I’ve had some time off research and writing over the Christmas period, and I also spent a long weekend in the UK seeing my best friend and my family. I popped into Stratford-upon-Avon one morning, to meet my parents and brother (and his family) and so snapped a few photos with my phone.
My brother has a gift shop (Box of Delights) in Henley Street, the location of William Shakespeare’s birthplace, so I was able to take these photos of Shakespeare’s birthplace and also a patch of exposed Tudor wattle and daub wall which is in my brother’s shop under a protective glass screen – interesting!
Those of you who’ve been to Stratford will know that it has many Tudor buildings and lots of attractions, but I wasn’t there long and my priority was seeing my family so sorry for not taking more.
I hope you enjoy these photos though.
Stratford-upon-Avon is a lovely English town (although I might be biased!) which was the birthplace of William Shakespeare and is the home of the famous Royal Shakespeare Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company, as well as some lovely medieval and Tudor houses. Other attractions include Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, Nash’s House and New Place, Mary Arden’s Farm, Hall’s Croft, Falstaff’s Experience, Holy Trinity Church where Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway are buried, the Stratford Brass Rubbing Centre, the 16th Century Harvard House, cruises along the River Avon and shopping in the town centre. Stratford is also within easy travelling distance of Birmingham, Oxford, Warwick, the Cotswolds and Blenheim Palace. See www.shakespeare.org.uk/home.html and www.stratford-upon-avon.co.uk/ for more information.
I visited Stratford three years ago when I studied in England. An absolutely gorgeous town! Thank you for the pictures/post!
I also loved the town. I stayed at a B&B during Halloween. It is a friendly town or village with a leisurely atmosphere. I loved visiting the quaint Tudor houses and learning more about how Shakespeare’s life may have been when he lived there. I’d live there tomorrow myself if I could work there. Certainly different from life in modern Australia.
Heading there in February to see the play versions of Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies
Lucky you, you will have to tell us about the play Diane, do you know if the play will be going on tour?
Love the way the exposed wall is a framed feature, a peep into the past. I was going to do that with some beautiful Victorian/Edwardian arts and crafts wall paper that I found behind layers of other wall paper in my hall way but it was at knee height and it was going to be behind a piece of furniture so it wouldn’t have worked, it was sooo annoying to say the least because I couldn’t remove it either, to delicate…so had to wall paper over it again for another generation to find, took photo’s though.
The photos are lovely. The buildings in Stratford are so idyllic aren’t they, they almost don’t seem real, I nearly got there once when we went to visit Kenilworth and Warwick castles, but because Warwick was so huge we time ran out, sadly. One day perhaps. Glad you had a lovely break, well deserved.
I love visiting Stratford! I go as often as I can. I never tire of it. I’ve been in your brother’s shop!
Lovely buildings, have never visited Stratford Upon Avon. Its one of those places I must see as I know both myself and my family would enjoy visiting it. Thank you for the pictures claire. x
We’re thinking of going to Stratford on a cottage holiday in the summer, so I was delighted to see your photos. What a lovely place. We’ve been before but it was 25 years ago, can’t wait to go back!
Stratford- apon- Avon is the home of William Shakespeare it is a nice area as well as place to be I go to see his plays at the globe I have done once and may plan to go again! I too spent the Christmas with the family! 🙂 but not in Stratford but in London! 🙂
I agree with all of you who say that Stratford-Upon-Avon is a beautiful town! I’ll have to make a mental note to myself to visit Box of Delights next time I’m there!
Sorry, I’m from Washington state, USA and so what is a wattle and daub?
Hi Angela, wattle and daub is building materials used for the construction of walls.
Basically wattle is the weaving of thin sticks/twigs or slats together to make a panel, and these would be slotted in between the timber frame work of a house. The daub could consist of various mixtures of things making a sticky substance to plaster on to the woven frames (wattles). There would be 3 main categories’ in this ‘plaster’ Binders that hold the mix together, such as clay or lime, Aggregates such as earth or crushed stone to give the mix bulk and stability and Re-enforcement, which were fibrous elements, straw, animal hair, hay, some time an animal dung, which helped to hold the mix together and give it a flexibility. This type of ‘wall’ building is thousands of years old.
In my house, some parts of it about 200year old, we have a more ‘modern’ version of this called Latte and plaster, which is a layer of nailed wooden strips covered with plaster, which I found when I used a wallpaper steamer to strip off layers upon layers off the walls, not a good idea really as the plaster is a lot more delicate and comes off as well as the wallpaper!! oops! you live and learn…but it turned out ok it the end 🙂