Shakespeare's hometown — Tudor half-timbered streets, the RSC stage, and a river alive with swans
Stratford-upon-Avon is the birthplace of William Shakespeare (1564–1616) and one of England's most visited towns, in the Warwickshire countryside. The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust preserves five properties directly connected to the playwright — his birthplace on Henley Street, Anne Hathaway's thatched cottage, New Place (the site of his last home), Hall's Croft, and Mary Arden's Farm. The Royal Shakespeare Company performs in its riverside theatre year-round. Beyond the Shakespeare trail, the Cotswolds are on the doorstep and the town canal basin has good narrowboat hire.
Stratford received its market charter in 1196 and grew as a medieval wool-trading town. Shakespeare was born here in April 1564 to glover John Shakespeare and Mary Arden, attended the local grammar school, married Anne Hathaway in 1582, and returned to retire here in 1610 after his London theatre career. He died in 1616 and was buried in Holy Trinity Church, where his grave can still be visited. The town's fame as a pilgrimage site began in the late 18th century — David Garrick organised the first Shakespeare Jubilee here in 1769.