Essentials:
- Where: Henley Street, Stratford-upon-Avon town center
- Hours:
- June-August, from 9 a.m. Monday to Saturday and from 9:30 a.m. Sundays. Last entry 5 p.m.
- April-May and September-October, from 10 a.m. Monday to Saturday and from 10 a.m. Sundays. Last entry 5p.m.
- November-March, from 10 a.m. Monday to Saturday and from 10:30 a.m. Sunday. Last entry 4 p.m.
- Admission: Adult -£7, Child -£2.75, Seniors -£6, Family ticket -£17
- Telephone: +44 (0)1789 201822
- Visit the website
To save, buy a multiple ticket for all 5 Shakespeare houses. It's valid indefinitely. Visit a few houses this year, return next year to see more.
From his father's house:
Shakespeare's father, John Shakespeare, was a successful glove maker with a substantial house in the center of Stratford-upon-Avon. Shakespeare was born here in 1564 and spent his early life, with his brothers and sisters, in the family home. It is also likely that he and Anne Hathaway lived in this house in the early year's of their marriage. By the time Shakespeare returned to Stratford-upon-Avon, he'd acquired New Place, a larger house for his wife and children. The birthplace house passed, eventually to his sister Joan, whose descendents owned it until 1806.
Shakespeare's boyhood home:
The house has been restored to allow visitors to see what life would have been like for a boy growing up in Tudor England. Many of the objects are original to the house while replicas are based on research into the way the Tudors lived. Apparently they liked bright colors and every room is decorated with colored clothes and wall hangings, hand dyed using traditional Tudor methods.
What else is there to see?:
The chamber over the parlour would have been, by tradition, the birthing room - so visitors can actually stand in the room where Shakespeare was born. There is also a replica of John Shakespeare's workshop, offering insight to the lucrative glover's trade.
And more:
- An exhibition on Shakespeare's life including Parish records and a fragment copy of the First Folio of completed works, dated 1623.
- A country garden with traditional plants, herbs and flowers mentioned in Shakespeare's plays.
Celebrity visitors:
Shakespeare's birthplace was acquired by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in 1847, but it has been a place of pilgrimage for centuries. Visitors can see a facsimile guest book signed by Charles Dickens, John Keats and other famous literary and historical figures. Some names can even be seen etched into the glass of the birth room window.Buy Tickets Online:
Tickets for the Shakespeare Houses are now available online. And don't forget, all of the Shakespeare Houses are included in the Great British Heritage Pass, the best unlimited admission pass (for overseas visitors) that we've ever seen.
