17-19 December 2022
Stratford-upon-Avon in the Warwickshire county, on the banks of river Avon, is the birthplace of William Shakespeare, England's greatest playwright.
The town's name is a combination of the Latin stratum ('street'), the Old English ford (a shallow part of the river or stream, allowing it to be crossed) and the Celtic avon ('river').
A few years back, when we were still living in London, we came to Stratford-upon-Avon to watch a Shakespeare play at the RSC Theatre (Royal Shakespeare Company Theatre). It was quite an experience! We hadn't been living in England long and, although we are fluent in English, understanding Old English is on another level. We only understood half of it and were a bit sad. A few years later we saw another play in London, at the Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. This time we could understand about 75%. Needless to say, we haven't had the courage to try a third time.
The most remarkable memory from that day was that I miscalculated the time between the end of the play at the RSC and the last train of the day out of Stratford-upon-Avon. We had taken the train from London earlier in the day and needed to return home. We had less than 10min to get to the train station and it would take longer than that to walk. We literally run out of the theatre, down the streets, deserted at that time of the night. I was hyperventilating like mad. Jorge was worried and kept slowing down and asking if I was ok. I just pointed forward, 'Shut up, can't you see I'm running as fast as I can?', was all I could think but had no breath to voice. We must have looked crazy entering the station and jumping onto the train, the doors closing less than 3 seconds later. That was a very very close call!
This time we had a weekend and took the time to walk around and take in the city centre. It was freezing cold with negative temperatures in one day and rain on the next but discouraged we were not.
18th December walk:
Taking the pedestrian path southbound along the east side of the river Avon, on the Recreation Grounds.
The Royal Shakespeare Company Theatre on the other side of the river.
Holy Trinity Church on the other side of the river.
A barge providing cruise & restaurant experience, The Countess of Evesham, passed by us a couple of times. What we realised is that it departs from the Bancroft Basin, travels about 1 mile down river and then turns around. It keeps doing this loop over and over again until the meal is over. Guests may not notice because they are distracted with their food, but it must be incredible boring for the barge's staff.
At Lucy's Mill Bridge we cross the river to the west side, and turn back.
Holy Trinity Church
(The Collegiate Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity) - that's a long name!
Holy Trinity Church was first mentioned in 845 and it was likely a wooden construction. It is very likely that the Normans turned it into a stone building but there are no traces of either. The present limestone building was begun in 1210.
 |
| I love the embroidered prayer cushions! |
It was here that Shakespeare was baptised, where he worshipped and where he is buried. In the chancel, between the pulpit and the high altar, Shakespeare and four of his family members are buried.
On the wall above is a Monument to Shakespeare, erected a few years after his death and thought to be a good likeness.
One of the church's volunteers talked us through some of Shakespeare's family stories and she was so good! We left the usual £5 donation.
The church's avenue of lime trees were ready for the Winter, dressed in knitwear.
Turning left into The Old Town, we find Hall's Croft.
Hall's Croft is thought to have been the home of the physician John Hall who, in 1607, married William Shakespeare's daughter, Susanna. It's a Medieval timber-framed building with it's oldest parts dating from 1613-1614 and it's main form was finished by 1680.
No. 5 Old Town is the finest 18th century house in town, built in 1732-1733.
Turning right onto Church St, there is the Stratford-on-Avon District Council on the west side of the street.
And The Guild Chapel, The Guildhall & Grammar School and The Almshouses on the east side of the street. Last time we were here we visited Shakespeare's Birthplace so this time I convinced Jorge to visit the Guildhall. Entrance fee is £12.50/person and it's worth the money as the guides/volunteers inside are very passionate.
 |
| From left to right: The Guild Chapel, The Guildhall, The Almshouses. |
The Guildhall was built in 1418-1420 as the headquarters of the Guild of the Holy Cross and it's very well preserved considering it has been continuously used for 600 years. In 1553, following the suppression of the Guild by the Reformation, the Guild buildings were granted to the newly-formed Stratford Corporation by Edward VI and it served as the council's meeting house for the next 300 years.
The Stratford Corporation was a group of the most prosperous men in Stratford-upon-Avon who, effectively, run the town, and made up the Stratford Borough Council. The corporation had a wide range of responsibilities, effectively controlling everything from policing the streets to checking the quality of ale. They also enforced the law through The Court of Record, which met fortnightly on the ground-flor of the Guildhall, dealing mostly with disputes between local tradesmen, craftsmen and yeomen. For the first time in Stratford, trials were open to the public and held in English, making justice accessible and understandable to the local people. William Shakespeare's father, John, was part of the Stratford Corporation and worked his way up to the top becoming the Bailiff in 1556, meaning he presided The Court of Record and was effectively the Mayor of Stratford.
