Herbs, glove-making and scary puppets (Shakespeare's Birthplace)

Member Name: crazyminx

Product:	Shakespeare's Birthplace
Date:	26/09/08 (50 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Ticket allows you entrance to other attractions

Disadvantages: Exhibition is small, queues are long, tickets are expensive

Shakespeare's Birthplace has been called "Possibly the most famous and most visited literary landmark in Britain" by www.stratford.co.uk. I'm not sure if this rather bold claim is completely true, but it is probably not too far off. If you are planning a visit to Stratford, the Birthplace is an essential place to visit, not necessarily because it's particularly exciting in itself, but more because it is an important part of English history and heritage.

The house stands in Henley Street, near the centre of Stratford, a quick and easy walk from the market, public carparks and shops. You do not enter directly into the house itself, you actually enter into the visitor's centre, where there is a well-presented and quite interesting exhibition about Shakespeare, his family, and life in Stratford during Elizabethan times. To be honest, the exhibition focuses somewhat more on the latter two; for a much more extensive exhibition on Shakespeare himself and his works, you would be better heading to Hall's Croft, where Shakespeare's daughter lived (again, within walking distance).

After you exit the visitor's centre, you may take a look around the gardens of the Birthplace. They are smallish but very pretty and contain flowers and herbs popular in Elizabethan times. Certainly worth a quick look, but I wouldn't expect many people to be entertained for longer than 5-10 minutes.

After looking at the gardens, you can start queuing up to enter the actual house. I imagine on some days the queuing is not necessary, but when we went on a warm Saturday in September, we were queuing for about half an hour to get in, which was a bit of a pain. It did mean though, that once we got inside it wasn't too crowded and you could see everything easily without having anyone try to elbow you out of the way!

The house itself is lovely. You get a few words of introduction from the guide in the (very cramped) entrance hall and then you are free to explore. It is not huge but it does have a lounge/kitchen, dining room and various bedrooms. It has been very well preserved and the oak beams and old fireplaces are just gorgeous. The fact that it is all kitted out with original or replica Elizabethan furniture makes you feel as though you've stepped back in time. You also get a chance to look in the reconstruction of Shakespeare's father's glovemaking workshop at the back of the house, where a guide will tell you a bit about...glovemaking.

After you've had a look around the house, you have to go through the gift shop to leave. Of course at this point you may have to gently guide your kids away from the vast array of pencils/chocolates/notebooks/rubbers etc all with Shakespeare's face imposed upon them. You will also have to walk past some disturbing Shakespeare cuddly toys and puppets!

All of this can easily be done in an hour or so unless you really like to linger, so the price (£9 for adults, £8 for concessions, £4.50 for children or £24 for a family ticket) might seem a little steep. However, the house no doubt costs a lot to maintain, and the tickets also usefully give you entrance to Hall's Croft, Nash's House, Anne Hathaway's Cottage and Harvard House as well as the Birthplace. You can also go back as many times as you like throughout the year if you have your ticket with you, so it's not too bad value.

I wouldn't say this is the most exciting place to visit, but it is interesting, and if you're in Stratford anyway, or have an interest in Shakespeare, it's a must-see.

Summary: An important part of literary history