The Ham Nomads

27 Aug 2014. <GB-ENG> Stratford-upon-Avon, Warw —

Today we commune with the Bard himself. We're in Stratford-upon-Avon, the home of William Shakespeare. The Park-and-Ride we were hoping to use had a height restriction, but they pointed us to a pay-and-display parking area right in the heart of Stratford, at the Leisure Centre, which caters very well for Motorhomes. We parked there for the day, while we walked the city.

Our first destination was Anne Hathaway's cottage, about a mile out along a country lane. Anne was Shakespeare's wife. This visit resolved one question we had had for some time — in his will, William left Anne his "second best bed" — why was this?

The 'Hathaway Bed'

We found that, in a house of this time, the best bed was reserved for house guests, so the "second-best bed" was in fact the marital bed — an entirely appropriate legacy! By the way, the word "cottage" is entirely inappropriate for this 12-room house, the house in which Anne was born and brought up by her well-off farming parents, and it was where Will wooed Anne — in fact, he wooed her so well that the banns for the marriage, normally read over three consecutive Sundays, were by special dispensation read only once — and the birth of their first child Susanna came 6 months later! Will was 18 and Anne was 26 at the time of their marriage, but it obviously worked!

Anne Hathaway's cottage has this marvellous garden, totally self-sufficient — it needs to be, as the plants (mainly vegetables and herbs) are true to the time, and the seeds are not readily available any more! We were taken round the garden by one of its gardeners, who pointed out all the plants and the ways they were used in the time of Shakespeare — a most interesting tour.

We went to the associated tea room for our usual coffee and scones — this could be a tour description in its own right!

The bed where Will was born

Then we walked back into town, to Shakespeare's Birthplace. This is a wonderful place, well worth the visit. There's an exhibition, relating his life and achievements, and then you go outside, round a corner, and there is his father's home, in which he was born. After his father died, William extended the house and turned it into an inn, the 'Swan and Maidenhead'. By the way, his father was not exactly hard up — he was mayor of Stratford, had numerous properties around the town, most of which were leased out and returning him good income, and he also had a thriving glovemaking trade that he ran from this house. We walked around the house, exploring its nooks and crannies, and then went outside, to a real treat! There were a couple of players from a group called Shakespeare Aloud. They were performing scenes from Shakespeare's plays on request — they were very good, most entertaining, and fulfilled every request we heard while we were looking on! They were even accomplished musicians, and performed some of the songs from the plays!

We watched them for at least 20 minutes, then went on to Nash's House and New Place. This is a different site. Nash's House was the residence of Elizabeth, Shakespeare's granddaughter (and the only one he ever knew, as she was eight when he died), who married Thomas Nash. Interesting as a house, possibly more interesting as a garden — the garden behind, an Elizabethan Knot Garden, is truly enthralling.

There are statues in it now that derive from many of Shakespeare's plays, and the topiary is fascinating — one could even say bizarre! Shakespeare's own house in Stratford, after he had become a success, was New Place. This was the largest residence in Stratford, and would be a magnificent place to visit, but for the fact that it was demolished in the eighteenth century. But in its place is the beautiful Elizabethan garden referred to above!

We then went over the road to the Guild Chapel. This building was founded in 1269 by the Guild of the Holy Cross, but most of what we see is 15th century. In 1553, following the suppression of the Guild, the Chapel was given to the city of Stratford. In 2001 it was given over to a trust, ho are now in the process of conserving and renovating the building. You can still see remnants of its medieval wall paintings. Shakespeare's schooling was in the Edward VI School run by the Guild in the upper story of the adjoining building.

After this, we walked down to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, and then down to the banks of the Avon. The place was alive — river cruises in narrow boats, children playing in the parkland, swans on the river doing what swans do!

We watched one of the narrowboats passing through a lock — fascinating!

Finally, we went back to the van, drove out to a Morrison's Superstore for our 3-day shop, then returned to the Leisure Centre parking area to spend the night!

Distance driven — today, 10 miles ( 17 km ); to date, 6,481 miles ( 10,431 km )