Stratford-Upon-Avon is synonymous with William Shakespeare. So highly is the playwright regarded - and for so long - that the likes of John Keats, Charles Dickens, Alfred Lord Tennyson and Thomas Hardy made pilgrimages to the town to honour the Bard long before visitors took cheap flights to England.
The main Shakespeare "sights" are the houses associated with him and his family. Shakespeare's birthplace is largely intact, restored and furnished to what it would have been like at the end of the 16th century. New Place was where he lived when he was a rich and famous playwright and the remains of that house are under exploration (it was demolished in the 18th century) but the focus now is Nash's House, where Shakespeare's granddaughter lived.
Anne Hathaway's Cottage is on the outskirts of the town. She was Shakespeare's wife and the building today is sympathetically furnished with 16th-century furniture.
The Royal Shakespeare Theatre is a new addition to the town. It boasts a "thrust stage" and galleried seating, in line with theatres during Shakespeare's time.
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- Find out about Shakespeare’s life and work, starting with where he was born. Shakespeare’s Birthplace is next door to the Shakespeare Centre and is a mine of information, including his work in every available format.
- Enjoy the drama and go to the theatre. Top of the list would be a Shakespeare play performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company, but there is also the Swan Theatre and The Other Place.
- Visit the ancient inns. The Windmill is meant to be the oldest in town, the timber framed Falcon Hotel looks as old as Shakespeare’s plays and you can quietly imbibe the history in the Garrick Inn on the High Street as you drink.
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