I had just missed the start of the walking tour so I managed to swipe one of the official guide books from the Tourist Information office. I wandered around the place looking at some of the old buildings that have been standing there since the early 1500s. Obviously I went to see some of the properties held by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Walking through the rooms of the house were WS was born was very exciting! His house is almost the town centre and completely furnished with period appropriate items. out in the courtyard behind the house are reenactments of some of his more well known scenes from various plays. The house is quite large as the family was relatively wealthy - his father being the mayor of Stratford for a period of time.
I also managed to visit Hall's Croft which was the home to WS's daughter and her husband. Some of the original furniture remains and it looks incredible...they were quite wealthy given that the husband was a doctor.
Also on the "tour" was New Place which was the name of the house where WS spent the last 15 years of his life with his family. The house itself was demolished in 1759 but an archaeological dig on the site shows the original foundations and some of the cellars which were added in later renovations. The site is next to another home called Nash's House which belonged to WS's grand-daughter and her husband. The original house must have been huge as the dig site is spread out over quite a large area with a massive garden at the back.
Also along the way was the Swan Theatre which is part of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, all of which is under renovation and closed to the public.
There was so much to see in Stratford-upon-Avon I went back on Wednesday as well!
Wednesday morning I visited Anne Hathaway's Cottage which is about a mile out from Stratford...a long walk especially in the drizzling rain! The cottage is an old farmhouse on a huge piece of land with orchards and sculpture gardens at the rear. Inside has original furniture from WS's days of courting Anne Hathaway. I managed to take a few "illegal" photos inside the house, one of which is of me sitting on a bench in front of the fire which no doubt Will and Anne sat upon at some stage. The gardens are also immaculate!
There were many more sights to be seen at Stratford-upon-Avon...too many to write here. Enjoy some of the pictures (the rest will be on Facebook soon!)
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| Shakespeare's home |
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| Re-enactments of some better known scenes |
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| Hall's Croft |
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| Foundations of Shakespeare's final home (continues further down the back of the property) |
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| Swan Theatre |
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| Royal Shakespeare Theatre from across the River Avon Popular boating area  |
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| Me on the Hathaway Family Bench seat (apparently no photos in the house...oops) |
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