The
half-timbered house where William Shakespeare was born in 1564 is Stratford's most
cherished historic place. It is the most frequently visited of all the tourist
places in the area. Descendants of the great playwright lived there until the
19th century, and it has been a place of pilgrimage for all lovers of theater for
over 250 years.
The
outside of the building is mainly a Victorian reconstruction carried out
between the years 1857 and 1864. The inside is much earlier but no precise date
of construction has been suggested. There are divergent views about the origin.
Some have maintained that it dates back to the 15th century but a more probable
period is the mid-sixteenth century. The western part of the building, on the
ground-floor level, consists of a parlor and kitchen with large fireplaces and
stone-flagged floors. Access to the first floor and the bedchamber where
William is thought to have been born is by the original staircase. The house is
furnished in Tudor period style with many historic manuscripts and books. There
is a modern visitors’ center and a garden attached.
New
Place – Nash House
New
Place, Shakespeare's home from 1597 until his death in 1616, was torn down in
the 18th century, but its foundations and grounds can still be seen, including
a beautiful Elizabethan-style knott garden created eighty years ago. The sunken garden is divided into four Knotts by a path, filled
with an intense tapestry of colored flowers, box hedge and Shakespearian herbs.
The
site is approached through Nash's House adjoining, which contains exceptional furnishings
of Shakespeare's period. The rooms on the lower level include some early
seventeenth century oak furniture. Upstairs, there is an exhibition dealing
with the history of Stratford-upon-Avon before
and after Shakespeare.
Hall’s
Croft
This impressive house
is where Shakespeare's eldest daughter Susanna lived with her physician husband,
Dr. John Hall. It is near to Holy Trinity
Church, where Shakespeare is
buried. On display are outstanding sixteenth and seventeenth-century furniture
and paintings, and an exhibition about Dr Hall and the medicine of his time. It
has an enchanting garden. Herbs and perennials are for sale
here and refreshments can be enjoyed on secluded seats and in the intimate tea
room.