Almost every one in the English speaking world have heard of William Shakespeare or even read one of his works. If you are born somewhere in the last 40 years, you would probably have studied one of his plays. On this chilly bleak cloudy day we travelled to Stratford-upon-Avon to pay homage to one of the world’s greatest writers. It was a comfortable 2 hour train ride from London and frankly I wouldn’t expect anything less from these expensive train journeys.
We slowly walked around the different parts of the town as the place is pretty small and you can easily walk from one end to the other. In fine sunny weather it would be a treat to stroll along the river or just walk among the really well preserved old houses within the city centre. Since we are in the Shakespeare’s town, we chose to visit the Shakespeare’s Birthplace and other associated houses.
Shakespeare’s House & Gardens
William Shakespeare was born in 1564 right here to a family of reasonable standing. His mother was from a family of land owning farmers and his father was a respectable glove maker and wool dealer. He married to Anne Hathaway when he was 18 but Anne was 7 years older than him. He fled to London when he could stand it no longer where he became an actor and it was his plays that made him world famous even until this present age.
We bought a basic combination ticket consisting of Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Nash’s House and Gardens, and Hall’s Croft. Naturally the star among the houses is Shakespeare’s Birthplace and the rest are just sides for a main course. Your visit starts from going through a few rooms with video presentation having you an overview about William Shakespeare. Then you make your way to his place which is redecorated to fit the interior design of that time. Room guides are present to tell you more about each room. That is ideally how the tour should have been run. I can’t understand the no photography policy either, since most of the furnishings are not original anyway taking photographs shouldn’t do any harm.
As for Nash’s Place and Hall’s Croft, they are presented in a manner similar to a museum and some visitors may find it a bit too dull. There are many opportunities to learn here but visitors may find it hard pressed to focus their attention. While we were there, most of the other visitors didn’t spend much time in these attractions.
Globe Nomads review ratings: 1
I must say it is very difficult to rate this group of attraction because it could easily be a 5 for die-hard fans. I rated at a 1 because I had high expectations for such an attraction. However the experience had left me disappointed and glad that we have used some Tesco vouchers to offset the admission fees. The visit at Shakespeare’s Birthplace started off well but ended with a bad aftertaste due to the room guides. They have a total of 4 guides. To summarize, the first was good, the second was trying hard not to doze off, the third and fourth can’t be bothered with visitors. Now come on, even though the weather was bad, there is no need to remind us. As for the Hall’s Croft and Nash’s House, they are wonderful from a historical perspective but if you are not doing research on these subjects you may find it a challenge to gain anything from visiting them. It’s no wonder this group of attractions didn’t quite have good reviews and looking at the way things are, I don’t think the situation will be improving anytime soon. I am almost tempted to call it a tourist’s trap. (please refer to ratings explanation)
Visitor Information:
Admission for 3 houses: adult £12.50, child £8, Family £33.50, Concession £11.50, Tickets valid for a year. See http://houses.shakespeare.org.uk/tickets.html for prices of other tickets.
Stratford-upon-Avon: The place where it all started for William Shakespeare.
17 November 2010
Almost every one in the English speaking world have heard of William Shakespeare or even read one of his works. If you are born somewhere in the last 40 years, you would probably have studied one of his plays. On this chilly bleak cloudy day we travelled to Stratford-upon-Avon to pay homage to one of the world’s greatest writers. It was a comfortable 2 hour train ride from London and frankly I wouldn’t expect anything less from these expensive train journeys.
We slowly walked around the different parts of the town as the place is pretty small and you can easily walk from one end to the other. In fine sunny weather it would be a treat to stroll along the river or just walk among the really well preserved old houses within the city centre. Since we are in the Shakespeare’s town, we chose to visit the Shakespeare’s Birthplace and other associated houses.
Shakespeare’s House & Gardens
William Shakespeare was born in 1564 right here to a family of reasonable standing. His mother was from a family of land owning farmers and his father was a respectable glove maker and wool dealer. He married to Anne Hathaway when he was 18 but Anne was 7 years older than him. He fled to London when he could stand it no longer where he became an actor and it was his plays that made him world famous even until this present age.
We bought a basic combination ticket consisting of Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Nash’s House and Gardens, and Hall’s Croft. Naturally the star among the houses is Shakespeare’s Birthplace and the rest are just sides for a main course. Your visit starts from going through a few rooms with video presentation having you an overview about William Shakespeare. Then you make your way to his place which is redecorated to fit the interior design of that time. Room guides are present to tell you more about each room. That is ideally how the tour should have been run. I can’t understand the no photography policy either, since most of the furnishings are not original anyway taking photographs shouldn’t do any harm.
As for Nash’s Place and Hall’s Croft, they are presented in a manner similar to a museum and some visitors may find it a bit too dull. There are many opportunities to learn here but visitors may find it hard pressed to focus their attention. While we were there, most of the other visitors didn’t spend much time in these attractions.
Globe Nomads review ratings: 1
I must say it is very difficult to rate this group of attraction because it could easily be a 5 for die-hard fans. I rated at a 1 because I had high expectations for such an attraction. However the experience had left me disappointed and glad that we have used some Tesco vouchers to offset the admission fees. The visit at Shakespeare’s Birthplace started off well but ended with a bad aftertaste due to the room guides. They have a total of 4 guides. To summarize, the first was good, the second was trying hard not to doze off, the third and fourth can’t be bothered with visitors. Now come on, even though the weather was bad, there is no need to remind us. As for the Hall’s Croft and Nash’s House, they are wonderful from a historical perspective but if you are not doing research on these subjects you may find it a challenge to gain anything from visiting them. It’s no wonder this group of attractions didn’t quite have good reviews and looking at the way things are, I don’t think the situation will be improving anytime soon. I am almost tempted to call it a tourist’s trap.
(please refer to ratings explanation)
Visitor Information:
Admission for 3 houses: adult £12.50, child £8, Family £33.50, Concession £11.50, Tickets valid for a year. See http://houses.shakespeare.org.uk/tickets.html for prices of other tickets.
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Arriving at Stratford-upon-Avon train station
Stratford-upon-Avon train station platform
They show the videos and you buy your tickets here.
Putting up Christmas at the front of Shakespeare Birthplace
Back of Shakespeare Birthplace
Side of Nash's House, notice the difference.
Hall's Croft
Gift from An American to the Town of Shakespeare, but why the small door?
Such well preserved buildings are a common sight in this town.
The home of the Royal Shakespeare Company
An interesting soft toys shop.
Look at this public library in such a characteristic building!
This shop only sells Christmas decorations and mind you, they are not cheap!
The jester so commonly featured in Shakespeare's plays.