“I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service”

 The Queen spoke these words on her 21st Birthday and now, in 2022, celebrates 70 years as Head of State, having ruled longer than any other Monarch in British history.

In the Cotswolds, we’re very much looking forward to the occasion - several senior Royals have lived and grown up in the area and Cotswold residents are traditionally keen to celebrate these historic moments as part of village life. So, it’s no surprise that Broadway village is warmly anticipating the Jubilee and has created a programme of events for locals and visitors. As ever, our charming Village Green is the natural centre of attention, which is all very convenient for our Broadway Hotel guests.

Platinum Jubilee Celebration dates fall between the 2nd and 5th of June, 2022.

Thursday 2nd of June sees a morning parade on the High Street, with a ‘Big Broadway Picnic’ from 2pm. On this evening, plenty of people will make their way up the hill for the lighting of a Beacon at our main local landmark, Broadway Tower. It’s a historical curiosity that the Tower owes its existence to a beacon lit in 1797, which was ignited to commemorate a naval victory over the Dutch, at a place called Camperdown not far from Haarlem. The blaze was accompanied by fireworks and clearly must have made a deep impression on Lady Coventry, who encouraged her husband, Lord Coventry, to build a tower at the beacon site, inspired by both a sense of patriotism - and the remarkable setting.

The United Kingdom has a long tradition of celebrating Jubilee, Wedding and Coronation events with beacons. For this Platinum Jubilee, Broadway is again ready to play its part and there’s a lovely historical continuity in the fact that Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee was marked here in 1887, again with a beacon at Broadway Tower. At that time, from that wonderful viewpoint (the second highest in the Cotswold’s, at 1024 feet above sea level) 142 other beacons could be seen spreading out along the surrounding countryside. 2022 may well rival that sight.

The 9pm ‘lighting time’ links Broadway directly to events at Buckingham Palace where, at 9pm, a ‘tree of trees’ (a 21 metre ‘tree’ made of 350 trees) will be lit at the same time. On Friday, June 3rd, our village Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations continue with a morning Classic Car display around the High Street and, at 11am, an Open Air screening of the London St Paul’s Thanksgiving Service. This will be followed by music, food and activities on the Village Green. At 3pm there is an open air screening of the extraordinary original film of The Coronation of HM, Queen Elizabeth.

June 4th, Saturday, begins with a procession by the local hunt, followed by all-day entertainment food and activities on the Green. At 3pm there will be an Open Air Screening of the Queen’s Jubilee Concert from Buckingham Palace.

Appropriately, on Sunday 5th of June, the four Broadway denominations of the Christian faith will hold an Open Air Community Thanksgiving Service, to include ‘Pride of Broadway’ Awards.

For full details head to www.broadwayparishcouncil.org/queens-jubilee

Staff and guests at The Broadway Hotel, which no doubt has witnessed a passing monarch or two in the building’s 600 year old story, will be enthusiastically participating in local Jubilee events and are preparing for a busy long weekend. There’s nothing more English than Afternoon Tea, and so the hotel’s General Manager, Richard Tebay, and the team (especially the pastry chef!) have created a special Afternoon Tea menu, in honor of 70 glorious years.

Menu

Traditional Finger Sandwiches
(Coronation chicken • Smoked salmon + cucumber • Ham + mustard)

Two Freshly Baked Scones,
Devon Clotted Cream + Strawberry Jam

Victoria Strawberry Sponge Cake
The Queen’s Great Great Grandmother, Queen Victoria, enthusiastically enjoyed the Afternoon Tea tradition

Cherry & Raspberry Jubilee Cake
A tribute to classic Jubilee Cherry recipes

Chocolate Biscuit Terrine
Prince William’s favourite dessert… fit for a future king

Your Choice of Tea or Coffee

Twinings teas;
Breakfast Tea, Earl Grey, Assam, Darjeeling, Herbal, Peppermint, Camomile, Raspberry, Blackcurrant
Freshly Brewed Cafetière Coffee. Decaffeinated available

Afternoon Tea bookings for this special menu are now open for dates in June 2022 on 01386 852401.

The Queen’s Jubilee weekend should be a special one in Broadway and the Cotswolds. For those who plan to stay with us for a few days, there will be no shortage of entertainment and events. For a fix of ultimate Englishness, you might head to one of our famous National Trust gardens or explore Cotswold villages such as Chipping Campden or Stow-on-the-Wold. The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway offers plenty of nostalgia to enjoy, or you can head over to Gloucester Docks for the welcome return of their Tall Ships Festival (3rd to the 5th of June). There’s a busy programme of fun and entertainment on or around the water at this free-to-visit festival in Gloucester’s Historic Docks. gloucestertallships.co.uk.

For a day Cotswold tour, you might choose to head out for a day to Cirencester and Tetbury, two of the Cotswolds’ most ‘loyal and Royal’ villages. They’re very much associated with Prince Charles, Harry and William and Princess Anne, in an area known as the Cotswolds ‘Royal Triangle’. This is an area so reliably ‘posh’ that a pair of used polo mallets were once spotted for sale in one of the local charity shop! It’s a full day out from Broadway, but you can also include Bourton on the Water and Bibury in the itinerary.

However you spend your time with us in June, we aim to treat you royally at The Broadway Hotel. And at the end of the day? Why not keep the ‘British’ theme going by settling down for the evening with a pint of good ale and fish and chips from our Brasserie Menu. You’ll overlook the Village Green in a picture-perfect Cotswold village and reflect that, well, things don’t get more British than this, do they?