Broadway is often referred to as the ‘Jewel of the Cotswolds’ and the ‘Show Village of England’ because of it’s sheer beauty and magnificence. Broadway is a lively and vibrant village with one of the longest high streets in England. It has a superb range of unique shops and designer boutiques, restaurants and hotels on [...]
Broadway is often referred to as the ‘Jewel of the Cotswolds’ and the ‘Show Village of England’ because of it’s sheer beauty and magnificence.
Broadway is a lively and vibrant village with one of the longest high streets in England. It has a superb range of unique shops and designer boutiques, restaurants and hotels on both sides of the road. It is steeply embedded with history dating back from Roman times.
In the 1600s, it was a major stopping place for the stage coaches travelling between Worcester and London – the Lygon Arms still remains popular with travellers and visitors. A couple of centuries later, Broadway established itself as an important centre for the arts – attracting such luminaries as J M Barrie, Vaughan Williams, Edward Elgar and American artists Edwin Austin Abbey and John Singer Sargent.
Then, Broadway became involved in the development of the Arts and Crafts movement – with William Morris a regular visitor and Gordon Russell establishing his furniture workshop in the village.
Why then is Broadway such a prosperous place?
The High Street runs from the east, from the foothills of the “West Cotswold Escarpment”, to the west as a very gentle downhill slope. The energy flows down the hills and gently rolls down the street. The road is wide and the buildings are set far apart; enabling the energy to move downhill slowly – hence the prosperity over the ages.
The situation between Silver Street (Dursley) and Broadway is very different.
In Silver Street (Dursley), the gap between the buildings is narrow thus squeezing the energy flow, making it speed up which in turn, creates a turbulent flow. The area is not prosperous as the buildings are boarded up.
In Broadway, the street are wide and the buildings are set far apart. The allows the energy to flow slowly in a smooth and gentle manner. This village has been and will be prosperous for a long time to come (as long as the village remains unchanged).
Dr Michael Oon
Dursley is a small market town in the Cotswold. It appears to be doing well but there are signs that it has seen better days. At the moment, change is happening – a new Sainsbury’s superstore has just opened. Dursley Town Centre – Street Scene But, there is one area in Silver Street that is [...]
Dursley is a small market town in the Cotswold. It appears to be doing well but there are signs that it has seen better days. At the moment, change is happening – a new Sainsbury’s superstore has just opened.
Dursley Town Centre – Street Scene
But, there is one area in Silver Street that is very different from the rest. Why?
Silver Street at the narrow point
This area of Silver Street is lined with shops on both side of the road but they have been closed or boarded up for quite some time. It is certainly not a prosperous area. Why?
Could it be because it is -
- not receiving any energy?
- getting inauspicious energy from a “poor” compass direction?
- anything else?
Google Earth – Street Image of Dursley Town Centre
Description of the area.
The energy (red arrows) from the 2 roads from the town centre (from the West) and Long Street (from the north east) join at the junction and then flow downhill to Silver Street. This part of Silver street is the lowest level.
Interpretation:
1. The area is filled with energy from the roads from the Town centre and Long Street.
2. The west and north-east compass directions are auspicious directions at the moment.
3. When you look at the image below, the street at this point is narrows; there is a small pavement (side walk) on either side and the road narrows. This narrowing of the road would compress the energy making it move faster, thereby causing turbulence – making this location inauspicious.
Silver street – street scene.
Conclusion:
In the town centre, the street is wide. The energy can move slowly through the town thereby distributing the energy evenly. When the energy starts to move faster, as this location on Silver Street, the energy loses its “vitality” and the place is no longer prosperous.
When Energy moves too fast, it is inauspicious. Energy is auspicious when it moves slowly.
As it is, this part of Dursley will be the weakest when the economic upturn returns. The only solution that I can suggest would be a re-development of the area – the rebuilding of one side of the road. Thereby, the buildings on both sides of the road will be further apart, the energy will move slower and the place will be really prosperous. It has the potential to be a very prosperous location as it is “fed” with really good auspicious energy.
Dr Michael Oon
Bourton on the Water When I was a schoolboy in Singapore, I read my father’s book on the British isles. What fascinated me was the chapter on Bourton-on-the-Water. A small village in Gloucestershire which has a river flowing through the centre with 5 small bridges. But, the focus of the feature article was the model [...]
Bourton on the Water
When I was a schoolboy in Singapore, I read my father’s book on the British isles. What fascinated me was the chapter on Bourton-on-the-Water. A small village in Gloucestershire which has a river flowing through the centre with 5 small bridges. But, the focus of the feature article was the model village (1/9 scale). The photographs showed a disproportionately ratio; man being larger than the buildings. Every since, I have held an interest in the “Venice of the Coswolds”
Since my first visit in the 70s and subsequent visits, including this one, the village is extremely busy with tourists. This time, with my knowledge of Feng Shui for towns and cities, I wanted to know why there is this continual prosperity.
Water is associated with prosperity of towns and cities.
1. The prosperity of seaside towns changes with time, for example. Blackpool, Brighton, Bournemouth or Sandbanks.
2. Perhaps, it could be the the direction of the flow of water in rivers. These rules are called “Dragon Gate”.
3. Or, possibly other reasons.
The River Windrush, which flows through Bourton village centre, is spanned by several attractive footbridges. Around the river is the village green (lawns) and surrounded by buildings of the village.
Google Earth View of Bourton on the Water
Feng Shui Analysis
The river (green arrows) flows from the north west (location) to the south east; the water releases the energy (red arrows) to the village. The village buildings surrounding the lawns act as a barrier to the dispersal of the energy. The energy is therefore confined to this area as their outflow is restricted by 5 small exits (blue numbers) where the energy can leak out. These exits are roads to the village.
Energy is carried by the water in the river flow. This water continually releases this energy but particularly more so at a river bend.
In other words;
The village is getting a continuous supply of energy from the river flowing into the village. This energy is prevented from leaving the confines of the village because of the restrictions of 5 small exits. The net result is a cumulative supply of energy within the village. With energy comes life (the main tenet of Chinese Philosophy). Thereby, the continued prosperity of the village of Bourton on the water.
There are other towns where the river flows through the centre but the energy is not held and allowed to leak out. I will be going through the various towns in the UK and carrying out a Feng Shui analysis.
Dr Michael Oon
