Stratford-Upon-Avon Tour Details
Tour: City Sightseeing Stratford-upon-Avon,
Start Point: Bridgefoot, Pen & Parchment Inn
Duration: 60 minutes,
Frequency: 20 minutes Summer / 30 - 60 minutes Winter
Season: All Year round except 25/26 December & 1 January
Ticket Validity: 24 hours
Commentary: Pre-recorded English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese Japanese, German and Kid's Commentary. English live Guide on some departures March - October
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Stratford-Upon-Avon - Full Information & Details About the Area
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, 22 miles south east of Birmingham and 8 miles south west of the county town, Warwick. It is the main town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers a much larger area than the town itself. In 2001, the town's population was 23,676.
The town is a popular tourist destination owing to its status as birthplace of the playwright and poet William Shakespeare, receiving about three million visitors a year from all over the world.
The administrative body for the town is the Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council, which is based at the Civic Hall in Rother Street (not to be confused with the Stratford-on-Avon District Council, which is based at Elizabeth House, Church Street). The Town Council is responsible for crime prevention, cemeteries, public conveniences, litter, river moorings, parks, and grants via the Town Trust, plus the selection of the town's mayor. Locally, the town is known simply as Stratford, and as such can be confused with the Stratford in the London Borough of Newham.
Stratford has Anglo-Saxon origins, and grew up as a market town in medieval times. The name is a fusion of the Old English strǣt, meaning "street", and ford.
Stratford is also close to the Cotswolds, with Chipping Campden 10 miles to the south. As a major sheep producing area (William Shakespeare's father, John Shakespeare, bought and sold sheep's wool illegally) the Cotswolds, up until the latter part of the 19th century, regarded Stratford as one of its main centres for the slaughter, marketing, and distribution of sheep and wool. As a consequence Stratford also became a centre for tanning during the 15th–17th centuries.
Should a mass German invasion have occurred during World War II, the city was to become the temporary seat of Parliament, and host many state servants.
Stratford Upon Avon Tourist attractions
The town is located on the River Avon , on the banks of which stands the Royal Shakespeare Theatre designed by the English architect Elisabeth Scott and completed in 1932, which is the home of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Until recently the RSC also ran two smaller theatres, the Swan, which is modelled on an Elizabethan theatre and The Other Place theatre, a Black box theatre which closed in 2005 to make room for the temporary RSC Courtyard Theatre, which opened in July 2006. This theatre is now the home of the RSC while the RST is being refurbished; its interior is similar to the planned interior of the refurbished RST. The site of The Other Place has now become the foyer, bars, cloakroom, dressing rooms, and rehearsal space of the Courtyard Theatre.
Other tourist attractions within the town include five houses relating to Shakespeare's life, which are owned and cared for by The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. These include Hall's Croft (the one-time home of Shakespeare's daughter, Susannah, and her husband Dr. John Hall) and Nash's House,which stands alongside the site of another property, New Place, owned by Shakespeare himself, wherein died. Near to the town are Anne Hathaway's Cottage at Shottery, the home of Shakespeare's wife's family prior to her marriage, and Mary Arden's House, the family home of his mother. Elsewhere in the district are farms and buildings at Snitterfield, that belonged to the family of Shakespeare's father.
The most recent addition to the town is Shakespearience, in the Waterside Theatre. The show takes the story of Shakespeare into the digital age, exploring this life and legacy alongside highlights of his plays using a 21st-Century version of the Victorian stage illusion Pepper's Ghost.
At the top end of Waterside is Holy Trinity Church, where Shakespeare was baptised and is buried.
Non-Shakespearean attractions include the Stratford Butterfly Farm, which is on the eastern side of the river and the Bancroft Gardens.
The influx of tourists into Stratford (3.5 million a year) has caused tension with residents for decades, and there are perennial complaints about numerous tour buses clogging certain roads in the town.
Each year on 12 October (unless this is a Sunday, in which case 11 October) Stratford hosts one of the largest Mop Fairs in the country. Then, on the second Saturday following, the smaller Runaway Mop fair is held.
Henley Street
Henley Street is one of the oldest streets in Stratford-upon-Avon, where, in 1556 John Shakespeare bought a half-timbered farm house that is typical of the Tudor style of architecture of its day, which, in 1564 became the birthplace of his son William Shakespeare. The birthplace now stands alongside the Shakespeare Centre, completed in 1964 and not far from the Carnegie Library, which was completed in 1905. Henley Street is now a major tourist and shopping area for the town, with many pavement cafes and street entertainers.
Sheep Street
As the name suggests Sheep Street, which leads down from the Town Hall to Waterside and the RST, was from early times and until the late 19th century, the area where sheep, brought from the neighbouring Cotswold Hills, were slaughtered and butchered. Today it is the restaurant centre of the town. Sheep Street also has some long established ladies 'gown' shops. The oldest house in Stratford, The Shrieves House, where Oliver Cromwell is thought to have stayed in 1651, before the second battle of Worcester, can be found in this busy street. Alongside, and behind The Shrieves House is the Falstaffs Experience, which is an entertaining museum of the macabre.
Waterside & Southern Lane
This area of Stratford, which runs from the foot of Bridge Street to Holy Trinity Church (and leads directly off Sheep Street and Scholars Lane) runs alongside the River Avon and offers access to the Waterside Theatre and all areas of the RST. The RST is currently undergoing great renovation works, including work to the Bancroft Gardens at the front of the main RST building.
The Bancroft Gardens run from Waterside to the River Avon and include a canal basin. During the summer months there are often street performers performing to the public on the lawns.
In October 2007 the Italian restaurateur and broadcaster Antonio Carluccio opened a new restaurant below the Waterside Theatre (previously Hamiltons restaurant).
About City Sightseeing City Tours
City Sightseeing do more than just Stratford-Upon-Avon City tours. They are a global sightseeing bus brand, started by Ensignbus, which operates tour bus rides around keyword plus various cities in the UK and worldwide.
Typically the tours consist of an open top double-decker bus. As the bus travels around the town or city, either pre-recorded or live commentary is provided. City Sightseeing buses are recognisable due to their distinctively decorated red livery. Tickets and offers are transferable between the worldwide tours.
Stratford-Upon-Avon City Tours at Computicket from City Sightseeing |
