Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
16-17 in full-time education) lets you visit the five most important sights, described
below. You can also buy a family ticket, £50 for two adults and three children—a good
deal. Buy the ticket at your first stop at any one of the Trust properties. Free admis-
sion for children 4 and under.
Anne Hathaway's Cottage
HISTORIC HOME The childhood home of
Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare's long-suffering wife, is the Trust property most evoca-
tive of the Tudor period—a pretty thatched wattle-and-daub cottage in the hamlet of
Shottery, 1 mile from the center of Stratford. The Hathaways were yeoman farmers,
and their descendants lived in the cottage until 1892. As a result, it was never reno-
vated and provides a rare insight into the life of a family in Shakespearean times.
Many original furnishings, including various kitchen utensils and the courting settle
(the bench on which Shakespeare is said to have wooed Anne), are preserved inside
the house. Will was only 18 when he married Anne Hathaway in 1582; she was 8
years older.
Cottage Lane, Shottery (take the City Sightseeing bus (p. 452) from Bridge St., or walk via a marked
pathway from Evesham Place in Stratford across the meadow to Shottery).
&
01789/292100.
www.
shakespeare.org.uk. Admission £7.50 adults, £6.50 seniors and students, £4.50 children 5-15 and 16-17
in full-time education, £20 family ticket. Combination tickets available (see above). Apr-Oct daily 9am-
5pm; Nov-Mar 10am-4pm. Closed Dec 23-26.
Hall's Croft
HISTORIC HOME Hall's Croft is an outstanding Tudor home with
a walled garden, furnished in the style of a middle-class home of the time. It was in
this 16th-century house that Shakespeare's eldest daughter Susanna probably lived
with her husband, Dr. John Hall, who was widely respected and built up a large
medical practice in the area. Fascinating exhibits illustrate the theory and practice of
medicine in Dr. Hall's time.
Old Town St. (near Holy Trinity Church). To reach Hall's Croft, walk west from High St., which becomes
Chapel St. and Church St. At the intersection with Old Town St., go left.
&
01789/292107.
www.
shakespeare.org.uk. Admission includes Shakespeare's Birthplace and Nash's House & New Place; £13
adults, £12 seniors and students, £8 children 5-15 and 16-17 in full-time education, £34 family ticket.
Combination tickets available (see above). Apr-Oct daily 9am-5pm; Nov-Mar 10am-4pm. Closed Dec
23-26.
Holy Trinity Church (Shakespeare's Tomb)
CHURCH In a bucolic setting
near the River Avon is the Norman parish church where Shakespeare is buried (“and
curst be he who moves my bones”). The Parish Register records his baptism in 1564
and burial in 1616; copies of the original documents are on display. Shakespeare's tomb
lies in the chancel, a privilege bestowed upon him when he became a lay rector in 1605.
Alongside his grave are those of his widow, Anne, and other members of his family.
Nearby on the north wall is a bust of Shakespeare that was erected approximately 7
years after his death—within the lifetime of his widow and many of his friends.
Old Town St. (walk 4 min. past the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, with the river on your left).
&
01789/
290128.
www.stratford-upon-avon.org. Free admission to church; Shakespeare's tomb £2 adults, £1
students. Apr-Sept Mon-Sat 8:30am-6pm, Sun 12:30-5pm; Mar and Oct Mon-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun
12:30-5pm; Nov-Feb Mon-Sat 9am-4pm, Sun 12:30-5pm. Closed to visitors Good Friday, Christmas
Day, Boxing Day (St. Stephen's Day), and New Year's Day.
Mary Arden's Farm & Palmer's Farm
FARM So what if millions of visitors
have been tricked into thinking this timber-framed farmhouse, with its old stone
dovecote and various outbuildings, was the girlhood home of Shakespeare's mother,
Mary Arden? It's still one of the most intriguing sights outside Stratford, even if local
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