Stratford-upon-Avon

Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England, is the birthplace of William Shakespeare (baptised 26 April 1564, died 23 April 1616) and one of England's most-visited historic towns. The town sits on the River Avon and retains a high concentration of surviving medieval and Tudor buildings closely associated with the playwright's life. Shakespeare's Birthplace on Henley Street — a half-timbered house of the early 16th century where Shakespeare was born and spent his early years — is the most visited site, with museum rooms furnished in period style and costumed interpreters. Anne Hathaway's Cottage in Shottery, a 12-room thatched farmhouse where Shakespeare's wife grew up, is a 20-minute walk from the town centre and one of England's best-preserved late-medieval farmhouses, set within a cottage garden with orchard. Hall's Croft on Old Town is the elegant Jacobean townhouse of Shakespeare's daughter Susanna and her physician husband. Holy Trinity Church at the south end of the town is the parish church where Shakespeare was baptised and buried; his grave, marked by a flat stone inscribed with a famous curse against moving his bones, is in the chancel. The Royal Shakespeare Company operates three performance spaces in the town — the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, the Swan Theatre, and The Other Place — and performs Shakespeare's works year-round. The Bancroft Gardens along the riverside are pleasant for walking, with a famous memorial statue of Shakespeare surrounded by figures from his plays. Nash's House and New Place mark the site of the large home Shakespeare bought late in life; the house was demolished in 1759 but the garden and visitor centre remain.