Stratford was inhabited originally byBritons beforeAnglo-Saxons and remained a village before thelord of the manor,John of Coutances, set out plans to develop it into a town in 1196. In that same year, Stratford was granted a charter fromKing Richard I to hold a weeklymarket in the town, giving it its status as amarket town. As a result, Stratford experienced an increase in trade and commerce as well as urban expansion.
The name is a combination of theOld Englishstrǣt (from Latinstratum), meaning 'street',ford, indicating a shallow part of a river or stream, allowing it to be crossed by walking or driving, andavon which is aCeltic word for river (Welsh:afon).[8][9] The 'street' was aRoman road which connectedIcknield Street inAlcester to theFosse Way. The ford, which has been used as a crossing sinceRoman times, later became the location ofClopton Bridge.[10][11][12]
A survey of 1251–52 uses the name Stratford for the first time to identify Old Stratford and the newermanors.[11][13] The name was used after that time to describe the area specifically surrounding theHoly Trinity Church and the street of the Old Town.[11]
The Stratford area was settled during theRoman period as the area was crossed by a Roman road: archaeological remains of a small Roman town have been found, about 1 mile (1.6 km) northeast of Stratford town centre atTiddington, now part of Stratford, which was occupied from the 1st to the 5th century AD.[14] The remains of two further probable Roman settlements have been found within a few miles of modern-day Stratford.[15][16]
The settlement which later became known as Stratford was first inhabited byAnglo-Saxons following their 7th-century invasion of what would become known as Warwickshire, but was then part of the Kingdom ofMercia.[8][17] It is likely that an Anglo-Saxonmonastery existed at the site of what is nowHoly Trinity Church, which was founded after the land was acquired byEgwin, the thirdBishop of Worcester (693–714).[18] The monastery was likely destroyed byViking invaders in 1015.[19] The land remained in the ownership of theBishops ofWorcester until the 16th century.[20] The area around Holy Trinity Church is still known asOld Town as it was the original area of settlement around the monastery. The focus of the settlement at Stratford was later moved north, closer to the river crossing, which was better positioned for trade.[11]
Stratford, then referred to asstrete ford, remained a village until the late 12th century when it was developed into a town bylord of the manor,BishopJohn of Coutances.[11] Coutances laid out a new town plan in 1196 around1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) north of the original settlement, based on agrid system to expand Stratford and allow people to rent property in order to trade within the town.[8][12][21] Coutances granted his new tenants the right to rent property and transmit it at death. This was calledburgage tenure. Each development plot or "burgage" consisted of around 0.25 acres (0.10 hectares). A charter was granted to Stratford by KingRichard I in 1196 which allowed a weeklymarket to be held in the town, giving it its status as amarket town. These two charters, which formed the foundations of Stratford's transformation from a village to a town, make the town of Stratford over 800 years old, the town celebratedits 800th anniversary in 1996.[12][22]
John of Coutances' plans to develop Stratford into a town meant Stratford became a place of work for tradesmen and merchants.[12] By 1252 the town had approximately 240burgages (town rental properties owned by a king orlord), as well as shops, stalls and other buildings.[11] Stratford's tradesmen established aguild known as theGuild of the Holy Cross for their business and religious requirements. The guild developed into the town's main institution of local government, and included the most important townsmen, who elected officials to oversee local affairs. They built aGuild Chapel in the 13th century, anda Guildhall andalmshouses on Church Street in around 1417. The guild established an educational institution in the late 13th century.[12][23][24]
Many of the town's earliest and most important buildings are located along what is known asStratford's Historic Spine, which was once the main route from the town centre to the parish church. The route of the Historic Spine begins atShakespeare's Birthplace inHenley Street. It continues through Henley Street to the top end of Bridge Street and into the High Street where manyElizabethan buildings are located, includingHarvard House. The route carries on through Chapel Street whereNash's House andNew Place are sited. OppositeNew Place wasThe Falcon Hotel (now Hotel Indigo), at the corner of Scholars Lane. It is a timber-framed house with nearly 100-ft frontage to the street and dating perhaps from the end of the 15th century.[11] The Historic Spine continues along Church Street where the Guild buildings are located dating back to the 15th century, as well as 18th- and 19th-century properties. The route then finishes in the Old Town, which includesHall's Croft and theHoly Trinity Church.[21]
