The good, bad and ugly sides to Stratford-upon-Avon – hometown of William Shakespeare

The good

Stratford-upon-Avon is a quintessenti­ally English market town of cobbled streets flanked by handsome Tudor buildings, traditional family-run shops, inviting olde-worlde pubs and a river that meanders its way gracefully through the centre. And if that’s not enough to lure legions of tourists, it’s also the birthplace of the world’s most distinguished playwright.

Records show that William Shakespeare was baptised at the Warwickshire town’s Church of the Holy Trinity on April 26, 1564 and although the exact date of his birth is not recorded, it’s widely accepted that he had been born three days earlier, on April 23, which is also the date, in 1616, on which he died.

To mark the anniver­sary, characters in period costume join students from Shakespeare’s old school and an assortment of VIPs in a proces­sion that wends its way to the church where flowers are laid on his grave. A service honouring the celebrated scribe is followed by a programme of community activities and family entertainment. Central to the festivities is the annual Stratford-upon-Avon Literary Festival, which this year runs from April 27 to May 5.

To get your bearings and learn a little local history, head to the Swan Fountain at 11am and join the guided two-hour town walk. The Shakespeare-related sights come thick and fast; as do tales of fire, plague and the mystery of whether the great man’s skull was stolen by 18th century robbers – despite an ominous graveside warning penned by the man himself: “And cursed be he that moves my bones.”

The walking tour doesn’t include entry to any of the Shakespeare family homes so forward planners will be glad they ordered a Full Story ticket online. The pass offers access to five properties, including the Bard’s birth­place and the thatched child­hood home and mani­cured gardens of his wife, Anne Hathaway, where the pair spent the first five years of married life.

Also not to be missed is a visit to the half-beamed schoolroom where the playwright was a pupil in the 1570s. The experience is especially popular with youngsters, who can join a Tudor-era lesson and try their hand at writing with a quill. Back in the day, classes would have been in Latin, although other subjects were taught. With the hindsight of history, it’s fair to say that Shakespeare’s English teacher, Thomas Jenkins, did a pretty good job of nurtur­ing his star pupil’s love of the language.