Stratford-Upon-Avon was our next stop in our Howland Society tour. The home of William Shakespeare is a true blending of old and new which is evident all over England. The city boast a large modern city center yet holds ancient buildings and homes dating back to the 14-17th centuries.
Our bus driver, Ian, expertly guided our modern coach down some 17th century lanes to arrive at Anne Hathaway's Cottage. Anne was Shakespeare's wife, born in Shottery, (about 1 mile west of Stratford) on a 90 acre farm. The house was built sometime prior to the 15th century. Additions were made in the 17th century. Anne's was a successful farming family. She was 26, Shakespeare was 18 when they married.
The house is a wealth of 16 and 17th century objects that help us imagine what life was like for our Pilgrim ancestors in England.
The grounds around the Anne Hathaway cottage support abundant and beautiful gardens, orchards as well as a modern sculpture garden.
The sculpture, work by artists from all over Europe, can be found on a winding walk on the far side of an apple orchard adjacent to the Hathaway Cottage.
From Anne's cottage we toured Shakespeare's birthplace in the heart of Stratford-Upon-Avon.
Shakespeare's birthplace has long been a magnet for all those who love his work. The home of John and Mary Shakespeare was purchased by Shakespeare's Birthplace Trust in 1847 for £3,000 and opened as a museum.
William, the third of John and Mary's eight children, was born in the house in 1564. When his father died in 1601 William leased part of the house to his sister. The remainder of the house was run as an Inn called the "Maidenhead" and later called the "Swan and Maidenhead Inn."
Some of the original "Wattle and daub" structure of the exterior wall is visible from the street.
[Wattle refers to the small twigs woven in and out between the vertical timber frame studs. Daub is the clay, lime, hair, sand mixture that is forced into the wattle and smooth out like a plaster wall.]
The church below is the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford. It is the final resting place for William and Anne, and their daughter Susanna. We were unable to enter as there was an event taking place inside and closed to tourists.
Susanna married John Hall, in 1607. He was a physician and the house below right is said to be where they lived for a number of years.
The final photo was taken out of the window of the Swan Theater where we were lucky enough to see a performance of Shakespeare's Richard III. I'm not sure what more quintessential image of Stratford I could leave than this view from the theater of a Narrow Boat tied up on the bank of the River Avon with Swans swimming in the current as Willow Trees on shore sway in the breeze. All the world is a stage...
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