W.S's father, John Shakespeare had a successful glove making workshop here. He became a member of the town council, then mayor of Stratford when William was 4. William Shakespeare lived here with his wife, Anne Hathaway for a few years after they got married (in 1582). Anne and William's 3 children were born in this house (top left): Susanna, and the twins Hamnet and Judith. The house became a popular tourist attraction after the 1st Shakespeare Festival in 1769. Many famous 19th c. writers have left their signature scratched in the windowpane in one of the upstairs windows, which since has become a relic in itself. The names include: John Keats, Sir Walter Scott, Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, etc... The rooms and the garden can be visited, though they are not the original furnishings but careful reconstructions of late 16th c. interiors.
Top right: A room in Shakespeare's House
Bottom right: Nash's House; This timber framed Tudor house is where Shakespeare's granddaughter Elizabeth came to live after her marriage to John Nash. In the neighbouring lot (New Place) used to stand the home where W.Shakespeare spent the last 18 years of his life (It was taken down in the 18th c.).
Bottom left: Anne Hathaway's Cottage; Anne grew up in this home. This is where 18 year old Shakespeare came to court his 26 year old future wife... This romantic cottage with its hatched roof, timbered walls and its gardens has inspired many painters. It is one of the symbols of "Old England". The cottage used to be surrounded by farmlands until in the 19th c. it became so widely visited that a better road had to be provided and the lands were sold.
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