The Lygon Arms

One of my favourite paintings is Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose by John Singer Sargent and perhaps we have to thank the warm hospitality of the Lygon Arms for this national treasure. The artist, whilst travelling to London, had an accident, bumping his head and was taken to stay at the Lygon Arms to recuperate. His convalescence resulted in him taking up residence nearby where he painted the famous masterpiece.

I imagine the painter was quite taken with this stylish hotel as it is at the centre of an unexpectedly charming and artistic community in the heart of rural Worcestershire.

As our little Fiat draws up outside the hotel, our overnight bags are swiftly gathered from the boot, the car disappears and we’re ushered into the lobby. This hotel is steeped in history and you don’t need to have much imagination to envisage Oliver Cromwell striding about in his riding boots plotting his next battle over a jug of beer.

It began life as a coaching inn, offering rest and merry-making for travellers coming to and from Wales. A few hundred years later, the guestlist got considerably more glamorous with the sovereign signatures of Charles I, Edward VII, Edward VIII and Prince Philip gracing the guest-book. 

Even Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton are known to have eloped here during their affair and I picture them huddled in one of the plentiful dark cosy corners sipping cocktails and flirting in silver-screen style.

It appears everyone has stayed here and I feel late to the party. Its appeal is instant. The lobby and bar area are divided into small areas where you can relax and chill. The restaurant, with its high vaulted ceiling, feels cool and contemporary while maintaining many of its original features to create a comfortable, atmospheric space. Dinner is casually formal, the service impeccable and the menu understated and tasty.

Our room is in the main house and the wooden beams and slanting floor make the room feel luxuriously old and we unwind. As I fall asleep between the crisp white sheets London seems like a long way away through time and space.

During breakfast, we plan our day and for a sleepy looking historical village there does seem almost too much to do. We start with a walk to the Broadway Tower via a picturesque church and idyllic graveyard then upwards through farms and fields to the Folly’s café high on the hill for a hot chocolate before the downhill trek back to the high street for some culture.

The Broadway Museum and Art Gallery is a hidden gem and has a great collection of paintings, porcelain and artefacts curated by the Ashmolean in Oxford. Later we visit the Gordon Russell Design Museum which celebrates the life and work of the renowned international furniture designer whose workshop was founded in Broadway.

Returning to the hotel, we take a delightful afternoon tea whilst the concierge books some tickets for the evening’s performance of Macbeth by the Royal Shakespeare Company at nearby Stratford-upon-Avon.

After a restful night, we have a lazy breakfast and cross the road to the famous Broadway Deli exploring the shelves of eclectic food fayre and finishing our trip off with yet another slice of cake.

As we drive back to North London I feel refreshed. A perfect weekend escape full of history, culture, countryside – and delicious cakes. Britain at its very best.