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10 Reasons Why I Enjoyed Shakespeare's Birthplace What I really enjoyed about this tour was learning all of the salacious details that no high school teacher ever taught us while reading the works of William Shakespeare! These were my top favorites and I hope if you have the opportunity to visit, you find some of your own as well! 1. The first thing you will want to do is grab a copy of Shakespeare~Work, Life and Times, an official guide to the Shakespeare Historic Trail. You will need to do this as you enter, if not you can get a copy in the gift shop at the end of the tour. 2. A visit to the gift shop is a must, they have snippets of his works in all price ranges, and some very interesting trinkets for any lover of literature. You need a good 20 minutes to peruse the shelves here guys, so don't forget to factor that time into your visit. 3. Check out the family tree and timeline, notice anything interesting? Look at the dates of William and his love Anne. 4. William almost died from the Bubonic plague, an outbreak shortly after his birth had his mother packing her bags and running to the safety of her family in the country four miles up the road! 5. William's dad made his living as a glover (craftsman who makes gloves) and was very successful running his business out of the home. To process those skins into fine leather gloves, dog excrement, urine, and egg are just a few of the things used! I was unnerved reading this, wondering if dog excrement is still used to this day on a pair of fine gloves! 6. William's wife Anne was three months pregnant when they got married, so I guess we can all say, a lot more was going on than reading the written works of William Shakespeare! 7. William's oldest daughter Susanna Hall, a married woman, was accused of having an affair and giving a man a venereal disease! To plead her case, she brought him up on charges in the church court, he neglected to show up to face the charges, so the case was dismissed! Ladies, men were out here lying on their penises back in the 1500, just goes to show, things don't change over time, they just get more interesting! 8. William and Anne had a set of twins, Hamnet and Judith. Sadly Hamnet passed away at the age of 11, and the family mourned him deeply. William had to ask permission from his father to marry Anne, he was 18 and she was 26. William was still considered a minor, and it was unheard of to marry such an older woman! They had to rush the ceremony because they needed to keep the fact that she was pregnant a secret. What a scandal! 9. The Shakespeare birthplace home will be tight, the ceiling is low in places and the floors slippery in sections. The stairs are very steep and the walls tight so please be careful. If you are using a walker or wheelchair, there are places that will not be easy to navigate and you will have to walk. Please keep this in mind when planning your trip. 10. If it's busy, guides will take you in the house in shifts, please be patient and don't give them a hard time, they are trying to maintain the integrity of all artifacts. Hope these tips are helpful for future travelers! Enjoy Unnerved Traveler
Did you ever think about visiting Shakespeare's Birthplace? You might want to! I had a chance of experiencing this little British town when I took a day trip from London to the countryside. The town is small but beautiful, and full of historical buildings. The house where Shakespeare was born, not so much like anything you might think, but very simple little house.
I have to confess - this wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. To enter Shakespeare's house - you have to go into a more modern building that has you go through a series of video presentations -- which I skipped because I had to go to the bathroom and when I came out, my mother was NOT waiting for me and I soon had 20 year olds getting on radios looking for my "lost mother" like I was a five year old. Actually, it was pretty funny - especially since my mother blends in quite well with all the other short, grey haired ladies of a certain age in this part of England -- go figure, she's half English. The actual Shakespeare house was really nicely done -- lots of period artifacts and the rooms set up like the residents were just there or about to return. The garden is quite nice and there are people doing monologues by request -- I was very impressed with them (what a great summer job for an acting buff!). Overall - Stratford-Upon-Avon is basically Shakespeare Disneyland -- the whole area around Shakespeare's birthplace is set up as a pedestrian mall with shopping, shopping, shopping everywhere. We did the tour of some of the other houses -- and then ended up at the cemetery. I thought that the best part of our visit to Stratford was sitting on a bench next to my mom, gravestones behind us, watching the boats go by on the river, while we enjoyed a picnic. That was really relaxing and nice.
My hubs and I visited this site as a part of a small group tour from London on our last day in Europe. It is maintained as part of a trust and functions as a museum with staff/volunteers who work inside and share information about the property and history and times of the place. The staff were friendly and provided loads of intimate details about the life of the Shakespeare family as this was the home of William Shakespeare's parents and the one he grew up in and lived in with his wife when they first got married. There was an actor outside who would perform the lines of some of the plays for those who came outside and sat in the garden out back. He seemed to know most everything and would perform for you upon request from your favorite play. The garden is small, but very quaint and cute. The on-site gift shop was well-stocked and had some very cute little items inside. One of the things I liked most was visiting the open-air market a few blocks down that featured a bunch of local artists with things like paper crafts, macaroons, cards, soaps, art, etc.
