Warwickshire
Places to Visit and Days out in Warwickshire:
Anne Hathaway's Cottage | Arbury Hall | Baddesley Clinton | Charlecote Park | Coventry Cathedral | Edgehill | Kenilworth Castle | Mary Arden's House | Packwood House | Ragley Hall | Royal Shakespeare Theatre | Rugby School | Stoneleigh Abbey | Warwick Castle
Anne Hathaway's Cottage
Anne Hathaway, a farmer's daughter, married Shakespeare in 1582. The thatched cottage that was her home is located in Shottery, 2 miles from the centre of Stratford. To reach it you can leave the town by footpaths that the young suitor may have walked when he went courting there. The cottage, surrounded by a traditional English country garden and orchard, remained in the Hathaway family until 1892.
Much of the original furniture remains, and full details of the cottage are recorded in the will of Anne's father, who died in 1581.
Arbury Hall
The Hall has an Elizabethan exterior, with an interior in 'Gothic Revival' style. The writer, George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) was born on 22 November 1819 at South Farm on the Arbury Hall Estate, where her father worked for the Newdigate family. She attended schools at Attleborough, Nuneaton, and Coventry.
Baddesley Clinton
One of the finest examples of a medieval moated house in England.
Charlecote Park
An Elizabethan mansion, much altered over the years. The interior was reconstructed in Elizabethan style in the 19th century.
Coventry Cathedral
The original cathedral was bombed during the Second World War. Its ruins still stand next to the present Cathedral, designed by Sir Basil Spence, completed in 1962.
Edgehill
Legend tells that for several nights after the famous Battle of Edgehill, two phantom armies could be seen, and heard, fighting the battle all over again. Each night, after the King's soldiers had been defeated and fled the scene of battle, the Parliamentary soldiers would remain for a time in triumph, and then they too would vanish.
Kenilworth Castle
Built around 1122 by Geoffrey de Clinton, the castle, now mostly ruins, was turned into a palace by John of Gaunt in the 11th century. It later became the home of Robert Dudley, a favourite of Elizabeth I.
Mary Arden's House
Childhood home of Shakespeare's mother. Now a restored Tudor working farm museum, providing an interesting in-site into the old Elizabethan way of life.
Wilmcote, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 9UN (3 miles from Stratford) Tel: 01789 293 455
Packwood House
A timber-framed Tudor house built circa 1550.
Ragley Hall
A magnificent Palladian-style country mansion, circa 1680. Decorated by Gibbs and Wyatt.
Royal Shakespeare Theatre
Built in 1932 to replace the theatre destroyed by 'fire in 1926. William Shakespeare, the most celebrated playwright in the English language, was born on 23 April 1564 in Henley Street in Stratford on Avon. The son of a glover. He divided his time between London and Stratford, settling finally at New Place in Stratford in 1610. He died on 23 April 1616.
Rugby School
The Public School was founded in 1567 and made more famous by Thomas Hughes' Tom Brown's School days. Lewis Carroll attended in 1846. Thomas Arnold became headmaster of Rugby School in 1828.
Stoneleigh Abbey
An Italian style mansion, built in the early 18th century, around the remains of an abbey. The 14th-century monastery gatehouse still survives.
Warwick Castle
One of the most well preserved medieval castles in England. This romantic fortress was once the home of the Earls of Warwick. It stands on an older Saxon site on an escarpment overlooking the River Avon. Its exceptional Norman and later structure hides an interior completely rebuilt during the 17th century. The castle is open to the public all year round and visitors have access to the state rooms, torture chamber, silver vault, ghost tower, and Avon-side grounds that were landscaped by Capability Brown.
Other places of interest in Warwickshire.
Compton Wynyates
One of the finest Tudor houses in Britain, begun in 1480 by Sir Edmund Compton. Sir William Compton completed the magnificent red-brick mansion 30 years later, which is now a Grade I listed building. The interior has remained largely unaltered since Tudor times. The estate surrounding the house has been in the same family since the early 13th century. The once wild hillside parkland, close to the house, has been cultivated as a modern topiary garden. The Compton family still live there today and although the property has been opened to visitors in the past, the house and grounds are currently NOT open to the public at this time.
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