Sights in Stratford Upon Avon
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Guild Chapel
The Guild Chapel was founded in 1269 and is painted with motivational frescos showing the fate of the damned in the 15th century. It's only open to the public for services (10am Wednesday and noon on the first Saturday of the month April to September).
Next door is King Edward VI School, which Shakespeare almost certainly attended, housed in a vast timbered building that used to be the guildhall.
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Shakespeare's Birthplace
Start your Shakespeare adventure at the house where the world's most popular playwright supposedly spent his childhood days. In fact, the jury is still out on whether this really was Shakespeare's birthplace, but devotees of the Bard have been dropping in since at least the 19th century, leaving their signatures scratched onto the windows. Set behind a modern facade, the house contains restored Tudor rooms, live presentations from famous Shakespearean characters, and an engaging exhibition on Stratford's favourite son.
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Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust manages five buildings associated with Shakespeare. Three of the houses are central, one is an easy walk away, and the fifth a drive or bike ride out; a combination ticket costs about half as much as the individual admission fees combined. Opening times are complicated and vary during the off season (check the website for details). In summer, enormous crowds pack the small Tudor houses; a visit out of season is much more enjoyable. Note that wheelchair access to the properties is restricted.
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Holy Trinity Church
The final resting place of the Bard is said to be the most visited parish church in England. Inside are handsome 16th- and 17th-century tombs (particularly in the Clopton Chapel), some fabulous carvings on the choir stalls and, of course, the grave of William Shakespeare, with its ominous epitaph: 'cursed be he that moves my bones'.
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Mary Arden's House
Mary Arden's House at Wilmcote, 3 miles west of Stratford, was the childhood home of Shakespeare's mother. If you cycle there via Anne Hathaway's Cottage, follow the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal towpath to Wilmcote rather than retracing your route or riding back along the busy A3400. The easiest way to get there otherwise is on a bus tour. The Shakespeare Countryside Museum is housed here.
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Anne Hathaway's Cottage
Before tying the knot with Shakespeare, Anne Hathaway lived in Shottery, a mile west of the centre, in this delightful thatched farmhouse. As well as period furniture, there's the gorgeous gardens and an orchard and arboretum, with examples of all the trees mentioned in Shakespeare's plays. A footpath (no bikes allowed) leads to Shottery from Evesham Pl.
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Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm
The Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm is a large walk-through greenhouse by the river with hundreds of species of exotic butterflies, plus giant scorpions and a few iguanas. The spiders of 'Arachnoland' add the shudder factor.
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Shakespeare Countryside Museum
The home of William's mother is now used to house the Shakespeare Countryside Museum, with exhibits tracing local country life over the past four centuries. Plan to spend more time here than at the other properties to appreciate its unique collection of rare farm animals.
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Knot Garden
The wealthy, retired Shakespeare bought a fine home at New Place on the corner of Chapel St and Chapel Lane. He died there in April 1616 and the house was demolished in 1759. An attractive Elizabethan knot garden now occupies part of the grounds.
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Hall's Croft
Shakespeare's daughter Susanna married respected doctor John Hall, and their handsome Jacobean town house stands south of the centre en route to Holy Trinity Church. Deviating from the usual Shakespearean theme, the exhibition offers fascinating insights into medicine in the 16th and 17th centuries. The lovely walled garden sprouts with aromatic herbs employed in medicinal preparations.
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Harvard House
Tucked in beside the lavishly carved Garrick Inn pub, Harvard House was home to the mother of John Harvard, who lent his name to Boston's Harvard University. It now houses a museum of British pewter (open may to October). Call for opening times; admission free with Shakespeare Houses ticket.
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Nash's House
Displays in Nash's House, where Shakespeare's granddaughter Elizabeth lived, describe the town's history and contain a collection of 17th-century oak furniture and tapestries.
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Shakespeare Exhibition
Tickets to Shakespeare's Birthplace include admission to the adjacent Shakespeare Exhibition, where well-devised displays chart the life of Stratford's most famous son.
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King Edward VI School
Next door to the Guild Chapel is King Edward VI School, which Shakespeare probably attended; it was originally the Guildhall.
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Clocktower
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New Place
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Shakespeare Houses
Five of the most important buildings associated with Shakespeare, all run by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, contain museums that form the core of the visitor experience at Stratford. You can buy individual tickets, but it's more cost-effective to buy a combination ticket, either covering the three houses in town, or all five properties. Expect long queues throughout the summer.
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Nash's House & New Place
When Shakespeare retired, he swapped the bright lights of London for a comfortable town house at New Pl, where he died of unknown causes in April 1616. The house was demolished in 1759, but an attractive Elizabethan knot garden occupies part of the grounds. Archaeologists are digging beneath the plot in search of Shakespearean treasures (see www.digforshakespeare.com for details). Recent finds are displayed in adjacent Nash's House – where Shakespeare's granddaughter Elizabeth lived – along with other displays describing the town's history and a collection of 17th-century furniture and tapestries.
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Mary Arden's Farm
Shakespeare genealogists can trace the family tree to the childhood home of the Bard's mum at Wilmcote, 3 miles west of Stratford. Aimed squarely at families, the working farm has exhibits tracing country life over the centuries, with nature trails, falconry displays and a collection of rare-breed farm animals. You can get here on the City Sightseeing bus, or cycle via Anne Hathaway's Cottage, following the Stratford-upon-Avon canal's towpath.
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