Great stop to visit and tour. We were there on a day where there weren't huge crowds, so very enjoyable. It's well done up. There are tour experts located in each room of the house to help you understand context. It's pretty amazing that this has survived through the years in such good shape. Once you tour the house, the courtyard has actors who will recite parts of whatever Shakespeare play you name. If your tongue is tied, you can sit and be entertained by their choice.
This could possibly be the most visited literary landmark in Britain, this is the house where it is thought that Shakespeare was born and spent his formative years. The place is like taking a trip back in time to 16th Century Tudor England. Walking round the rooms of the house give you a good idea of life in 16th century in the family home of William Shakespeare. The parlor, the Hall, the Glovers workshop, the bedrooms, the kitchen and the buttery all have some original furnishings combined with many replica items. The gardens are also worth visiting with many, plants, fruit trees, and herbs planted here. We viewed the entire house in less than an hour and were somewhat disappointed. It is interesting but don't come here with high expectations and you won't be too terribly disheartened
What a brilliant place to visit! The entry fee is a bit steep at almost £17, but the ticket is good for entry to three buildings from Shakespeare's time and is valid for a full year, so it's definitely worth it. Though I do have to say that you have to be interested in the subject to make it worth it, information isn't just handed to you, you'll need to work for it! The whole thing starts off with an exhibition in the newer building that gives you lots of information about Shakespeare's life, family, work and cultural significance. I especially liked the cultural significance exhibit which featured a lot of modern media, including modern musicians, films, even clips from the Simpsons, to show how wide spread and inspirational his works are. Inside the house itself there are several guides/actors in costume, here's where you have to put some work in. They'll give you little speeches about the room, architecture, time period, people who lived here etc, but you'll have to ask questions if you want some really interesting tid bits. Everyone I talked to was super knowledgeable and friendly and open to any and all questions regarding the house and times. While a lot of things aren't in their original state, great care was taken to use materials and techniques of the time to recreate what it would most likely have looked like. The costumed actors/guides really make this place and seem eager to engage in conversation. Several of them offered to act out scenes from the plays as well, which is fantastic. There's also a beautiful garden out back and a nice little gift shop with mostly reasonable prices.
All I can say is WOW!!! Tremendous day we spent at Stratford upon Avon! I'm not a fan of the bard or I guess I should say I wasn't a fan but after this trip, there's no stopping me! Our tour guide was second to none and we learned so much from him before we even arrived. You can tour Shakespeare's birth house and go out back and watch reenactments of the various plays written by Billy, like Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet and that's just to name a few! Excellent gift shop as well! I purchased a book of quotes from Shakespeare and am learning so much. When in England, you must make a point of stopping here! Adorable town with great pubs and shops!