During Stratford's early expansion into a town, the only access across theRiver Avon into and out of the town was over a wooden bridge, which was first mentioned in 1235.[11] The bridge could not be crossed at times due to the river rising and was described by antiquarianJohn Leland as "a poor bridge of timber and nocauseway to it, whereby many poor folks and other refused to come to Stratford when the Avon was up, or coming thither stood in jeopardy of life." In 1484, a new masonry arch bridge was built to replace it calledClopton Bridge, named afterHugh Clopton who paid for its construction, a wealthy local man who later became theLord Mayor of London. The new bridge made it easier for people to trade within Stratford and for passing travellers to stay in the town.[11][25][26]
Themedieval structures of local governance underwent significant changes during theTudor period: TheGuild of the Holy Cross was abolished in 1547 under KingEdward VI'ssuppression of religious guilds, and the inhabitants of Stratford petitioned the Crown for a charter of incorporation as aborough, which they received in 1553. This allowed the formation a new Town Council which inherited the property and responsibilities of the abolished guild. The Charter of Incorporation refounded Stratford's school as theKing Edward VI School[23][12]
TheCotswolds, located close to Stratford, was a major sheep-producing area up until the latter part of the 19th century, with Stratford one of its main centres for the processing, marketing, and distribution of sheep and wool. Consequently, Stratford became a centre fortanning during the 15th–17th centuries.[17]Glove making was an important industry, which was at its zenith in the 15th and 16th centuries. As wasmalting, the processing ofgrain to turn it intomalt.[27]
John Shakespeare, originally a farmer, had moved to Stratford in 1551, from the nearby village ofSnitterfield and became a successful glover (glove maker) and businessman, and an official on the Town Council. He met and marriedMary Arden a member of the localgentry in around 1557. Together they had eight children, including Stratford's most famous sonWilliam Shakespeare in 1564, believed to be at the house now known asShakespeare's Birthplace.[28]
Stratford was the centre of considerable activity and some fighting during theEnglish Civil War. Being located at the junction of several main roads, it was strategically important for both theRoyalist andParliamentarian armies. Due to its close proximity to the Parliamentarian stronghold ofWarwick, Stratford remained under Parliamentarian control for the majority of the conflict, although it was only directly occupied by troops for sporadic intervals. In February 1643, Stratford was occupied by Royalist forces underColonel Wagstaffe.[27]
It was recaptured by Parliamentarians underLord Brooke on 25 February after an engagement on the nearby road to Warwick. Having secured the town, Brooke returned to Warwick. In one notable incident in February 1643, Stratford's Market Hall, at the site of the currentTown Hall, was destroyed after three barrels ofgunpowder which were being stored there blew up. From March 1644, until part of the following year, Stratford appears to have been continuously occupied by Parliamentarian troops. There was one further Royalist raid in April 1645.[27]
A number of famous people passed through Stratford during the conflict, such asPrince Rupert in April 1643. He was at Stratford again in July of that year, when he met the QueenHenrietta Maria, who was travelling throughthe Midlands and was the guest of honour ofSusanna Hall, William Shakespeare's daughter, atNew Place.Oliver Cromwell was at Stratford in December 1646, and again in 1651, before theBattle of Worcester.[27]
Despite Stratford's increase in trade, it barely grew between the middle of the 13th century and the end of the 16th century, with a survey of the town showing 217 houses belonged to the lord of the manor in 1590. Growth continued to be slow throughout the 17th century, withhearth tax returns showing that at most there were approximately 429 houses in the town by 1670. However, more substantial expansion began following severalinclosure acts in the late 18th century, with the first and largest development by John Payton who developed land on the north side of the old town, creating several streets including John Street and Payton Street.[11][29]
In 1769, the actorDavid Garrick staged a majorShakespeare Jubilee over three days which saw the construction of a largerotunda and the influx of many visitors. This contributed to the growing phenomenon ofBardolatry which made Stratford a tourist destination.[30][31]
