GZagatta, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Snowshill
A tiny hill village above Broadway with Snowshill Manor, Charles Wade's house of extraordinary collections, and lavender fields that flower in midsummer.
- Nearest station
- Moreton-in-Marsh, about 7 miles, or Evesham, about 8, then a taxi; no bus comes to Snowshill
- Parking
- The National Trust's free car park on the Broadway road, about 450m from the manor, with six EV chargers; Cotswold Lavender has its own free field
- Best time
- Mid-June to early August for lavender; spring or autumn weekdays for the manor
- When it's busy
- Lavender weekends from late June to late July, and summer weekends at the manor; out of lavender season and before 11am it is a hamlet again
- Dogs
- On short leads in the manor's reception, shop, outside café, orchards, meadow and front lawns, not in the house or formal garden; on a lead at Cotswold Lavender; welcome at the Snowshill Arms
About Snowshill
Snowshill is a village of about 160 people high on the hills 3 miles south of Broadway, by the road that climbs out of Broadway as Church Street. The name means hill of snow, and it is often said, the council's conservation appraisal notes, that snow lies in the folds of the hill long after it has gone from the Vale. Almost everyone who comes is heading for Snowshill Manor or, for a few weeks in summer, the lavender; the rest of the year it is a hamlet round a church and a pub, a quieter alternative to Broadway, and so it is in our guide to the Cotswolds without the crowds.
What to see
The manor first. Charles Paget Wade, an architect and collector with an income from sugar estates in St Kitts, bought Snowshill Manor in 1919, restored it with 28 local craftsmen and filled it with craftsmanship of every kind, from bicycles to armour. He never lived in the house: he slept in a cottage in the grounds and used the manor for his collection and his guests, Virginia Woolf and John Masefield among them, and Queen Mary in 1937. He gave it all to the National Trust in 1951. The house, listed Grade II*, is seventeenth and eighteenth century, altered for Wade in 1919 to 1923, and he terraced the hillside into a garden from a plan by M. H. Baillie Scott, with Wolf's Cove, a model village, at the bottom.
Opening times change through the year and vary by date. From 7 to 29 November 2026 the manor and garden open on Saturdays and Sundays only, with last entry to the manor at 1.30pm and to the property at 2.30pm, and they are closed through December. From 2 November an adult ticket is £13; National Trust members go free. Check the Trust's calendar before you go.
The church and the village
The village takes a quarter of an hour, all of it in the conservation area designated in 1971. St Barnabas church was built in 1864 on the site of the old chapel and keeps a fifteenth-century font; its windows commemorate the Marshalls, who farmed the manor as tenants through the nineteenth century. The church and the cottages around it were filmed for Bridget Jones's Diary in 2000. Opposite the Snowshill Arms is a small green. The pub is seventeenth century; the old school, post office and shop are all houses now. Fourteen buildings are listed Grade II; the manor is the only Grade II*. More in Cotswold film and TV locations.
A day in Snowshill
Park at the National Trust car park and walk the hilly 450m to the manor; allow two hours. Walk into the village for lunch at the Snowshill Arms, then take the Snowshill and Snowswood loop, 2.1 miles (3.4km) and about an hour and a quarter, which drops into the valley and comes back past the church. In late June and July, swap the walk for Cotswold Lavender at Hill Barn Farm, about a mile from the manor, where 45 acres of lavender open daily from 10am to 5pm for a few weeks, tickets by card on arrival.
Walks from Snowshill
Besides the Snowswood loop, Stanton, Snowshill and the edge is a 6.6-mile (10.6km) circuit from Stanton that reaches the manor at its halfway point, with steep sections and stiles. From Broadway, the 4-mile loop up to Broadway Tower and the 3.7-mile loop by Pye Corner both climb to the Cotswold Way, three quarters of a mile below Snowshill.
