The story of Broadway Tower

This little castle on the hilltop was never meant to defend anything. The idea came from the landscape designer Capability Brown; the architect James Wyatt designed it in 1794, and the 6th Earl of Coventry built it in 1798–1799 for his wife, Barbara. It stands on Broadway Hill, the second-highest point of the Cotswolds, at 1,024 feet above sea level.

The hill was a beacon hill, where fires were lit on special occasions. The tower itself is 65 feet tall, six-sided, with three round corner turrets, battlements and gargoyles, all in limestone. Although people sometimes call it a folly, it is a real building with rooms inside; its top three floors are a museum, and two of the turrets hold spiral staircases up to a rooftop viewing platform.

It sits on the Cotswold Way footpath, reached by a steep climb from Broadway village. Climb to the top on a clear day and look out across the countryside in every direction.