The Guild's school, re-founded as The Kyng's Newe Scole in 1553, occupied part of the Guildhall's upper floor from the 1560s. It was here that William Shakespeare was educated from 1571 as a 7-year-old. In the late 1500s, travelling players performed regularly in the Guildhall, providing Shakespeare with his first experience of professional theatre. The Guildhall continues to be used for teaching by King Edward VI School.
There was a volunteer dressed as a Tudor teacher explaining how a Tudor school worked and how different it was from today. At the time, only children (from wealthy families) who wanted to study would go to school and the teaching was done through discussion. There was memorisation and reciting, yes, but pupils were explained why in minute detail as this way learning is easier. Pupils of all ages sat in the same room, sitting on benches called forms, according to their age. Older children would teach the younger and all of them were supervised by the Master. The Master's rule was absolute and he would offer an apple to the deserving pupil and display the birch rod to warn the lazy, likely using it when needed.
The Guild Chapel was funded by the guild and then the corporation. They employed priests to provide spiritual services and comfort to its members. They said Mass on behalf of the living and prayed for the soul of the dead. People believed this reduced their time in purgatory and speeded up their passage to heaven. Parts of the Guild Chapel date back to 1269 but the chancel was rebuilt in the 1450s and the nave porch and west tower in the 1490s.
The Almshouses were built by the Guild in the early 15th century to provide homes for aged local people and this use has continued down to the present time.
At the start of Chapel Street, The Falcon Inn (currently Hotel Indigo) on the west side of the road.
The Falcon Inn's building dates back to 1624 but the Inn opened around 1655. No other building in town has a longer continuous history as licensed permises.
Further down Chapel Street, the Town Hall on the east side and The Old Bank on the west side.
Town Hall
The town's first Market Hall was built in 1634 but it was damaged in the Civil War and never repaired and was puled down in 1767 and replaced by this one.
 |
| No. 23 Ely St. |
 |
| High Street. |
The Garrick Inn is a 16th century timber-framed building used for private living until 1718 when it opened as a tavern.
 |
| No. 25 - The Garrick Inn |
On the right side of The Garrick Inn, Harvard House. It's a half-timbered building constructed in 1596 by Thomas Rogers, grandfather of John Harvard, founder of Harvard University in Massachusetts in 1636.
 |
| No. 26 High St - Harvard House (right hand side). |
19th December walk:
Walking over the Tramway Bridge, the footbridge over the river Avon.
Tramway Bridge was built in 1823 to carry a horse-drawn tramway track. The tramway fell into disuse in 1904 and the track was lifted in 1918. It is being used as a public footbridge ever since.
Clopton Bridge was built around 1484, replacing a timber bridge which was first mentioned in 1235. Still going strong after 500 years of traffic!
 |
| On the Tramway Bridge, looking over Clopton Bridge and The Boat House. |
The Gower Memorial
In 1769, actor and theatre manager David Garrick organised a 3-day festival in honour of Shakespeare (Shakespeare Jubilee), which started the rise of bardolatry (excessive admiration for Shakespeare), leading to Shakespeare being established as England's national poet. This appreciation is reflected in the grandeur of the memorial, given to the town in 1888 by Lord Ronald Gower. The figures around the base are Shakespearian characters: Hamlet, Lady Macbeth, Falstaff and Prince Hal.
Up Bridge St and then Henley St, one of the town's oldest streets.
 |
| Bridge St roundabout sits at the start of Henley St. |
 |
| Statue of Shakespeare at the middle of Henley St. |
 |
| No. 12 Henley St - Library & Registration Service. |
Shakespeare Birthplace
A 2-story half-timbered complex with an unaltered interior and reflecting the lifestyle of a lower middle-class family in the second half of the 16th century. Shakespeare was born here in 1564.
 |
| No. 19 Henley St |
 |
| The Jester sits at the end of Henley St. |
Turn left onto Windsor St and left again onto Rother St.
The White Swan Hotel - Built in 1450 and used as Inn as early has 1560.
 |
| Rother St |
The Shakespeare Memorial Fountain or The American Fountain - clock and drinking fountain at the Rothermarket built in 1887 to celebrate the life and work of Shakespeare and Queen Victoria's Jubilee. It was sponsored by the American philantropist and publisher George William Childs.
The Royal Shakespeare Company Theatre - the older theatre.
The original Shakespeare Memorial Theatre was opened in 1879 but burnt by fire in 1926. The new Shakespeare Memorial Theatre opened in 1932 and was renovated in 2018.
The Other Place - the new theatre.
A black box theatre owned and operated by the RSC since 2006.
 |
| Hooray's Gelato Kitchen's cappuccino |
No comments:
Post a Comment