My wife and I have attended mnay performances of Shakespear's work, both in actual theathers and outdoors "in the park". So, when we got a chance to visit his birthplace in Stratford-Upon-Avon, we jumped at the chance. Our tour guide was excellent and shared many details of what it was like living in this house in William's time (e.g. the boys shared one room and the girls were in another - and the boy's room was more comfortable because - in those days - the boys were more valuable. It was fascinating walking through the house where Shakespear actually lived and grew up. The day we were there, there were actors in the courtyard performing snippets of Shakespear's plays and writings. The one actor asked members of the audience to call out their favorite and he would then perform something from that particular play. Fascinating visit and tour. read more
Okay, it's a house, but then again back in Shakespeare's days, they really didn't have hospitals in the way that we have hospitals. Mind you, wandering through this house makes you realise how wealthy Shakespeare's family actually was. It's a pretty big house, and quite interesting to explore as well. Yeah, it's pretty cool. read more
2 years ago
10 Reasons Why I Enjoyed Shakespeare's Birthplace What I really enjoyed about this tour was learning all of the salacious details that no high school teacher ever taught us while reading the works of William Shakespeare! These were my top favorites and I hope if you have the opportunity to visit, you find some of your own as well! 1. The first thing you will want to do is grab a copy of Shakespeare~Work, Life and Times, an official guide to the Shakespeare Historic Trail. You will need to do this as you enter, if not you can get a copy in the gift shop at the end of the tour. 2. A visit to the gift shop is a must, they have snippets of his works in all price ranges, and some very interesting trinkets for any lover of literature. You need a good 20 minutes to peruse the shelves here guys, so don't forget to factor that time into your visit. 3. Check out the family tree and timeline, notice anything interesting? Look at the dates of William and his love Anne. 4. William almost died from the Bubonic plague, an outbreak shortly after his birth had his mother packing her bags and running to the safety of her family in the country four miles up the road! 5. William's dad made his living as a glover (craftsman who makes gloves) and was very successful running his business out of the home. To process those skins into fine leather gloves, dog excrement, urine, and egg are just a few of the things used! I was unnerved reading this, wondering if dog excrement is still used to this day on a pair of fine gloves! 6. William's wife Anne was three months pregnant when they got married, so I guess we can all say, a lot more was going on than reading the written works of William Shakespeare! 7. William's oldest daughter Susanna Hall, a married woman, was accused of having an affair and giving a man a venereal disease! To plead her case, she brought him up on charges in the church court, he neglected to show up to face the charges, so the case was dismissed! Ladies, men were out here lying on their penises back in the 1500, just goes to show, things don't change over time, they just get more interesting! 8. William and Anne had a set of twins, Hamnet and Judith. Sadly Hamnet passed away at the age of 11, and the family mourned him deeply. William had to ask permission from his father to marry Anne, he was 18 and she was 26. William was still considered a minor, and it was unheard of to marry such an older woman! They had to rush the ceremony because they needed to keep the fact that she was pregnant a secret. What a scandal! 9. The Shakespeare birthplace home will be tight, the ceiling is low in places and the floors slippery in sections. The stairs are very steep and the walls tight so please be careful. If you are using a walker or wheelchair, there are places that will not be easy to navigate and you will have to walk. Please keep this in mind when planning your trip. 10. If it's busy, guides will take you in the house in shifts, please be patient and don't give them a hard time, they are trying to maintain the integrity of all artifacts. Hope these tips are helpful for future travelers! Enjoy Unnerved Traveler read more
1 year ago
It's soooo amazing be standing literally in the place that Shakespeare stood and lived a portion of his life. The town itself is great too. Definitely worth a trip! read more
7 years ago
Did you ever think about visiting Shakespeare's Birthplace? You might want to! I had a chance of experiencing this little British town when I took a day trip from London to the countryside. The town is small but beautiful, and full of historical buildings. The house where Shakespeare was born, not so much like anything you might think, but very simple little house. read more
4 years ago
Shakespeare's Birthplace was a cool tourist spot to visit! Since I'm studying Shakespeare, it was really nice to walk through his birthplace. The gardens outside were gorgeous. The gift shop was also fantastic (One thing about me, I love a good gift shop). read more
I have to confess - this wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. To enter Shakespeare's house - you have to go into a more modern building that has you go through a series of video presentations -- which I skipped because I had to go to the bathroom and when I came out, my mother was NOT waiting for me and I soon had 20 year olds getting on radios looking for my "lost mother" like I was a five year old. Actually, it was pretty funny - especially since my mother blends in quite well with all the other short, grey haired ladies of a certain age in this part of England -- go figure, she's half English. The actual Shakespeare house was really nicely done -- lots of period artifacts and the rooms set up like the residents were just there or about to return. The garden is quite nice and there are people doing monologues by request -- I was very impressed with them (what a great summer job for an acting buff!). Overall - Stratford-Upon-Avon is basically Shakespeare Disneyland -- the whole area around Shakespeare's birthplace is set up as a pedestrian mall with shopping, shopping, shopping everywhere. We did the tour of some of the other houses -- and then ended up at the cemetery. I thought that the best part of our visit to Stratford was sitting on a bench next to my mom, gravestones behind us, watching the boats go by on the river, while we enjoyed a picnic. That was really relaxing and nice. read more