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Food and drink
The Snowshill Arms is the only business in the village: a Donnington Brewery pub by the green (01386 852653), which the brewery describes as a family-friendly locals' pub that welcomes animals, with a play area and a garden. It opens from 11am to 3pm and 6pm to 10pm, Monday to Saturday, and from 11am to 6pm on Sundays; it publishes no food times, so ring before you go if you want to eat. The manor has a café, and in lavender season the Cabin at Cotswold Lavender sells drinks and ice cream. For anything more, Broadway is 3 miles down the hill.
When to come
Snowshill has two seasons. From mid-June to early August the lavender is out and the lanes fill; Cotswold Lavender charges more in its peak weeks (27 June to 22 July in 2026). Come on a weekday, early. The rest of the year the village is quiet and the manor is the reason to climb the hill: spring and autumn weekdays are best, and the Trust's times vary by date, so check its calendar. The short, steep loop by Snowswood is on our list of short walks. The Cotswolds in June has the lavender opening here, and the Cotswolds in July the lavender at its peak.
Last verified 1 November 2026 by our editors
Part of
The North Cotswolds
The high wolds between Chipping Campden and Bourton-on-the-Water: the Fosse Way towns, the Windrush villages, the Slaughters and the escarpment at Broadway.
Things to do in Snowshill
Historic houses and heritage · Snowshill
Snowshill Manor and Garden
Charles Wade's house of collected craftsmanship, from bicycles to armour, above Broadway, given to the National Trust in 1951, with its garden and model village.
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Cotswold Lavender
Parks and gardens · Snowshill
Forty-five acres of lavender fields at Snowshill, first planted in 1999, open for a few weeks from mid-June to early August when the lavender flowers.
Dog-friendly · Family-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
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Broadway Tower
Historic houses and heritage · Broadway
James Wyatt's folly of 1798 on Beacon Hill above Broadway, with a museum in the tower, a red deer park, two cafés and a Cold War nuclear bunker.
Family-friendly · Dog-friendly · Walker-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
Where to stay in Snowshill
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Snowshill Manor Farmhouse
Self-catering · Snowshill
A National Trust holiday house for nine opposite Snowshill Manor, the old farm manager's home, with an open fire, five bedrooms and walks from the door.
Dog-friendly · Family-friendly · Walker-friendly
Verified Nov 2026
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Diston's Cottage
Self-catering · Snowshill
A National Trust cottage for two on the street in Snowshill, opposite the manor, with a multi-fuel stove, a terraced garden and dogs welcome.
Dog-friendly · Walker-friendly
Verified Nov 2026
Where to eat and drink in Snowshill
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Broadway Deli
Cafes and tearooms · Broadway
An independent delicatessen and café on Broadway High Street, opposite the Lygon Arms, open since 2002, serving brunch all day with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices.
Verified Oct 2026
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House of George
Restaurants · Broadway
A restored seventeenth-century house on Broadway's High Street with ten bedrooms, a relaxed lunch from Wednesday to Sunday and Moda, its fine-dining restaurant, from Wednesday to Saturday evenings.
Verified Oct 2026
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The Plough Inn, Ford
Pubs · Guiting Power
A Donnington Brewery pub on the B4077 at Ford, near Temple Guiting, serving food all afternoon and evening from Wednesday to Saturday and lunch on Sundays. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Verified Nov 2026
Walks in and around Snowshill
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Broadway, Pye Corner and the Cotswold Way
Walk · Starts in Broadway · 1 hr, 45 mins · Circular · Dog-friendly
A 3.7-mile (6km) circular walk from Church Close car park in Broadway, about an hour and three quarters, moderate with one steep climb and descent. It crosses the fields south to Pye Corner, climbs to the Cotswold Way and comes down its fields to St Michael's.
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Broadway and Broadway Tower
Walk · Starts in Broadway · 3 hrs · Circular
A 4-mile (6.5km) circular walk from the war memorial in Broadway, two and a half to three hours, moderate with steep sections and no stiles. It passes St Eadburgha's, climbs Coneygree Lane to Broadway Tower and comes back down the Cotswold Way.
