William Shakespeare  and Stratford upon Avon

Brief History of William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616) was born at Stratford-upon-Avon in a house in Henley Street . This is preserved intact. His mother, Mary Arden, was one of the daughters of Robert Arden, a yeoman farmer of Wilmcote: his father, John Shakespeare, was a glover and wool dealer of good standing who held the office of Bailiff of the Borough in 1568.

From the age of seven to about 14, he attended Stratford Grammar School receiving an excellent well rounded education. At the age of 18 he married Anne Hathaway, who was seven years his senior and three months pregnant. She was of 'yeoman' stock - her family owned a farm one mile west of Stratford in Shottery. He endured her until he could stand it no longer and fled to London to become an actor. He then became actor-manager and part-owner in the Blackfriars and afterwards the Globe Theatres. He was a first-rate actor, but it is as a writer of plays that he has achieved lasting world-wide fame. His plays are thought to be the finest ever written in any language.

His 37 plays vary in type; historical romances, light, fantastic comedies, some are tragedies, all including the comical and the farcical. He was a shrewd business man, amassing quite a fortune in his time. He returned to Stratford for his latter years where he died at the age of 52 and now lies at rest in his special grave at Holy Trinity Church

Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a town, small in size but large in history and interest. The streets themselves hold a thousand delights with the chemistry of the ages mixed in with the needs of today. It is a thriving and busy town of just over 20,000 inhabitants whose day-to-day business is conducted amongst the rich architecture. William Shakespeare's significance to the town can be found in his families' houses found about the streets.

Bridge Street

For many people this is the first site of the town centre. A long, broad sweeping street which houses the flags of the nations during the Shakespeare Birthday Parade.

High Street

A central street with many excellent shops and Nash House where Shakespeare lived.

Sheep Street

Authentic buildings consisting of small quality shops and intimate restaurants.

Bancroft Gardens

The Bancroft Gardens are in front of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and alongside the River Avon. It has a holiday atmosphere with open-air entertainers and is the home of the new Commemorative Fountain to mark the 800th Anniversary of Stratford being granted its Market Rights by King Richard The Lionheart.

Waterside and the Canal Basin

Alongside this street which leads to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre is the Canal Basin with the Wonderful World of Shakespeare. In the basin is a very special canal boat that offers dinner on the river

Henley Street

This is a charming old street that houses numerous shops, The Shakespeare Birthplace, The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and Library.

Rother Street

On Fridays Stratford's street market takes place in Rother Street alongside the American Fountain. It is also home to the Town Council and the Civic Hall with its large variety of entertainment throughout the year.

New Place from The Guild

New Place is the house where Shakespeare and his family lived, it is also the start of the High Street.

Church Street King Edward VI Grammar School (William Shakespeare's old school) , the alms houses and the Guild Chapel. The upper floor of the school is the old meeting room of the Stratford town council. Visit the five houses in or near Stratford-upon-Avon connected with William Shakespeare and his family. The Shakespearian properties offer a unique experience of the Stratford world in which the famous dramatist and poet was born, lived and died.
Open all year round, these sixteenth-century houses feature rare period furnishings and domestic items. Aspects of Tudor life, are on display, all set in attractive gardens and grounds.

New Place, Shakespeare's home from 1597 until his death in 1616,was pulled down in the eighteenth century but its foundations and grounds can be seen, including a beautiful Elizabethan-style knott garden ie created eighty years ago. The site is approached through Nash's House adjoining, which contains exceptional furnishings of Shakespeare's period. The rooms on the lower level include some early seventeenth century oak furniture. Upstairs, there is an exhibition dealing with the history of Stratford-upon-Avon before and after Shakespeare.

Hall's Croft

This impressive house is where Shakespeare's eldest daughter (Susanna), lived with her medical genius of a husband. It is near to Holy Trinity Church, where Shakespeare is buried. On display are outstanding sixteenth and seventeenth-century furniture and paintings, and an exhibition about Dr Hall and the medicine of his time. It has an enchanting garden. Not to be missed. Herbs and perennials are for sale here and refreshments can be enjoyed on secluded seats and in the intimate tea room.

The lower level of the house is guided, but visitors are welcome to enjoy the entire house.

.                                     Anne Hathaway's Cottage

Exquisitely picturesque - the second favourite Shakespearian property. Before marrying William Shakespeare in 1582, Anne Hathaway lived in what is justifiably described as one of England's most famous buildings. Part of the building dates from the mid-fifteenth century, and some of the furniture belonged to the Hathaways and their descendants. The garden is outstanding.   Disabled visitors: the house cannot be entered in a wheelchair but the exterior can be viewed from the garden, part of which is accessible

Shakespeare's B irthplace

The half-timbered house where William Shakespeare was born in 1564 is Stratford's most cherished historic place. It is the most frequently visited of all the tourist places. Descendants of the dramatist lived there until the nineteenth century, and it has been a place of pilgrimage for over 250 years. Open daily, tours start in The Birthplace which contains an acclaimed exhibition of the poet's life, William Shakespeare: His Life and Background They then carry on through the house, which is furnished in period style with many historic manuscripts and books. Finally the tour ends outside in the celebration garden.

Mary Arden's House

Three and a half miles outside Stratford and still retaining its country setting in Wilmcote, this timbered Tudor farmhouse is the house that Shakespeare's mother, Mary Arden, grew up in before marrying John Shakespeare and moving to Henley Street. It is also home to the Shakespeare countryside museum, two historic farms, displays of farm implements, daily demonstrations by the Heart of England falconry, a blacksmith's forge and a duckpond.

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