Stratford upon Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon City Guide
Introduction
The birthplace of England’s greatest playwright, Stratford-upon-Avon is a small town but one of great significance historically and culturally. It’s the quintessential English country town, with picturesque medieval streets, leafy parks, open greens and a winding river. The main focus of the town is of course the Bard, and there are lots of museums devoted to his life and works, but there’s much more to see in town besides.
Attractions
Birthplace Museum
The house in which Shakespeare was born is the obvious starting point for visitors to Stratford-upon-Avon. It’s an attractive half-timbered cottage with a modern visitor centre attached. An extensive exhibition pulls together the little evidence there is to provide an insight into Shakespeare’s life, after which the tour takes visitors around the cottage, which is furnished in 16th century style, before finishing in the beautifully laid out Celebration Garden outside.
Shakespearience
Touted as a ‘virtual reality’ experience, this dynamic exhibition uses the latest technology and special effects to showcase Shakespeare’s life and works. It’s an hour long show with tours of key buildings in Stratford relating to the Bard as well as excerpts from some of his plays, set in a traditional timbered Elizabethan playhouse.
New Place
After being plagued by hundreds of Shakespeare pilgrims desperate to see the last place where the playwright lived, the 18th century owner Frances Gastrell of the much-visited house got fed up and knocked it down. All that now remains is a garden in which the foundations of the house are still visible. In the middle stands a mulberry tree as a memorial to Shakespeare. It’s said to be a descendent of the original mulberry tree planted by Shakespeare, which suffered the same fate as his house at the hands of Gastrell.
Nash’s House
Next door to New Place, the house of one of Shakespeare’s descendents is still standing. It was owned by Thomas Nash, the husband of Shakespeare’s granddaughter Elizabeth Hall. On the lower level the rooms are furnished in the style of the early 17th century, while the upper level contains an interesting exhibition on the history of Stratford-upon-Avon.
Hall’s Croft
Shakespeare’s oldest daughter Susanna and her husband John Hall lived in this wonderful Elizabethan cottage. Hall was a renowned doctor and there’s an exhibition inside displaying his published casebooks and some rather gruesome looking medical instruments from his time. Some of the rooms are also furnished with beautiful 16th and 17th century furniture.
Falstaff’s Experience
An elaborate haunted house. Journey through time ,theatrical, ghostly. recreated stratford buildings chronicle the town’s history. Ghost tours can be taken at night – reputed to be one of the UK’s most haunted buildings. Shrieves House, tenement, haunted chamber, plague cottage, witches glade, civil war, falstaff’s tavern, old penny arcade.
Holy Trinity Church
This stunning 13th century church is the burial place of William Shakespeare and his wife Anne Hathaway. It’s set in a lovely riverside location surrounded by ancient trees and weeping willows.
Anne Hathaway’s Cottage
Follow the signposted path to Shottery from Evesham Place and you’ll reach Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, just over a mile from the centre of Stratford-upon-Avon. It’s where she lived before marrying Shakespeare. Built in the 15th century, it has a picturesque thatched roof and oak beamed ceilings. Some of the furniture inside belonged to the Hathaway family.
Mary Arden’s House
Slightly further out of town, three miles northwest of the centre at Wilmcote, is the house where Shakespeare’s mother Mary Arden was born and brought up. The last unmarried daughter in her family, she inherited the house when her father died and remained in it until she married John Shakespeare and moved to the property on Henley Street where William Shakespeare was born. It’s a pristine example of a Tudor farmhouse and it houses the countryside museum, which has displays on traditional farming methods as well as two working farms and a blacksmith’s forge.
Harvard House
Now owned by Harvard University, Harvard House was the family home of John Harvard whose bequest of an extensive library and half of his estate was instrumental in the foundation of this prestigious American academic institution. It’s now a museum of British pewter, with exhibits ranging from Roman times to the present day.
River and Canal
The River Avon once provided a vital trade link for Stratford-upon-Avon, which was once an important market town. The linking of the Avon to the Midlands canal network opened up trade even further. Nowadays the main uses of the waterways in the town are for leisure activities, and there are lots of ways to enjoy them – hiring a rowing boat, going on a cruise, following a riverside walk or simply relaxing in the gardens at the water’s edge in Bancroft Gardens where the river meets the canal basin. Every year in June there’s a boat race, which is an entertaining sight to see as various home-made rafts and boats attempt to stay afloat while racing each other down the river.
Eating Out
Stratford-upon-Avon has some excellent restaurants, many of which offer value-for-money pre- and post-theatre menus. Marlowe’s on the High Street combines a classy silver service restaurant with a more informal bistro to cater for all tastes and budgets. The menu is distinctly British with a very modern feel. Will’s Place on Chapel Street is a cosy and friendly restaurant serving traditional British dishes. One of the best Italian restaurants in town is Sorrento on Ely Street, a large, family-run establishment with a warm and welcoming atmosphere. For an informal meal in a traditional English pub, head over to the Salmon Tail Inn on Evesham Road, which has an excellent beer and wine list and a menu of simple yet tasty home-cooked dishes. If you’re there on a Sunday, don’t miss the delicious roast dinner with all the trimmings.
For those who have transport, it’s worth visiting the College Arms just south of Stratford-upon-Avon at Lower Quinton. Dating from the 16th century and originally owned by King Henry VIII, it’s a marvellous coaching inn with a sleek and stylish bar, formal restaurant, informal bistro and newly refurbished rooms. Both chef and restaurant have won several awards for the imaginative and delicious menu.
Nightlife
Stratford-upon-Avon’s best evening entertainment is of course theatre. It’s the home of the Royal Shakespeare Company, which has four theatres and attracts some of the best actors and directors in the world. The Royal Shakespeare Theatre is the biggest of the three venues, with a restaurant, bar and shop as well as seating for an audience of up to 1400, while the 400-seater Swan is a more intimate theatre. The third theatre, the new 1,000-seater Courtyard, was completed in 2006 as part of an extensive ongoing refurbishment project of the RSC’s properties. There’s also a 200-seater outdoor performance area called The Dell, beautifully located in the Theatre Gardens next to the Holy Trinity Church by the River Avon.