Before the dominance of road and rail, Stratford was an important gateway to the network of Britishcanals.[32] TheRiver Avon was made navigable through Stratford in 1639, by the construction oflocks andweirs, providing Stratford with a navigable link to theRiver Severn to the south-west and to nearWarwick to the north-east, this allowed, in the words ofDaniel Defoe "a very great Trade for Sugar, Oil, Wine, Tobacco, Iron, Lead and in a word, all heavy goods which are carried by water almost as far as Warwick; and in return the corn, and especially the cheese, is brought back fromGloucestershire andWarwickshire toBristol".[27]
Between 1793 and 1816 theStratford-upon-Avon Canal was built, linking the Avon at Stratford withBirmingham.[33] By the early 19th century, Stratford was a flourishinginland port, and an important centre of trade, with many canal and riverwharves along what is now Bancroft Gardens.[27]
The first railway in Warwickshire; theStratford and Moreton Tramway was opened to Stratford in 1826: this was a horse-drawnwagonway, 16 miles (26 km) long, which was intended to carry goods between theStratford-upon-Avon Canal, the rural districts of south Warwickshire andMoreton-in-Marsh. The tramway fell into disuse by the early 1900s, and the tracks were lifted in 1918.[34][35] A surviving remnant of this is theTramway Bridge over the River Avon, a brick arch bridge which now carries pedestrians.[36]
The first steam railway to reach Stratford was a branch of theOxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway fromHoneybourne to the south, which opened in July 1859. This was followed by theStratford on Avon Railway's branch fromHatton from the north, which opened in October 1860. Both branches initially had separate termini, but they soon agreed to join the two branches and open the currentStratford-upon-Avon railway station, which was opened in July 1861. Both branches later came under the control of theGreat Western Railway. The connection of Stratford to the growing national railway network, helped enable the development of the moderntourism industry.[37]
Stratford did not become a major centre of industry during theIndustrial Revolution, but some industries did grow up locally:Edward Fordham Flower opened a large canal sidebrewery in Stratford in 1831. The Flower & Sons Brewery, on Clopton Road survived until 1967, when the company was taken over byWhitbread.[38] Severallime kilns were opened locally, and the manufacture oftarpaulin andoilcloth flourished. The advent of rail transport in the middle of the century caused a major decline in river and canal transport, and the River Avon navigation through Stratford was abandoned in 1875.[27] It was restored as a navigation by volunteers almost a century later in 1974.[39]
Victorian Stratford's growth as a tourist destination was further enhanced byEdward Fordham Flower and his sonCharles Edward Flower, owners of a local brewery business, and important figures in local affairs: Through their campaigning and fundraising efforts, theShakespeare Memorial Theatre was opened on the banks of the Avon in 1879.[12] The original theatre was destroyed by fire in 1926. Its replacement was opened in 1932, designed byElisabeth Scott, making it the first important building by a woman architect erected in Britain.[40]
In 1974, the ancientborough of Stratford was abolished and merged into the much largerStratford-on-Avon District, and the area of the borough became asuccessor parish with atown council.[41] That council inherited two long-standing charities, the Guild and College estates, that own property in the town; these assets were transferred to the Stratford Town Trust charity which (as of 2025[update]) awards grants totalling over £2million each year to the local community.[42]
District-level:Stratford-on-Avon District Council is responsible for housing, planning, rubbish collection and other local matters in Stratford and neighbouring towns and villages. The council is based at Elizabeth House, Church Street.[45]
Parish-level: Stratford-upon-AvonTown Council is aparish council, responsible for crime prevention, cemeteries, public conveniences, litter, river moorings, parks, grants via the Town Trust and the selection of the town'smayor.[46] The Town Council is based at theTown Hall in Sheep Street.[47] The council serves thecivil parish and has 18 members, elected from 12 wards.[48] The parish absorbed Old Stratford and Drayton in March 2015.[49]
Stratford is divided by theRiver Avon, with the majority of the town being on the west side of the river, its riverside location means it is susceptible to flooding, including flash floods.[51][52]
Stratford has severalsuburbs: The town's urban area encompasses the contiguous sub-villages ofAlveston,Shottery andTiddington, which were formerly independent, but now form part of thecivil parish of Stratford, other distinct suburbs of the town include Bishopton, Bridge Town, Clopton and Old Town.[50][11]
