Stratford-upon-Avon

England's greatest dramatist and poet dominates Stratford
William Shakespeare was born on or about 23 April 1564 in Henley Street – now the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, where the garden is planted with trees flowers and herbs mentioned in Shakespeare's works
His father John was a glover and wool dealer; his mother Mary Arden was a farmer's daughter – her house is in the village of Wilmcote
Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway in 1582 – her thatched cottage is in Shottery
In 1597 he bought New Place, a house built by Hugh Clopton, a merchant who became Lord Mayor of London in 1492, and whose greatest gift to his town was the many-arched stone bridge that still carries traffic over the Avon
The house was demolished in 1759 but the foundations now form part of the garden beside Nash's House, named for the husband of Shakespeare's grand-daughter Elizabeth
Shakespeare died at New Place in 1616, on his 52nd birthday. He is buried in Holy Trinity Church, close to the River Avon
Hall's Croft, a fine timber-framed house in Old Town, named after John Hall who, in 1607, married Shakespeare's elder daughetr Susanna. On Shakespeare's death the family moved into New Place, which Susanna inherited from her father
Harvard House, in High Street, was the home of Katherine Rogers, mother of John Harvard, whose bequest made possible the foundation of Harvard University. Built in 1596 it is a fine example of an Elizabethan town house