Stratford upon the Avon is located in the southern half of Warwickshire county located in the midland counties. The town of Stratford upon the Avon stands where a Roman Rd forded the River Avon. Stratford is a rural area close to Alcester, an old village of Roman times.

A Medieval chapel of the Guild of the holy cross is located in Stratford. There are several large country houses such as Ragley Hall and Coughton Court located in the area.

The 1st Royal charter for the town was granted in 1553. Stratford was a country market town for centuries.

Stratford upon the Avon is most famous for William Shakespeare. The tour of the town of Stratford begins at William Shakespeare's birth place.

The Royal Shakespeare Company is based in Stratford upon Avon and the Swan Theatre.

William Shakespeare Information

• England's National poet
• Shakespeare also spelled Shakspeare
• Shakespeare had a very short first act because audiences walked out if the first act didn't get their attention.
• When and Where was William Shakespeare Born? William Shakespeare was born at Stratford upon Avon on Henley street on April 23, 1564. Sir Walter Scott, Thomas Carlyle and Isaac Watts etched their names in the window of the room where Shakespeare was born.
• Shakespeare married at 18, Anne Hathaway who was 16. They had 3 children. In 1597, Shakespeare bought New Place in Chapel Street for his home.
• Shakespeare's daughter married Tom Nash. They made their home on chapel Street (Nash's House) now a museum of Stratford. Nash's House is next door to New Place.
• Referred to as the Bard of Avon or Swan of Avon
• Baptized at Holy Trinity Church, April 26, 1564
• Died April 23, 1616 and buried at at Holy Trinity Church
• Many considered him to be the greatest dramatist of all times
• Shakespeare's Plays were written in late 16th and early 17th centuries for a small repertory theatre
• William Shakespeare's plays preformed more often and in more countries than any other playwright in history
• 1st collected edition of Shakespeare's plays were called First Folio and printed in 1623
• Shakespeare's sonnets (154) were published in 1609
• In 1601, the 67 line elegy Phoenix and the Turtle were published in Robert Chester's Love Martyr
• Shakespeare wrote 2 heroic narrative poems
  • Venus and Adonis (1593)
  • The Rape of Lucrete (1594)

  Anne Hathaway's Cottage at Shottery is near Stratford. Anne Hathaway was William Shakespeare's wife and had much influence in Shakespeare's life. Anne Hathaway died in 1623. The house is restored with a reconstructed garden which is an exact replica of the original layout.

  The first annual birthday celebration for William Shakespeare was held in 1769 and inaugurated by the actor David Garrick.

  Holy Trinity Church Stratford

  The Holy Trinity Church in Stratford still holds Worship services.

  1. The Sanctuary knockers located on the 15th century inner door of the porch is a 13th century ring that granted any criminal reaching it a claim of protection for 37 days.
  2. The Vestry screen is from the 15th century and is the same Vestry screen in which William Shakespeare was carried through for burial in the Chancel.
  3. The Parish Registry has photocopies of the baptism and burial records of William Shakespeare (died 1616)
  4. The grave of William Shakespeare is located in the Chancel. A bust of William Shakespeare was erected 7years after his death by family and friends.
  5. The high altar is a portion of the Purbeck Marble slab of the original alter of the Chapel of St Thomas A' Becket and still bears 4 of the 5 crosses called consecration marks representing the 5 wounds of Christ.
  6. The Chapel of St. Thomas Becket was dedicated by the Bishop of Winchester, John de Stratford in 1331.
  7. The chained bible (1611) and rebounded in 1695 is where Shakespeare also called the Bard would hear the lessons read during the last six years of his life
  8. The Nave alter beneath the tower is a part of the original church built in 1210.
  9. The high altar and pillars were built in 1280, the arches in 1380, the window of the clerestory 1480.
  10. The deviation of the central line of the Chancel indicates a weeping chancel which represented the inclined head of Christ upon Crucifixion.

  Stratford upon Avon Events

  Phoenix Festival - mid-July - family oriented event, seven music stages with comedy, circus and funfairs.

  source: Holy Trinity Church pamphlet from my parent's travels

  Stratford upon Avon Hotel accommodations

  Towns nearby Stratford upon Avon UK

  Warwick - Tourist Information, Warwick Castle, England, UK

  Coventry - find Hotels in this car manufacturing town

  Birmingham - find Hotels in this manufacturing town founded long before the Industrial Revolution.

William Shakespear's Poetry, Books, Sonnets, etc.

• William Shakespeare Pictures (stickers)
• Complete Works Shakespeare
• Sonnets
• Shakespeare Poetry A collection of the poems of William Shakespeare which includes: The Passionate Pilgrim, The Phoenix and the Turtle, The Rape of Lucrece, Venus and Adonis, and A Lover's Complaint.
• Othello