Not only is Stratford-upon-Avon the birthplace and home of William Shakespeare - its origins actually go back roughly 800 years! With Anglo-Saxon origins, it grew into a market town during Medieval times and has remained like that ever since. The architecture and overall style of the town seems very much the same as it was in the 1500's, and there's plenty of the black-and-white-beamed building to satisfy any Tudor Enthusiast's craving.
I took plenty of pictures of them, and as you can see from the pictures, I could not get enough of the architecture...
There was a donation of 50 pence required to visit the high altar and see the actual grave of Shakespeare (which we paid, of course), and I could have stayed in that spot admiring the memorials and gorgeous altar all day! Unfortunately, because of the wedding, we didn't have a long time to sit and contemplate the beauty of the church, but we were lucky to be able to see it at all - Had we arrived a few minutes later, they may not have let us in. Here are some pictures from inside the church...
New House was actually not New House at all. It was the museum for what used to be New House - the marital home of William Shakespeare and his wife Anne Hathaway. The actual house was demolished in the 1700's and in its place was built a William & Mary-style home that has also since been demolished. Now, taking place in Stratford, is an archeological dig on the site of the house, and some of the things the archeologists have found so far are very interesting! They have found jewelry, combs, buttons, pieces of dinnerware, etc. - and it's all on display in the New House Museum.
Lastly, the birthplace of Shakespeare is probably the most visited and popular location in Stratford-upon-Avon. Of course, everyone wants to see the actual bedroom where one of the world's best writers was born. It's a beautiful house, and huge, considering the time period. The details in the woodwork are fantastic, and like Hall's Croft, it is designed to look as if the Shakespeare's live there today. The room where William was actually born was the largest room, and the actual window that was in the room during the time he was born is now on display in the house. It was very interesting to learn about how many other famous people have visited that house, and scratched their names into the windows in the house - forever leaving their mark on history. Some of these people include Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Charles Dickens, and Walter Scott.