A Show Home With Character (Shakespeare's Birthplace)

Member Name: cazkins

Product:	Shakespeare's Birthplace
Date:	01/07/09 (25 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful architecture and garden, peruse at your own pace, some interesting information given

Disadvantages: Not as thrilling as I had hoped for a visitor attraction so may not appeal to everyone

Having heard many good things about Stratford-Upon-Avon but never having been there myself, I took two days out a few weeks ago to check it out myself. I only stayed for the one night, and so didn't get as much time to look around as I would have liked because I spent the second day in Warwick. The one thing I was advised to do, if nothing else, was to see at least some of the Shakespeare tour. Because of the price, and the somewhat limited time I had, I decided to go for the 3 town houses ticket.

... Shakespeare's Birthplace : What & Where? ...

Shakespeare's birthday is located in Henley Street, Stratford-Upon-Avon. For over 250 years it has been a successful visitor attraction, and so some restoration work has been done to the property (including the other attractions within the Shakespeare tour) to keep it safe and clean for visitors. That said, it retails original features and is like stepping back in time when you go inside.

It is close to toilets, the booking centre, shops and cafes, and gift shops full of touristy delights. Unfortunately, there's limited disabled access around Shakespeare's Birthplace itself, though some aspects of the Shakespeare's attraction do have better accessibility so it's a good idea to call and check prior to going if this is an issue for you.

The birthplace is where William Shakespeare started his married life with his wife, Anne Hathaway. Before you enter Shakespeare's birthplace, you get informed of this and a few facts to set the scene in the visitors building after you've purchased your tickets. The visitors building acts as an introduction to the Shakespeare buildings and attractions, helping you to generate interest in what you're about to see. You're taken through a few different stages, separated by automatic doors, where video clips on a large screen are shown whilst you are surrounded by a set to replicate that particular scene. There's plenty of sound, music, factual information, images and props, which act to whet you appetite. For example, there's a glass case housing a ring that was found nearby and is thought to have belonged to Shakespeare. Unfortunately, this didn't do anything for me, but I could see other visitors who were going through the exhibition were quite interested as they talked about how much it would be worth!

Once you leave the introductory exhibition, just a few steps down the road you will find Shakespeare's House. It's quite easy to get confused with the different tickets and which buildings are which, but his Birthplace is the most popular attraction and is located in the centre of Stratford and so is the easiest to get to from the admissions office.

... The Attraction ...

Upon entering, you'll probably find there are already a fair few people browsing around because it is quite a popular attraction. There was a guide just inside the entrance when I went who wishes us a pleasant visit and said a few words to introduce the house. Details on the build of the house and the design are quite interesting, especially when you consider how different buildings today are.

A couple of other guides were placed around the house, one of which I remember was doing a talk in the area on the ground floor used by Shakespeare's father, John, when he worked as a glove maker. The display helped to bring the scene to life, and some of the talk was interesting, but it seemed to go on for far too long about intricate detail of glove making, which I can't say I found particularly interesting.

You get to peruse the house at your leisure, so you can go as quickly or as slowly as you wish. You don't have to stand and listen to the guides if they're doing a talk on something, though it's worthwhile to have a listen because some of it was fairly interesting, and afterall, you've paid for it so you should make the most of it. There's quite a few rooms to look around on the ground and upper floor, and then there's the wonderful gardens outside to look around.

The house itself is wonderful to look around, regardless to the links to Shakespeare, because of its architecture and design. The beams, floors and layout, despite ageing, remain solid and timeless. It's a breath of fresh air compared to the modern square boxes that are built today! I personally like both old and new styles, and this is a wonderful building to look around to help you appreciate the architecture and the way of life back then.

The most interesting item within the house for me was probably a window pane on which other famous individuals had scratched their name after visiting the house. These include Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy. Unfortunately there's no window-scratching for us, but there is a book you can sign on the way out to leave your mark.

The garden is beautifully sculptured, and there are benches outside so you can take in some fresh air and have a quick rest. Luckily, on the day I went, the weather was warm and not too overcast, but a bit of rain shouldn't ruin the experience as the garden isn't too large to look around. I took lots of photographs of the gardens at the Birthplace and the other houses because they were lovely, and that's coming from someone who's not usually that bothered by grass, plants and trees. In fact, I think it may have formed a new appreciation within me towards gardens and nature.

... The Price ...

There are different tickets available if you wish to visit Shakespeare's birthplace. The 'Town House' ticket gets you entry into the Birthplace, Nash's house & New Place, and Hall's Croft. The prices for this ticket are as follows:

Adults £ 12
Child £7
Concessions £11
The attractions are open Monday to Sunday 9am-5pm during Summer months and 10am-4pm during winter months.

Alternatively, there's a ticket to get you into all 5 attractions, and all details are available on shakespeare.org.uk. This all inclusive ticket is more expensive:
Adults £17
Child £10
Concessions £15.50

Family tickets are also available, though I wouldn't necessarily have thought that small children will find the attractions all too interesting.

You purchase tickets online, for example from the Stratford website which will save you a few pennies, the official Shakespeare's Houses website, the tourist information centre, the attraction centre or you can use clubcard vouchers.

Overall, I think this is one of those places to go just to say you've been as it's seen as a 'must visit' if you're in Stratford-Upon-Avon. I think it's quite expensive, and I'm glad I only bought the 3 town houses ticket because these are all closest to the centre and I was able to do these during the day without rushing. I'm glad I went as it was lovely to look around at my own pace, and decide when I wanted to go into each house. The talks were relatively interesting, though I can't say I was particularly thrilled.

The building of Shakespeare's birthplace itself was great to look at, but there wasn't anything to really grab my attention too greatly and so I was in and out of there quite quickly. It's worth doing if you're in Stratford to say you've been, as a one-off special visit.

Summary: A key place to visit when in Stratford to appreciate the beautiful building work and garden