- Where: Old Town leading to the River Avon and Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon
- Hours:
- June-August, from 9:30 a.m. Monday to Saturday and from 10:00 a.m. Sundays. Last entry 5 p.m.
- April-May and September-October, from 11 a.m. daily. Last entry 5 p.m.
- November-March, from 11 a.m. Last entry 4 p.m.
- Admission: Adult - £3.75, Child - £1.75, Seniors £3, Family ticket £10.00.
- Telephone:+44 (0)1789 292 107
- Visit the website
To save, buy a multiple ticket for all 5 Shakespeare houses. It's valid indefinitely. Visit one house this year, return next year to see another!
By the time Shakespeare's eldest daughter Susanna, and her husband Dr. John Hall, moved into Hall's Croft - in a prime position near open fields, the church and the river, the Shakespeare family was one of the wealthiest and most prominent families in Stratford-upon-Avon. Hall's Croft reflects that position. It is an elegant house, built in the early 17th century, with spacious rooms, high ceilings and large glass windows - all of which meant it was expensive to heat.
The house has been decorated with rare, early 17th century furnishings, artworks and ornaments suitable for family of such stature.
John Hall might have become famous simply for being Shakespeare's son-in-law, but he was well known in his own right as a prominent and highly esteemed doctor. He was famous for developing a cure for scurvy from herbs rich in ascorbic acid about 100 years before the use of lime was introduced to the British Navy to treat the same complaint.
His medical notes were published in 1657, twenty-two years after his death, making him one of the best documented provincial doctors of early Modern England. Several rooms in the house are arranged as his consulting rooms, with exhibitions about early medical practice.
The grounds include flowers and herbaceous plants typical of the period. There is an ancient mulberry tree and many medicinal plants mentioned in Dr. Hall's case notes.
In the summer, visiting professional theatre companies and local amateur companies stage outdoor plays in the gardens.
Hall's Croft is licenced for civil weddings and receptions. Is it possible that some of the guests may be uninvited?
After Susannah and her family inherited New Place, Shakespeare's final home, and left Hall's Croft, the house passed through many hands. In the mid 19th century it was a school. There have been reports of strange goings on and unexplained sightings for years. As a result, Hall's Croft is thought to be the most haunted of the Shakespeare houses.
