Despite a very rainy start to our day, I had the best day in Stratford-upon-Avon with everyone from Plus3!
After a brief 40 minute train ride (on which I took an amazing nap) we arrived in the town. In our free time before the tour, a large group of us visited the thrift shops on the Main Street. Many of the thrift stores here were actually ran by charities such as Cancer Research UK and Mind, who sell donated and vintage clothes to help raise money. This was a more unique approach to thrifting that I haven’t seen in the US, but I loved it!
Our tour group was led by the lovely Tim, a blue badge guide and former actor who was PERFECT at delivering Shakespearean lines in the most dramatic fashion. The first stop was the Gower Statue, which was surrounded by 4 characters from Shakespeare’s plays. I did not grow up reading many plays, so I finally learned the story of Lady Macbeth (and not to say her name in the theater!). Fun fact: none of Shakespeare’s plays were ever performed in his hometown in his lifetime.
We also got to see the Clockton bridge and the Royal Shakespeare Theater! Even though the old shell was burned down in a fire, some of it still remained (it was designed by a female architect- Elizabeth Scott).
The next stop was the Holy Trinity Church, where Shakespeare is buried three feet below. He actually had another person’s body excavated in order to have his buried there instead. The message on his tomb even reads that anyone who moves *him* will be cursed. In scans of his tomb, there is an empty space where his head should be so… maybe karma came around? On a brighter note, there are two new trees planted at the graves for two of William’s kids.
Our final stop was Shakespeare’s birthplace. John, his father, gradually acquired the home over time, selling goods over the counter inside of their home. The building eventually became a pub in the 1700s before being bought by a group in 1847 and turned into a trust. For being a middle class family, I was amazed by the size of the house. There apparently is a difference between a cottage and a home, it’s determined by the coziness of the rooms. In addition, I learned so many interesting facts about the time period. The saying “sleep tight” literally comes from the tightening of the strings underneath beds, since they loosen over time. For the children to move into the kids bedroom, at the age of 5 they had to successfully walk across the length of the parents room holding a candle and not spill any wax. Talk about a test!
I am absolutely in love with the buildings in the town of Stratford. The floors are made of a foundation of blue lyre stone and the frames are made of timber, then are cemented with a whole ton of materials, such as dung and horse hair. The amount of detail in each building, down to the individual carvings of designs into the wood. They may not be perfect or symmetrical, but I actually like them more that way.
After the tours, I couldn’t leave without getting tea! Together we visited Whittard’s where I purchased cherry blossom tea for my family back home. It was so hard not to purchase the entire store, but I’m really happy with the flavors I picked out. All around, this was a super fun tourist day!
Also here’s an Easter egg: this tower donated by a Philadelphia man. We also saw a public library donated by Andrew Carnegie. PA representation even across the pond!