Stratford has a temperatemaritime climate, as is usual for theBritish Isles, meaning extremes of heat and cold are rare.[53] Sunshine hours are low to moderate, with an average of 1,379.2 hours of sunshine annually. Rainfall is spread evenly throughout the year. There is an annual average of 622.3 mm (25 in), with over 1 millimetre (0.039 inches) falling on 114.1 days per year, according to the 1971–2000 observation period.[54][55]
Stratford's warmest month is July, with an average maximum temperature of 22.2 °C (72 °F). January is the coldest month, with an average high of 6.9 °C (44 °F). The average summer maximum temperature is 21.1 °C (70 °F). The winter average high is 7.4 °C (45 °F).[55]
Between 1959 and 2003, the highest recorded temperature was 35.7 °C (96 °F) on 3 August 1990 and the lowest temperature was −21.0 °C (−6 °F) on 14 January 1982.[56]
Climate data for Stratford-upon-Avon, elevation 49 metres (161 feet), 1971–2000 (extremes 1959–2003)
In the2021 census Stratford had a population of 30,495, an increase from 27,894 in the2011 census and 22,338 in the2001 census.[5] The town's population has undergone expansion in recent years following government approval to build 800 new homes inShottery, which included plans for a new relief road.[57][58] Up to 500 new homes are planned in the Bishopton area of the town,[59] and 270 homes on the Loxley Road.[60]
In terms of ethnicity in 2021, 92.7% of Stratford residents wereWhite, 3.3% wereAsian, 0.6% wereBlack, 2.4% wereMixed, 0.2% wereArab and 0.8% were from another ethnic group.[5]
In terms of religion, 58.4% of Stratford residents identified asChristian, 38.2% said they hadno religion, 1.0% wereMuslim, 0.8% wereHindu, 0.5% wereSikh, 0.5% wereBuddhists, 0.2% wereJewish, and 0.5% were from another religion.[5]
The regular large influx of tourists is the major source of the town's prosperity,[62] receiving between 2.5 million and 3 million visitors annually.[63][64] Stratford is a major English tourist town due to it being the birthplace ofWilliam Shakespeare, who many consider the greatestplaywright of all time.[62][65] In 2010,Stratford-on-Avon District Council spent £298,000 ontourism promotion,[66] which included the launch of a re-branded official tourism website for the Stratford area called Discover Stratford[67] and a newtourist information centre onHenley Street[68] (though this has since returned to its original location on Bridgefoot).[69] The council also supports an official open-top tour bus service in the town.
Apart from the town centre, Maybird Shopping Park, usually referred to locally as "The Maybird Centre" or simply "The Maybird", is a largeshopping centre situated on Birmingham Road, approximately a five-minute drive from the town centre. The Rosebird Centre is a much smaller shopping centre located on Shipston Road, consisting ofWaitrose, a pet shop, a drive-thruCosta Coffee and a pharmacy/GP surgery. Bell Court Shopping Centre is in the centre of the town with entrances from Wood St, Ely St, High St & Rother Street. it has several restaurants and shopping offers.
The first realtheatre in Stratford was a temporary wooden affair built in 1769 by the actorDavid Garrick for hisShakespeare Jubilee celebrations of that year to mark William Shakespeare's birthday. The theatre, built not far from the site of the presentRoyal Shakespeare Theatre, was almost washed away in two days of torrential rain that resulted in terrible flooding.[30][31] To celebrate the 300th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth in 1864, brewerCharles Edward Flower instigated the building of a temporary wooden theatre, known as the Tercentenary Theatre, which was built in a part of the brewer's large gardens on what is today the site of the new, and temporary,Courtyard Theatre. After three months the Tercentenary Theatre was dismantled, with the timber used for housebuilding purposes.[70]
In the early 1870s, Flower gave several acres of riverside land to the local council on the understanding that a permanent theatre be built in honour of Shakespeare's memory, and by 1879 the firstShakespeare Memorial Theatre had been completed. It proved to be a huge success, and by the early 20th century it was effectively being run by the actor/managerFrank Benson.[70] The theatre burned down in 1926, with the then artistic director,William Bridges-Adams, moving all productions to the localcinema.
An architectural competition was arranged to elicit designs for a new theatre, with the winner, English architectElisabeth Scott, creating the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. The new theatre, adjoining what was left of the old theatre, was opened by the thenPrince of Wales, laterEdward VIII, in 1932. The new theatre had many illustrious artistic directors, including the actorAnthony Quayle. SirPeter Hall was appointed artistic director (designate) in 1959, and formed theRoyal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in 1961.
