William Shakespeare
And, as I am an honest Puck,
If we have unearned luck,
Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue,
We will make amends ere long;
Else the Puck a liar call;
So, good night unto you all.
Give me your hands if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.
If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumber'd here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend:
if you pardon, we will mend:
"A Midsummer Nights Dream"
Shakespeares Birthplace
Possibly the most famous and most visited literary landmark in Britain. This is the house
where it is thought that Shakespeare was born and spent his formative years.
The house originally belonged to William Shakespeare's father John, who became a successful Stratford businessman. John and Mary Shakespeare moved from nearby Snitterfield to Stratford in 1529, shortly after getting married.
It is known from Stratford records that the Shakespeare family were residing in Henley Street by 1552 and that William Shakespeare was born in 1564. It is assumed from this collection of dates that this building in Henley Street was William Shakespeare's Birthplace. The Birthplace remained in the hands of Shakespeare's descendants until the 19th century, after which it had a somewhat chequered past.
The Shakespeare Birthday Committee obtained the Henley Street house in 1847, with the financial and moral support of the public. An extensive project of restoration then took place to restore the house to it's former glory. The Birthplace was originally made of local materials; with oak timber from the nearby Arden Forest and blue stone from Wilmcote.
Much of the original stone, oak beams and fireplaces are still in place and care has been taken to furnish the house with contemporary Elizabethan furniture.
Arden House
This magnificent, thatched and timber-framed, Tudor farmstead was identified
in the 18th century as childhood home of Mary Arden, mother of
William Skakespeare.
Mary Arden was the youngest of eight daughters of Robert Arden, an affluent Warwickshire husbandman. The Arden family had a notable family pedigree, with probable links to Walter Arden of Park Hall and esteemed ancestors stretching as far back as Saxon times.
The farmhouse is situated in the beautiful green-field setting of Wilmcote, a village 3 miles north-west of Stratford. The striking timbered frontage is framed by drystone walls and curious box hedges. Until recently the oak half-timbered structure was hidden under a cladding of stucco, which inadvertently kept the fabric in remarkably good condition. The building is appropriately constructed using oak from the nearby Arden forest and stone from Wilmcote itself. The house has an intriguing, fairytale atmosphere with uneven walls, irregular handmade tiles and tiny dormer windows.
Anne Hathaways Cottage
Anne Hathaway's Cottage, made famous on chocolate boxes and tea towels,
is arguably the most picturesque of the Birthplace Trust properties.
The cottage nests in the idyllic setting of Shottery, which lies a mile west of Stratford. The cottage belonged to the prosperous Hathaway family and was the pre-marital home of William Shakespeare's wife, Anne.
Although referred to as a cottage, it is actually a substantial, twelve-roomed, Elizabethan farmhouse. Externally the building with it's low thatched roof, timbered walls and lattice windows has changed very little since Anne Hathaway's time. Parts of the building structure date back further than the 15th century, using some of the earliest English house-building techniques.
The cottage was built on a slope, and parts of the building consequently sit at different levels. Internally, the structure of the house has changed a little; the house has now been divided up and would originally have been one. There are many 16th century fireplaces still in place and the remains of the original Great Hall are still clearly visible. The bedroom upstairs contains an Elizabethan wooden bedstead, with a mattress of rush cords threaded onto the wooden frame. It is said that this is the bed that Anne Hathaway was born upon.
Croft Hall
This intriguing house is situated in the Old Town area of
Stratford, a few footsteps away from Shakespeare's
burial place at Holy Trinity Church.
This house was home to Shakespeare's daughter Susanna who, in 1607, married a highly-respected local physician, Doctor John Hall (after whom the house is named).
The Tudor building is of remarkable interest apart from its Shakespearian connections. The oldest part of the house dates from the early part of the 16th century. It was originally a small building with outhouses and was later enlarged to provide an imposing residence for Dr John Hall. Indications of the Hall family wealth are evident in the generous use of wood on the exterior of the house.
The building now houses a collection of 16th and 17th century paintings and furniture,
typical of a middle class family such as that of John and Susanna Hall.
There is also an exhibition about Doctor John Hall and the obscure medical
practices of his time.
The property includes a dramatic walled garden which contains a variety of plants, trees and
herbs that John Hall may have used in his treatments. John and
Susanna Hall later moved to New Place, which
William Shakespeare left to his daughter after his death.
In Shakespeare's lifetime most houses were made from comparably fragile 'wattle and daub' (woven wooden sticks cemented with horsehair and cow manure). Wealthier families added wood to the frames of their houses, to achieve greater security from thieves.
New Place
New Place in Chapel Street was
William Shakespeare's final retirement home. He purchased the
impressive building for £60 in 1597, whilst he was still spending most of
his time working in London. He finally settled at
New Place in 1610.
Built by Hugh Clopton it was the second largest building in Stratford and was the only house made from brick. It is difficult to imagine the grandeur of New Place, now that it has been reduced to its foundations and the remnants of a well. However, earliest drawings show that it was was an impressive building with a courtyard at the front, and barns, spacious gardens and orchards at the rear.
In 1616, Shakespeare's prolific life came to an end, when he was taken ill, allegedly after an evening entertaining Ben Jonson and Michael Drayton. The house was then left to his daughter Susanna Hall, who entertained Charles I's Queen at New Place. Susanna Hall left the house to her daughter Elizabeth Hall, who married Thomas Nash, owner of Nash's House next door. It is believed that Shakespeare's wife Anne probably saw out her last days at New Place until she died in 1623.
After Elizabeth Hall's death the house returned to the Clopton family. Sir John Clopton made some considerable alterations to the house and followed the aristocratic tradition of opening grand houses to the public, encouraging many tourists.
Unfortunately, New Place's next owner, the eccentric Reverend Francis Gastrell was not quite so obliging. One night, incensed by the constant stream of onlookers, Gastrell took his fury out on a mulberry tree in the garden, said to be planted by Shakespeare himself. By morning all that remained was a pile of logs and the infuriated Stratford inhabitants retaliated by smashing Gastrell's windows. In a tragic final act of madness, this time annoyed at Land Tax demands, Gastrell razed New Place to the ground.
Gastrell was driven out of Stratford by murderous Stratfordians, and anyone of the same name was banned from living in Stratford forever.
Now where New Place once stood is an intriguing exact-replica of an Elizabethan Knott Garden. The sunken garden is divided into four Knotts by a path, which are filled with an intense tapestry of coloured flowers, box hedge and Shakespearian herbs.