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Cotswold Way: Broadway to Wood Stanway
Walk · Starts in Broadway · 3 hrs, 15 mins · Dog-friendly
A 6.5-mile (10.5km) one-way walk on the second section of the Cotswold Way, from Broadway's green, moderate and three to three and a half hours: a long climb to Shenberrow, a steep descent into Stanton, then field paths by Stanway's church and gatehouse to Wood Stanway.
Sights in and around Snowshill
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St Barnabas's Church, Snowshill
Sight · Church · Snowshill
St Barnabas is Snowshill's village church, rebuilt in 1864 in coursed stone with a three-stage west tower and a clock, and keeping a fifteenth-century font. It stands beside Snowshill Manor, and it and the cottages round it were filmed for Bridget Jones's Diary. Grade II.
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St Eadburgha's Church, Broadway
Sight · Church · Broadway
St Eadburgha's is Broadway's old parish church, out on Snowshill Road a mile from the village: a cross-shaped church of the twelfth century and about 1400, with a crossing tower, Tudor and Stuart brasses and medieval woodwork. Grade I; open daily, 10am to 4pm.
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St Michael and All Angels, Stanton
Sight · Church · Stanton
St Michael and All Angels is Stanton's Grade I church, of the twelfth to seventeenth century, with a spired west tower, medieval wall paintings and a rood loft and east window by Sir Ninian Comper. It stands on Church Lane, by the cross and the Cotswold Way.
Stories about Snowshill
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Bluebell woods in the Cotswolds
Story · Guides · 10 minute read
The best bluebell woods in the Cotswolds, from Westonbirt's Silk Wood and Lynches Wood below Dover's Hill to Standish Wood, Frith Wood, Siccaridge Wood and Foxholes: when they flower, who looks after each wood, where to park, the dog rule and the walk that goes through it.
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Bridget Jones at Snowshill: the village of her parents
Story · Guides · 4 minute read
Snowshill, above Broadway, was the village of Bridget's parents in Bridget Jones's Diary: St Barnabas church and the cottages round it, what you can see, Snowshill Manor and the lavender, and how to get there.
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Cotswold film and TV locations
Story · Guides · 11 minute read
Where Clarkson's Farm, Downton Abbey, Harry Potter, Father Brown, Poldark, Bridget Jones and Cider with Rosie were filmed in and around the Cotswolds, what you can see today, and the claims that do not stand up.
Getting to Snowshill
- By car
- From Broadway, 2.5 miles up Church Street. Satnav takes you to the village centre; follow the signs to the National Trust car park on the Broadway road.
- Parking
- The National Trust car park is free, about 450m from the manor by a hilly path, with six 11kW EV chargers. Cotswold Lavender has its own free field car park (WR12 7JY).
- By bus
- No bus serves Snowshill. The nearest stations are Moreton-in-Marsh, about 7 miles, and Evesham, about 8; from either, a taxi, booked for the return too.
Access
The walk from the car park to the manor is about 450m and hilly; a volunteer buggy runs between the café and the manor, and there are disabled spaces by reception. The manor has narrow corridors, steps and uneven floors. The village street climbs past the church.
| Broadway | 3.1 mi |
|---|---|
| Stanton | 6.8 mi |
| Moreton-in-Marsh station | 8.7 mi |
| Evesham station | 9.3 mi |
| Stow-on-the-Wold | 9.9 mi |
Places near Snowshill
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BroadwayA Worcestershire village below the escarpment, an old coaching stop with a long High Street, two museums, an artists' history and Broadway Tower on the hill.
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StantonA spring-line village on the Cotswold Way below the escarpment, restored by Sir Philip Stott from 1906, with a Grade I church and a pub at the top of the street.
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Chipping CampdenA wool town with a High Street of honey stone, a 1627 Market Hall, a great wool church and almshouses, and the start of the Cotswold Way on its doorstep.
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WinchcombeA walkers' town below the escarpment, with Sudeley Castle and Katherine Parr's tomb, the ruins of Hailes Abbey, Belas Knap on the hill and a steam railway.