My hubs and I visited this site as a part of a small group tour from London on our last day in Europe. It is maintained as part of a trust and functions as a museum with staff/volunteers who work inside and share information about the property and history and times of the place. The staff were friendly and provided loads of intimate details about the life of the Shakespeare family as this was the home of William Shakespeare's parents and the one he grew up in and lived in with his wife when they first got married. There was an actor outside who would perform the lines of some of the plays for those who came outside and sat in the garden out back. He seemed to know most everything and would perform for you upon request from your favorite play. The garden is small, but very quaint and cute. The on-site gift shop was well-stocked and had some very cute little items inside. One of the things I liked most was visiting the open-air market a few blocks down that featured a bunch of local artists with things like paper crafts, macaroons, cards, soaps, art, etc. read more
Great stop to visit and tour. We were there on a day where there weren't huge crowds, so very enjoyable. It's well done up. There are tour experts located in each room of the house to help you understand context. It's pretty amazing that this has survived through the years in such good shape. Once you tour the house, the courtyard has actors who will recite parts of whatever Shakespeare play you name. If your tongue is tied, you can sit and be entertained by their choice. read more
This could possibly be the most visited literary landmark in Britain, this is the house where it is thought that Shakespeare was born and spent his formative years. The place is like taking a trip back in time to 16th Century Tudor England. Walking round the rooms of the house give you a good idea of life in 16th century in the family home of William Shakespeare. The parlor, the Hall, the Glovers workshop, the bedrooms, the kitchen and the buttery all have some original furnishings combined with many replica items. The gardens are also worth visiting with many, plants, fruit trees, and herbs planted here. We viewed the entire house in less than an hour and were somewhat disappointed. It is interesting but don't come here with high expectations and you won't be too terribly disheartened read more
7 years ago
What a brilliant place to visit! The entry fee is a bit steep at almost £17, but the ticket is good for entry to three buildings from Shakespeare's time and is valid for a full year, so it's definitely worth it. Though I do have to say that you have to be interested in the subject to make it worth it, information isn't just handed to you, you'll need to work for it! The whole thing starts off with an exhibition in the newer building that gives you lots of information about Shakespeare's life, family, work and cultural significance. I especially liked the cultural significance exhibit which featured a lot of modern media, including modern musicians, films, even clips from the Simpsons, to show how wide spread and inspirational his works are. Inside the house itself there are several guides/actors in costume, here's where you have to put some work in. They'll give you little speeches about the room, architecture, time period, people who lived here etc, but you'll have to ask questions if you want some really interesting tid bits. Everyone I talked to was super knowledgeable and friendly and open to any and all questions regarding the house and times. While a lot of things aren't in their original state, great care was taken to use materials and techniques of the time to recreate what it would most likely have looked like. The costumed actors/guides really make this place and seem eager to engage in conversation. Several of them offered to act out scenes from the plays as well, which is fantastic. There's also a beautiful garden out back and a nice little gift shop with mostly reasonable prices. read more
All I can say is WOW!!! Tremendous day we spent at Stratford upon Avon! I'm not a fan of the bard or I guess I should say I wasn't a fan but after this trip, there's no stopping me! Our tour guide was second to none and we learned so much from him before we even arrived. You can tour Shakespeare's birth house and go out back and watch reenactments of the various plays written by Billy, like Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet and that's just to name a few! Excellent gift shop as well! I purchased a book of quotes from Shakespeare and am learning so much. When in England, you must make a point of stopping here! Adorable town with great pubs and shops! read more
There's not a lot to see when it comes to his birthplace town. Most of his best work came when he moved to London and started the legendary Globe Theater . Still, a nice little town filled with memories of the Bard. Best seen on a day Tour...you'll really see all you need in a few hours. read more
8 years ago
6 years ago
13 years ago
There isn't too much to see in the museum/house. Much of what's in the house is not original. The tour is self-guided but there are employees stationed in the various rooms dressed in character/time period and they offer a lot of interesting little factoids. The house only takes about half an hour to go through so definitely take the rest of the time to explore Stratford upon Avon for a bit. It's an adorable bustling town. I went in May and there were a lot of street stands filled with delicious looking treats. There were also some cute looking restaurants on the same street, Box Brownie being old of them. read more
15 years ago
13 years ago
The price is £15.90 and this gives access to Shakespeare's birthplace and two other nearby houses. Personally I feel that the price is too much for what it offers. The house is small and in all honesty I enjoyed the garden more so. There is a nice touch of actors performing scenes from his plays in the garden. read more
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