The Royal Shakespeare Company also runs two smaller theatres, theSwan Theatre, which was created in the 1980s out of the shell of the remains of the original Memorial Theatre and is modelled on anElizabethan theatre, quickly becoming one of the finest acting spaces in the United Kingdom, andThe Other Place theatre. Along with theRoyal Shakespeare Theatre (RST), the Swan Theatre closed in 2007 for refurbishment and reopened in November 2010. The Other Place, aBlack box theatre, was extended to become the temporaryRSC Courtyard Theatre, opening in July 2006 and was the home of the RSC while the RST was being refurbished – its interior is similar to the interior of the refurbished RST. The Courtyard Theatre closed in 2015 and was replaced by The Other Place in March 2016, which returned as a 200-seat studio theatre within the steel extension in which the Courtyard Theatre was located.[71][72]
Stratford is home to The Bear Pit Theatre which was founded in 2008 as a voluntary organisation. It has 100 seats and is part of theLittle Theatre Guild.[73][74][75] The Attic Theatre is Stratford-upon-Avon's premiere fringetheatre. Established by husband-and-wife team John-Robert and Catherine Partridge and in 2009, who also run the award-winning Tread The Boards Theatre Company.[76] The venue is located next door to Cox's Yard and hosts an intimate 90-seat auditorium in theGrade 2 listed Attic space.[76][77]
TheWaterside Theatre, which is not part of theRoyal Shakespeare Theatre complex, re-opened in December 2004, then closed in September 2008. During this span, the theatre housed the Shakespearience visitor attraction.[78] This has now been turned into the Clore Learning Centre, the Royal Shakespeare Company's education and events venue. In 1988, Stratford-upon-Avon was the venue for the disastrous provincial try-out of the ill-fated musicalCarrie, based on theStephen King novel.
Stratford ArtsHouse, previously the Civic Hall, is home toOrchestra of the Swan, a professional chamber orchestra staging up to 10 orchestral concerts with international soloists per year.[79] Kempe Studio of TheRudolf Kempe Society, whose patron isDame Judi Dench, is based in a house at 58 Waterside called TheMuses and hosts musical events and masterclass lessons.[80][81] No. 1Shakespeare Street holds regular evenings of live music.[82]
Tudor World is a museum which explores the time when Shakespeare lived. It is based in aGrade II* listed town centreTudor building and is the only museum in the country dedicated to Tudor times. Every week there is a walk around the town with Shakespeare.[83] The Mechanical Art and Design museum, but better known as MAD museum, is a museum in Henley Street of "brilliant-but-bonkers machines" made byKinetic artists. Items on show include mechanised flipbooks and a musical typewriter.[84]
Elsewhere in the district are farms and buildings atSnitterfield, that belonged to the family of Shakespeare's father.King Edward VI School, located on the corner of Church Street andChapel Lane, is agrammar school thought to have been attended by Shakespeare. In 2016, the school room where Shakespeare is believed to have studied opened to visitors.[85]
Every year, Shakespeare's birthday is celebrated in Stratford. The celebration takes place over two days on the weekend closest to 26 April, the date of his christening, and includes musical performances, drama and a parade through the town.[90] In 2016, events were held in Stratford to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death.[91]
Church Street, an extension of Chapel St and the High St, has the old frontage of King Edward VI School, the school thought to have been attended by Shakespeare.
Henley Street, one of the town's oldest streets, underwent substantial architectural change between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries.John Shakespeare's largehalf-timbered dwelling, purchased by him in 1556, was in 1564 the birthplace of his son William. According to a descriptive placard provided for tourists there:
The property remained in the ownership of William Shakespeare's direct descendants until 1670, when his granddaughter,Elizabeth Barnard, died. As she had no children, Elizabeth left the estate to her relative Thomas Hart, Shakespeare's great-nephew. The main house became a tenanted inn called theMaidenhead (later theSwan and Maidenhead) following the death of John Shakespeare in 1601. Members of the Hart family continued living in the small adjoiningcottage throughout the century.
At the end of the 19th century,Edward Gibbs renovated the building to more closely represent the originalTudor farmhouse. Adjacent toShakespeare's Birthplace stands theShakespeare Centre, completed in 1964 and not far from theCarnegie Library, opened in 1905. The largehalf-timbered building, which now comprises numbers 19, 20 and 21, was formerly theWhite Lion Inn.[11] It is first mentioned in 1603.[99] and was adjoined on the east by a smaller inn called the "Swan".
