Stratford-upon-Avon (Part One)

A Juliet balcony in Shakespeare's land. What more could you want!

 We'd booked an apartment for this trip. We had our own bedrooms and bathrooms and the living space had a Juliet balcony. I've always fancied one of those, and perhaps apt seeing as how we were in Shakespeare country!

Stratford-upon-Avon is quaint, with lovely architecture and a good vibe. It boasts a river and a canal. In fact, it has everything and I wished we could have stayed longer,  but we did do everything we planned. Apart from attending a Shakespeare play, that is. There were none on! Instead, we ended up going to a comedy play about Jane Austen, which I have to say was brilliant. More on that in the next post.

Our first tea stop. Very pleasant.

The crowds had left and I got this lovely shot of William Shakespeare's birthplace.

After we had settled in we wandered down into the town to get our bearings. By then most of the tourist groups had left and things were beginning to shut. We'd bought a ticket combo to visit three of the most important places - Shakespeare's Birthplace, New Place and Ann Hathaway' Cottage. The tickets last a year, and only the house where Shakespeare was born had to be booked in advance.

The River Avon

RSC theatre

So, the next morning we set off for Shakespeare's Birthplace, which sits on a pedestrianised part of the town. It is a large area, as there is an exhibition space before you enter the house and gardens. We did have to queue to get into the house, but the queue went down quickly and a guide inside the house explained about it how the house developed, the first part being a one up, one down house leased to Joan, Shakespares' sister later on, after his father died. After the short talk the house is self-guided.

Shakespeare's birthplace

There is information in each room, and actually it wasn't that crowded as we moved through. We could see where later Shakespeare added an extension. This house was also his father's workplace as a glove maker.  Read here for more information about the house and life there.

John Shakespeare's glove making workshop

The extension

 The gardens were particularly beautiful, and I have to say that all the gardens in Stratford were beautifully maintained and colourful, even the roundabout in town.

From there we stopped for lunch before visiting New Place, which is the site of William Shakespeare's house where he lived with his wife and children. The house, sadly, no longer exists. It was demolished by the next owner, who built a grand house more in keeping with the times (but not as quaint). That too was eventually demolished and the archeologists had a chance to excavate the site. The only original thing found from Shakespeare's day was the well, and you can still see that. Nowadays, it has been turned into another beautiful garden with little flags with the names of all the plays Shakespeare wrote and sculptures depicting scenes from the plays. The house had land on which  animals were kep and orchard for cider making. Ann ran the business while William went off to London. Read here for more. The house next door (original) belonged to Thomas Nash, the husband of Shakespeare's granddaughter, and this is where the exhibition space is for New Place.

New Place

Original well

From The Tempest

All the plays

Costume from one of the plays

From there went to the Guild Chapel which is next door, and then we walked down to the river for a cuppa (as you do), and saw the box office for the Jane Austen play, which we booked for our last evening. 

The Guild Chapel

The last point of call for our first day in Stratford was the Butterfly Farm. Not only did they have beautiful butterflies but also two Iguanas (we saw one) and a mini beast house, and a Cayman. It really was worth the visit.

Entrance to Butterfly Farm

Iguana

Leaf-cutter Ants

Cayman

In the next post we shall be visiting Ann Hathaway's Cottage, Holy Trinity Church. and taking a boat trip down the river. Oh, and then there's the play.