Broadway Museum
& Art Gallery

Come & Explore the Museum and Art Gallery

Tudor House was purpose built in the 17th century as a coaching inn to serve the Ludlow to London route. It has been extended and adapted over the years but still retains original features and architectural flourishes reflecting trends of the passing eras. The house has been through many phases. It has served as a farmstead and a private residence. For 80 years, it was the headquarters for H.W Keil Ltd, a renowned leading dealers in antique furniture. It is now one of the only 17th century buildings in Broadway that you can see inside and explore. Since 2013 it has been home to Broadway Museum and Art Gallery.

The Museum explores the heritage and history of Broadway village and tells the story of it’s success through the wool trade and the popularity of the village with travellers and artists. The unique collection includes paintings, porcelain and artefacts curated by the Ashmolean in Oxford, and the furniture has been selected from the Keil’s Antiques Collection. The local exhibits are ever evolving.

The Museum is now the home of the work of internationally renowned artist Willard Wigan MBE who creates the world’s smallest works of arts. A self-taught artist, his incredible micro sculptures are celebrated in the Guinness Book of World Records.  Some of the sculptures are smaller than a grain of sand and invisible to the naked eye.  The needles are therefore, presented in microscopes for visitors of all ages to enjoy.

Broadway is one of the best loved and most popular villages in the Cotswolds and Tudor House is one of its most prominent buildings. Originally built in the seventeenth century as a coaching inn, it has been extended and adapted over the centuries. It has also served as a private residence for various owners, including Benjamin Chandler who refurbished the property with the Arts and Crafts architect, CE Mallows, in 1908. For nearly 80 years, it was the headquarters for H.W. Keil Ltd, one of the leading dealers in antique furniture in the world. 

The Museum is thrilled to announce the arrival of the Artist Colony display, curated by Karen Bloch. This exhibition, in partnership with the Broadway Arts Festival, explores the beautiful artworks which were painted in Broadway and the artists who were inspired by the beauty of the village and its surrounding countryside.

February - October
(before daylight saving ends)

Monday – Sunday 10.00-5.00 (last entry 4.30)

October (after daylight saving ends) -December

Monday – Sunday 10.00-4.00 (last entry 3.30)

Open Bank Holidays

Winter closure: We close to update our exhibitions and add new material from the 19th December to the second Saturday in February when we reopen for the new year.

Adult £5.00
Family £10.00
Child £2.00 (under 5’s free)

Opening Times: Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm
Standard Entrance fee:- Adults £5, Children 6-16yrs £2.00, Under 5yrs Free
Families £10.00, 2 Adults and 2 Children

Address
Broadway Museum & Art Gallery
Tudor House
65 High Street, Broadway,
Worcestershire WR12 7DP

Website   www.broadwaymuseum.org.uk
Contact    admin@broadwaymuseum.org.uk/ Tel: 01386 859047

Cotswolds.Info is proud of being the first Founding Corporate
Sponsor to sign up in support of the Broadway Museum

The History of Tudor House

With its prominent position on Broadway High Street, Tudor House is situated in the centre of the village on the south side ofthe High Street. The date of building (1659/1660) is marked on the bay window at the front of the building. The house was built as a result of the successful wool growing and wool weaving in the area, and was originally owned by the Wool Staple.

Described as a ‘splendidly monumental building of 1659/60’ (Pevsner), the Tudor House forms part of a group of historic urban properties set directly at the back of the pavement facing the village Broad Street with its narrow green, which gives the town its name. The house forms the prominent triple-gabled centrepiece of a group, with another 19th / 20th century building, later attached to the West.

Tudor House home to the Broadway Museum and Art Gallery

Some of the best 16th and 17th century rural architecture and stonemasonry abound in the Cotswolds, and Tudor House is a highlight example. The floorplan is typical of the period, and the façade semi-symmetrical. The bay window forms a central feature, balanced by the mullioned windows on one side and the door on the other, dating the architecture to the late 16th or early 17th century. The building’s prominent position on the High Street, and its grand façade, contribute to the impression that it was built to represent the wealth and success of its original owners and the wool trade.

Broadway Museum - main entrance at night

Changes to the building’s structure over the last 350 years are thought to be relatively minimal, although it is possible that the bay windows have been altered. The building was refurbished and brought closer to its original state in 1907-09 under the guidance of Arts and Crafts architect Mr C.E. Mallows of Bedford, under the ownership of a Mr B.M. Chandler. Before then, it is believed that the structure itself had never been seriously tampered with. Internally, however, many of the original features had been covered and the original staircase has been removed. At the time of the 1907 refurbishment, there was a stone staircase with cast iron hand-rail, this was taken out during the restoration and replaced with a more sympathetic oak staircase, based on the remnants of the top flight, which remained. The ornate fireplaces remain stunning features in the rooms today.

The Keil Family became the owners of the property in the early twentieth century, and under their ownership, the neighbouring buildings were successfully used as Antiques showrooms for over 70 years.