In 1745 the latter was purchased by John Payton, who acquired the "Lion" five years later and rebuilt the whole premises on a greatly enlarged scale. The work was completed by James Collins of Birmingham, builder, in 1753. Payton "brought the house into great vogue"[100] though Byng in 1792 complained that "at the noted White Lion, I met with nothing but incivility" (cited fromTorrington Diaries (ed. Andrews), iii, 152).[11]
Payton was succeeded as innkeeper by his son John, and its reputation as one of the best inns on the Holyhead Road must have contributed not a little to the prosperity of the town.David Garrick stayed at the "White Lion Inn" during theShakespeare Jubilee of 1769.[11] andGeorge IV, as Prince Regent, visited it when he came to Stratford in 1806.[101] Its great days came to an end after John Payton the younger sold it to Thomas Arkell in 1823.[11] The building is now home to the Enchanted Manor Museum at the Creaky Cauldron and Magic Alley; the Box Brownie Café; Doug Brown's Really Good Gift Company; and the Not Just ShakespeareTourist Information Centre. Henley Street is now a major tourist and shopping precinct with manyal fresco cafés andstreet entertainers.
Scholars Lane, opposite King Edward VI School, was included in the 1196 grid plan. Its original name, first recorded in about 1330, was Tinkers Lane, denoting the street where tinkers would gather on market days to mend pots and pans.[102] It is now mainly residential.
Some of the many cafés and restaurants along Sheep Street
Sheep Street runs from Ely Street eastwards to the Waterside. It was a residential quarter in the 16th century, some of the buildings were rebuilt following the fire of 1595, although many, such as Number 40, date from 1480. Formerly a two-story building that was extended in the early twentieth century has a lower story of substantial close-set studding: the upper is of more widely spaced thin vertical timbers.[11] As the name suggests Sheep Street, which leads down from the Town Hall to Waterside and theRoyal Shakespeare Theatre, was from early times and until the late 19th century, the area where sheep, brought from the neighbouringCotswold Hills to be bought and sold.[17] Today it is the restaurant centre of the town.
The Shrieves House is one of the oldest still lived in houses in the town and William Shakespeare is said to have based his character of SirJohn Falstaff on one of the residents, his godson's uncle.Oliver Cromwell is thought to have stayed here in 1651. He wrote a letter from the town toLord Wharton on 27 August 1651,[103] before theBattle of Worcester. Behind The Shrieves House is a museum called "Tudor World" with recreations of 16th-century life in theatrical settings. Just off Sheep Street is Shrieves Walk, a very quaint walkway with several small independent stores. AWetherspoons is also on Sheep Street.
This area of Stratford, which runs from the foot of Bridge Street toHoly Trinity Church and leads directly off Sheep Street and Chapel Lane, runs alongside theRiver Avon and offers access to theWaterside Theatre and all areas of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. The Bancroft Gardens[104] and river area is a very popular place for people watching, enjoying picnics and river activities. Bancroft Gardens also featuresthe Gower Monument, a bronze statue of William Shakespeare flanked by four of his most popular characters. In the summer the River Avon is busy with rowing boats, motor boats and river cruises. TheStratford-upon-Avon Canal is busy with colourfulnarrowboats passing through or mooring up in the canal basin. There are often jugglers, fire-eaters and magicians entertaining the public on the lawns.
On the edge of the gardens is a water fountain, known as the Swan Fountain. It was unveiled in 1996 by QueenElizabeth II to recognise that Stratford has been amarket town since 1196. It is from here the Stratford Town Walk meet every day (even Christmas Day), to offer a guided walking tour of the town. The tour passes the Shakespeare houses, Royal Shakespeare Theatre's, 15th-centurytimber-framed buildings, William Shakespeare's school and visitsHoly Trinity Church where Shakespeare was baptised and is buried. Waterside is also the location ofThe Dirty Duck pub which is frequented by actors from the nearbyRSC theatres, theatre critics and theatregoers.[94]
Some of the recently uncovered wall paintings in theGuild Chapel
Harvard House is located at 26 High Street. Other attractions include theStratford Butterfly Farm, which is on the eastern side of theriver Avon and the Bancroft Gardens andStratford Armouries located three miles (4.8 km) from the centre of Stratford on Gospel Oak Lane. Each year on 12 October, unless this is a Sunday, in which case 11 October, Stratford hosts one of the largestmop fairs in the country. Ten days later, the smaller Runaway fair is held.[105]
TheGuild Chapel, at the intersection of Church Street and Chapel Lane, had a long association with William Shakespeare's family. The chapel offers a view of fine paintings from the early 1500s which had been covered up during theReformation to save them from destruction. Centuries later, they were uncovered and are now visible.[106][107]
Stratford is 22 miles (35 km) from theUnited Kingdom's second largest city,Birmingham, and is easily accessible from junction 15 of theM40 motorway. TheA46 road links Stratford with the M40,Warwick andCoventry to the north-east, andEvesham andAshchurch to the south-west, where it joins theM5 motorway. Until the M40 opened, theA34 passed through the town centre.
