloured stone under gables, with climbers up the front. Inside, some bedrooms keep their antiques, and one four-poster of dark carved wood wears a canopy of red tartan, which takes some confidence. Gordon Russell, Broadway's own designer, was behind many of the pieces in the hotel and has a suite to his name.

Recommended for couples after a Cotswold weekend with some age in the walls, and for families, who are better provided for than a 17th-century inn suggests: the Gordon Russell Suite has two lounges and two single sofa beds, and there is a children's menu. The pool is indoors and heated, with a star tiled into its floor and a two-storey balustraded gallery above, which is a good deal of architecture for a swim. At the Grill, James Martin's signature dishes share the menu with seasonal ones; the Tavern does small plates and local ales. Broadway Tower stands on the escarpment above the village, about a mile and a half out. Ian Coley Sporting runs field-sports days and archery for the hotel, for anyone who would like to leave the inn armed, as Cromwell did for Worcester.