Shakespeare’s New Place in Stratford-upon-Avon was the former family home of William Shakespeare. The last house on the site was demolished 250 years ago following a dispute over a tree, but in 2016 New Place got a new identity – as a remarkable rethinking of the spot where the house once stood, with sculptures, gardens and an exhibit that recreates what life might have been like for William, Anne and their two surviving children.
So what can you expect when you visit New Place in Stratford-upon-Avon?
Welcome to Stratfordblog. The new blog that guides visitors and locals towards the best of Stratford-upon-Avon, from spa hotels to steaks, picnic spots to pre-theatre restaurants, cafes to cocktail joints.
Daffodils, newborn lambs, longer days, bluebells, Cadbury Creme Eggs: the arrival of spring reminds us of the simple pleasures of the natural world (what? Cacao is natural).
As splashes of colour return to the landscape and the town gears up for another busy year, there’s no better time to consider the best 5 reasons to make a spring visit to Stratford-upon-Avon.
Stratford-upon-Avon history is usually reduced to one fact: William Shakespeare was born here in 1564. A few embellishments might be scattered on top: he was born in a half-timbered house on Henley Street; his father, John Shakespeare, made gloves for a living; William was one of eight children, the eldest surviving son; we don’t know his actual date of birth (but we observe it on April 23). And that, for most, is enough Stratford-upon-Avon history for one day.
But spare just a couple of minutes – literally, two minutes – and let Stratfordblog take you on a whirlwind tour of Stratford-upon-Avon history: the basics.
The Guild Chapel, Stratford-upon-Avon, stands across the street from Shakespeare’s New Place – the site of William Shakespeare’s family home. Dating back to 1269, the Guild Chapel is an important and historic building.
So what can you expect when you visit The Guild Chapel in Stratford-upon-Avon?
Afternoon Tea in Stratford-upon-Avon is outranked in Englishness only by the Queen eating fish and chips in a telephone box. Afternoon Tea at the RSC therefore, with views of the Avon and its gliding swans, takes another step towards peak Englishness.
So what can you expect when you take Afternoon Tea at the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon?
I don’t like to make a fuss. I want a coffee. I have child. If someone has to help me drag a pushchair up steps or wrangle with seventeen tables just to let me and the gargantuan pile of plastic through, that’s making a fuss. And I don’t like to make a fuss.
(By the way, I don’t like pushchairs either. But it’s not always practical to carry both baby and all their stuff like some sort of over-sized, double-shelled turtle.)
So where, as a parent with pushchair, can you enjoy a much-needed caffeine hit?
There are hundreds, no, thousands, of reasons why I love my hometown, from the clink of spoons in morning lattes to the stirring of senses during nightly theatre. Here are my top 5 reasons to love Stratford-upon-Avon…
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Stratford-upon-Avon enjoyment guide for visitors and locals