Bus services are provided predominantly byStagecoach in Warwickshire (formerly Midland Red South) andDiamond West Midlands. Routes connect the town with local destinations including Banbury, Coventry, Evesham, Leamington and Redditch.[108]
Stratford station is now the southern terminus of two branch lines from Birmingham andHatton; up to 1976, the line formerly continued south of the town to join theCotswold Line atHoneybourne, until this link was closed and dismantled.[111] There has been a campaign in recent years to restore the Honeybourne link, which would entail rebuilding 6 miles (9.7 km) of track.[112]
Stratford-upon-Avon's railway service has been criticised by theRoyal Shakespeare Company and others for its limited direct services toLondon, which consists of a handful of daily direct trains, with connections available from Leamington Spa. In 2018, the RSC described the services to the station as "woefully inadequate" for an international tourist destination.[113]
Several companies offer sightseeing cruises along theriver Avon and thecanal, some using old riverbarges that have been converted for this use.[115] The town is the terminus of theStratford-upon-Avon Canal where it meets the river Avon.
Finally, there is a non-selectivesecondary school,Stratford-upon-Avon School, formerly known as theHugh Clopton Secondary Modern School, which was demolished to make way for the new high school. There are no independent secondary schools in the town, but there are manyprimary schools, includingSt. Gregory'sCatholic Primary School, Stratford-upon-Avon Primary School (often known locally as "Broad Street" due to its location), Bishopton Primary School, WillowsChurch of England Primary School and Thomas Jolyffe Primary School both state and independent, as well asStratford-upon-Avon College.
Stratford-upon-AvonRugby Club is situated on Loxley Road at their home ground Pearcecroft.[119] The club fields three senior sides and a colts under 18 team with the 1st XV currently playing inMidlands 1 (West).[120] The club also has a large mini and junior section.[121]Stratford-upon-Avon Cricket Club Ground is by theriver Avon opposite theRoyal Shakespeare Theatre. The first match recorded there was in 1880. It has hosted first-class games since 1951 and women's One Day Internationals since 2005.
The town's 5kparkrun event started in February 2016 and operates on the Recreation Ground every Saturday at 9 am. A junior parkrun started in June 2019 and takes place every Sunday at 9 am for children aged 4 to 14.Stratford Racecourse is located along the Luddington Road, about one mile from the centre of town which holds 18 meetings every year. It is aNational Hunt course with an oval track of approximately a mile and a quarter and is considered to be one of the UK's leading smallracecourses.[122]Adventure Bike Rider (established in 2010) isUnited Kingdom bimonthlymotorcyclingnewspaper.
With theRoyal Shakespeare Company in the town, many famous actors have at some point lived or stayed in Stratford or the surrounding villages. Some of these include:
From 1901 to 1924, the romantic novelistMarie Corelli, real name Minnie Mackay, daughter ofCharles Mackay, made her home, with her companion Miss Vyver, at Mason's Croft, Church Street, Stratford
Lord Digby Jones (1955–) lives near Stratford-upon-Avon and is Chairman of Governors atStratford-upon-Avon College and Chairman of Grove Industries which is based in the town
Gordon Ramsay, noted celebrity chef, and star of several cooking related shows, moved to Stratford-Upon-Avon with his family in 1976 when he was nine years old
The historicStratford family (who took their name from the town)
^*Squires, Roger (2008).Britain's Restored Canals. Landmark Publishing.ISBN978-1-84306-331-5.
^Pringle, Marian J. (1994).The Theatres of Stratford-upon-Avon, 1875–1992: an architectural history. Stratford-upon-Avon Society. p. 29.ISBN978-0-9514-1781-2.
^Carlyle, Robert (2005) [First published 1861].Oliver Cromwell's letters and speeches: with elucidations, Volume 3, page 86 "The War with Scotland". Bernhard Tauchnitz.ISBN1402177194.
^Formerly theBank Croft, a piece of common land by the river used as pasture:Lee, Sydney (2012) [First published 1890].Stratford-on-Avon: From the Earliest Times to the Death of Shakespeare. Cambridge University Press. p. 126.ISBN978-1108048187.
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