Stratford-on-Avon saw the birth--and the death--of William Shakespeare. To trace Shakespeare's life, I visited several houses and gardens around Stratford, each with its own unique tie to the most important playwright in the English language.
Shakespeare's birthplace comes first. No photos or videos are allowed inside the birthplace, however, not knowing this, I took quite a few...until I was caught and chastised. Click here to go to Flickr to see my photos of Shakespeare's Birthplace and the related museum here: MrsB Shakespeare Birthplace.
While we do not know the date for sure, it is generally believed that William was born in Stratford on April 23, 1564 to John and Mary (Arden) Shakespeare. He grew up in the house in which he was born, and he even continued to live there after he married Anne Hathaway at age 18 in 1582. When his father died, he left the house to William, and when William died, he willed it to his oldest daughter, Susanna.
Shakespeare's sister Joan Hart lived in the house until her death in 1646, and the property was kept in the family until 1806. Then, in 1847, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust purchased it in order to preserve it as a national memorial. Since then, millions of people from around the world have come to visit. For many years, visitors would carve their names into the glass panels of a window of the house. This tradition has long been broken, but the window has been preserved. It bears the names of visitors like Sir Walter Scott, Charles Dickens, Alfred Tennyson, and Mark Twain.
The birthplace remains as authentic as possible today, featuring original pieces of furniture and other artifacts that Shakespeare himself would have used, and a beautiful museum has been built adjacent to it. Entering the room in which Shakespeare was born is a powerful sensation; the greatest poet and playwright in the English language was born where I stood. Some of the very cool exhibits in the museum include a teacher's desk from the Stratford grammar school in Shakespeare's time, Shakespeare's application for a family coat of arms, and a First Folio.
I learned something about Shakespeare that I had not known before while touring the birthplace: Shakespeare owned an inn. When his father died and left him the family's house in 1601, he added a back wing to the main building and then opened part of the house as an inn called "Swan and Maidenhead." (I took a photo of the inn signage on display -- after I'd been informed of the no photography policy...)
Be sure to view my contraband videos:
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