Stratford-upon-Avon

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Stratford-upon-Avon is a town on the River Avon in south Warwickshire, England. In 2001 the town had a population of 23,676.

The town is the birthplace of William Shakespeare and because of its Shakespearean connections the area is a popular tourist destination, receiving about 3 million visitors a year from all over the world.Stratford District Council Report

Locally the town is known as Stratford, and the surrounding district as Stratford-on-Avon. Hence it is easy to confuse the town with the district as the postfix 'upon-Avon' refers to the town, whereas 'on-Avon' refers to the district.

Stratford in Warwickshire is also often confused with Stratford in the London Borough of Newham some 100 miles away (and partial host to the 2012 Olympic Games).

Industry

Apart from tourism, other industries in the town include aluminium ware, narrowboat building and insurance.

History and Geography

Stratford has Anglo-Saxon origins, and grew up as a market town in medieval times. See also ford (river).

Travel

Stratford is close to the UK's second largest city, Birmingham, and is easily accessible from junction 15 of the M40 motorway. The seven-mile £12m Stratford Northern Bypass opened in June 1987 as the A422. The town has good rail links from Birmingham (Snow Hill station, Moor Street station) and from London, with up to seven direct trains a day from London Marylebone.

The town has a new cycle-path, is on the canal network, and launched park and ride scheme in 2006.

Tourist attractions

The town is located on the Avon, on the banks of which stands the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, home of the Royal Shakespeare Company. The RSC also runs two smaller theatres, the Swan, which is modelled on an Elizabethan theatre, and The Other Place, a black box theatre.

Other tourist attractions within the town include the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and two contemporary buildings, Hall's Croft (the one-time home of Shakespeare's daughter, Susannah) and New Place, which stands on the site of an earlier house originally owned by the playwright himself. Also within the town is Holy Trinity Church, where Shakespeare was baptised and is buried.

Near to the town are several other properties associated with Shakespeare: Anne Hathaway's Cottage at Shottery, the former home of Shakespeare's wife, Mary Arden's House, the former home of his mother, and farms and buildings at Snitterfield, the former home of his father.

Non-Shakespearean attractions include a Teddy Bear Museum, a Butterfly Farm, the Bancroft Gardens, and The Black Swan (locally known as the 'Dirty Duck'), a pub said to be frequented by actors 'fresh from the stage'.

Eight miles away is Ragley Hall, one of England's finest stately homes and home to the Jerwood Sculpture Park.

The town had a publicly-funded art gallery, The Gallery, but this was closed in 2004.

The influx of tourists into Stratford has caused tension with residents for decades, and there are perennial complains about numerous tour buses clogging certain roads in the town.

There are plans to refurbish the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, and to build offices and flats on the defunct cattle market next to the railway station.

Educational establishments

Stratford is also home to several institutions set up for the study of Shakespeare, including the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, which holds books and documents related to the playwright, and the Shakespeare Institute, an academic institution.

The Public Library is also located on the main street (next door to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust) and was originally donated by Andrew Carnegie. It is currently owned and maintained by Warwickshire County Council and was refurbished in 2003. The revamped library was officially re-opened on January 7th 2004 by the actress and sometimes local resident Dame Judi Dench.

There are a number of primary and secondary schools, including two grammar schools: King Edward VI School, also known as "KES" and Stratford-upon-Avon Grammar School for Girls, known as "Shottery". Stratford also contains one higher education college: Stratford-upon-Avon College.

Churches

Trivia

Screaming Lord Sutch started his political campaign in Stratford-upon-Avon
John Profumo was MP for Stratford-upon-Avon
Another famous playwright, J.B. Priestley, died in Stratford-upon-Avon.
The towns of Stratford, Australia and Stratford, Ontario both lie on rivers named Avon and hold Shakespeare festivals.
Harvard University is named after John Harvard, whose mother was a native of Stratford-upon-Avon (her family home currently houses the Museum of British Pewter)

Town twinning

Stratford, Connecticut

Notes

External links

Public Library Information and Tourist Leaflets
Official Local Government Website on Warwickshire
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Website
Stratford-upon-Avon information resource website
Stratford 'on the web'
Shakespeare-country A website run and maintained by South Warwickshire tourism authority
Stratford-upon-Avon in Old Postcards A website with old views of the town and surrounding area
Washington Post website - ^*

Stratford Online Stratford Online Community Website.

William Shakespeare | Towns in Warwickshire | Visitor attractions in Warwickshire

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